Sankt Peterburg: A Home for the Russian Heritage

Activities
By Halsey Wallace

St. Petersburg, also known as the Venice of the north, is a city known for its rich amount of Russian history. For tourists and locals alike this city boasts many prestigious cathedrals, museums, parks and palaces. For a city of 5 million people it also boasts over 365 bridges! While this city thrives on tourism and the unique characteristics of a European city, it also has a more humble and peaceful side. For those individuals who enjoy visiting museums there are over 300 just within St. Petersburg. The museums range from Russian palaces that were once the home of Russia's great Tsars to many modern day museums such as the museum of Curiosity and Forensic Science.

Andrew made a new friend at the Peter and Paul Fortress Museum

Even while there is much to do in this fascinating city, there are also some downfalls. On average St. Petersburg only gets 35 sunny days a year, and because it is located on the Gulf of Finland most of the time it is humid and rainy. For those wishing to escape the frigid damp air there are many museums, churches and palaces to visit. The Hermitage, the 4th largest art museum in the world, was once the Winter Palace of Empress Catherine the Great. This museum holds a large collection of Russian artwork, while also diversifying into capturing the enlightenment of some of the greatest artists in history, such as daVinci and Raphael. When walking through this palace it feels as though you are taken back in time. Each room glistens because of the gold figurines that are neatly lying on the velvet red walls. Because of the vast amounts of artwork it is recommended that a tour guide be used to capture the full depth of this amazing palace.

After visiting the Hermitage many enjoy taking the leisurely stroll to Cathedral of Spilled Blood. It was at this very spot that Tsar Alexander II was mortally wounded before he died. The inside of the cathedral is absolutely breathtaking. The high vaulted ceilings are imprinted with mosaics of biblical stories. The vast portraits paralyze the eyes as you try to grasp the greatness of each picture. For many, leaving the center of the city is the most enjoyable. Once outside of the hustle and bustle of St. Petersburg many visit the great and spacious palaces, which are now nestled in the suburbs of the Gulf of Finland. Just outside of St. Petersburg one may find the Summer Palace of Catherine the Great, just a few miles down the road and a short walk through a forest one may also find the Pevlov Palace; which rests solemnly on a hill over looking a beautiful river. The Peterhoff Palace which sits on the Gulf of Finland is known for its magnificent water fountains that cascade down in the Gulf.

For those that wish to stay in the city, a nice stroll through the streets of St. Petersburg can be quite an adventure. Nevsky Prospekt is the ideal place to find tiny boutiques, Italian bistros and a wide mixture of Russian and European stores. While walking through Nevsky Prospekt one may notice that many churches sit on this street. St. Petersburg is also known as the City of Tolerance because it houses many religions and beliefs. On Nevsky Prospekt there are Russian Orthodox, Catholic and Luthern Churches all within 3 blocks of one another.

No matter if you are visiting a cathedral, walking along the English Enbankment, or touring one of St. Petersburg's many museums there is always something to do and see. This city is unique because it cultivates the European lifestyle into the unique culture of the Russian heritage. It is an experience of a lifetime that makes anyone feel as though they are living in the time of the great Tsars of Russia.

An MSAU Student in the Northern Venice

Education
By Andrew Guenther

Last weekend our gang went to St. Petersburg. We saw many amazing sites from Russian history as the city had over 300 museums. As Americans, we were in awe of all the palaces and wonders of this fine city. Simeon, one of our Russian classmates, went to St. Petersburg too. So, I thought it would be interesting to interview him and see what a Russian thinks of this city.

Simeon's first visit to the Hermitage

According to Simeon, St. Petersburg is more of a European city while Moscow is more… Russian. He said everywhere you go you can see businesses that accept both the Euro and the Russian Ruble. There were also more foreign people in this city than in Moscow. He mentioned how he was walking down the street and heard Russian, English, French, German, and Finish in the matter of three blocks. He also brought a great deal of attention to the importance of tourism. St. Petersburg as a town was in a good condition and this was mostly do to their great amount of tourism. For Simeon, the palaces and museums explained the story of the history he was taught in school. He already knew the Russian history so for him it was just great to see it first hand. He was in awe of the huge palaces and shiny gold, but these were things he just read about before, now he saw proof. He said even the night clubs were more wide range as far as ethnicity, and everyone was there to have a good time.

For Simeon the city was everything he always imagined and even more. He enjoyed it very much and made the best of his stay. But like everyone else he admitted that it was good to be home when he finally returned to Moscow. Although he loved St. Petersburg, Simeon still believes, “there is no place like home.”

Culture of Saint Petersburg

Culture
By Weston Rathje

A Russian man serenading passing by tourists
 

The culture of Saint Petersburg is a lot different than here in Moscow. For starters, when you travel to St. Petersburg, the minute you walk off the airplane, train or metro you can see that you are in a European city. Canals run throughout the city, huge cathedrals practically line the streets, and the people walking around actually smile every once in a while. The canals form many waterways – they connect all parts of Saint Petersburg to the harbor. At some point this probably played an important role in transportation, but now it’s just fun to go on a boat tour. You can see almost all the best parts of the city from the water, including the Peter and Paul Fortress, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood, the Hermitage, and numerous universities.

But other than just the architecture and structure of Saint Petersburg, the people themselves are more European. Walking on the street you can hear the many languages of international tourists. The people of Saint Petersburg aren’t so unpleasant on the metro (less babushkas and winos), and their fashion is much more functional. I even saw girls wearing sneakers instead of stiletto boots! The cafes and bistros are very pleasant; almost all have outdoor seating and English menus. The people and businesses are generally willing to cater to tourists because tourism is important to the city.

The many cathedrals and museums of Saint Petersburg are a testament to the great history and culture of the city, which was developed for hundreds of years by the emperors and empresses of the Romanov family. Overall, Saint Petersburg is much more beautiful and pleasant than Moscow. But this is understandable – they say that Saint Petersburg is the cultural capital of Russia, whereas Moscow is the business and economic center. I suggest Saint Petersburg as the city to visit if you ever want to come to Russia.

St. Petersburg Weather Report

Weather
By Catherine Scipioni

Our group of American students spent the past weekend in St. Petersburg, Russia. We had heard before-hand that the weather there in May would be beautiful, and that the city would be warm and green. Apparently we visited on an off year. The first three days of our trip we never saw the sun. When we arrived in St. Petersburg, we were given a full-day bus tour of the city, so we immediately hopped onto the bus. We were driven around all day, stopping to take pictures, and also to visit St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul’s Fortress and the Hermitage. Thankfully we were mostly indoors, because the weather was cold, windy and slightly rainy. Saturday was the same, but this time we didn't have the warm bus. Sunday was a little warmer, and Monday we finally saw sunlight. The timing was good too, because the sun came out fully while four of us were on our boat tour Monday afternoon. The boat tour went through all the canals and harbor of St. Petersburg, so it was nice to have the sun’s warmth on our backs.

The american students seemed to enjoy St. Petersburg despite the chilly temperature

I know the weather sounds pretty bad, but it could have been worse. St. Petersburg is located on the 60 degree longitude line – the same as Juno, Alaska. Being this far north would be difficult for anyone to live in, let alone a girl from Florida! St. Petersburg has, on average, only twenty days of full sunlight per year. They also have the “white nights” of June; they are so far north that an average night in June is only four hours long. Overall, the city was beautiful no matter what the weather, and Monday afternoon was quite pleasant for walking around Nevsky Prospekt (with a warm jacket, of course!). St. Petersburg has so much to offer, and although we went at the chilly beginning of the tourist season, we had a cultural experience I would recommend to anyone.

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