Russia: St Petersburg and Monplaisir Palace
Eyes Opened Widely in Russia
Story by Paul Hughes, 2019
I am not sure whether it was because I grew up during the Cold War between the West and Communist Russia or something else, however I have always been in two minds about visiting Russia.
On the one hand I was an avid reader as a child, consuming a whole 10-volume set of Arthur Mee’s encyclopaedias before I was 10 years old, so I had many stories about the Imperial family.
The famous (or infamous) included, below left, Ivan the Terrible (enough said), who was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547, then ruled as the first Tsar of Russia from 1547 to 1584; Peter the Great (centre) who ruled from 1672 to 1725 and founded St Petersburg; the sheer decadence of the Tsars who ruled after his death, especially Catherine the Great; and all the way through to the end of rule by nobility with the murder Tsar Nicholas Romanov (right) and his family on 17 July 1918, followed by the deaths of many of the aristocrisy during the 1917 revolution, which was a pre-cursor to the emergence of Communism.
I was therefore keen to see first hand the amazing buildings that remained from this era.
I am not sure whether it was because I grew up during the Cold War between the West and Communist Russia or something else, however I have always been in two minds about visiting Russia.
On the one hand I was an avid reader as a child, consuming a whole 10-volume set of Arthur Mee’s encyclopaedias before I was 10 years old, so I had many stories about the Imperial family.
The famous (or infamous) included, below left, Ivan the Terrible (enough said), who was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547, then ruled as the first Tsar of Russia from 1547 to 1584; Peter the Great (centre) who ruled from 1672 to 1725 and founded St Petersburg; the sheer decadence of the Tsars who ruled after his death, especially Catherine the Great; and all the way through to the end of rule by nobility with the murder Tsar Nicholas Romanov (right) and his family on 17 July 1918, followed by the deaths of many of the aristocrisy during the 1917 revolution, which was a pre-cursor to the emergence of Communism.
I was therefore keen to see first hand the amazing buildings that remained from this era.
On the other side there were the daunting stories promoted during the cold war; the thought of the thousands of people supposedly banished to freeze to death in the prison camps in Siberia (below); as well as the personal stories of Russians who had fled the country after the end of Communism, all of which became somewhat of a psychological deterrent.
It was only after we met a Russian family who had fled the Putin regime and settled in Australia that we decided to add Russia to our bucket list, and we are so glad we did. They told us that while they despised the government in Russia, they could never return to their homeland and that many of their countrymen lived in poverty, they also felt that everyone should visit St Petersburg at least once in their lives. So, when we were looking to visit the Scandinavian countries and saw a two-day visit to St Petersburg was included in a cruise, we jumped on board.
It was only after we met a Russian family who had fled the Putin regime and settled in Australia that we decided to add Russia to our bucket list, and we are so glad we did. They told us that while they despised the government in Russia, they could never return to their homeland and that many of their countrymen lived in poverty, they also felt that everyone should visit St Petersburg at least once in their lives. So, when we were looking to visit the Scandinavian countries and saw a two-day visit to St Petersburg was included in a cruise, we jumped on board.
We were not disappointed - our visit was both amazing and an eye-opener, even though we found Russia to be a challenging place to visit. It was almost like the government didn’t welcome tourists, given all of the hurdles that were put in our way.
We discovered that if were were not going to visit as part of an organised tour, there were masses of tedious paperwork to complete which was not only time-consuming to fill out, but also took some weeks to get an approval.
Also, a three-month visa to Russia was about AUD$120 each. However, if we left the country at all during that time, we needed a new visa to return. As all passengers had to return to the ship on the first night, and therefore leave Russia because the cruise ship is officially the country where it is registered, then we needed a second visa for the second day!
It was also evident that few people outside the specialist tour guides spoke both English and Russian, hence travelling alone meant you were actually alone and had little hope of being understood in regards to directions, transport, shopping, restaurants or basic foods, or accessing any destinations unless you had a personal guide!
We discovered that if were were not going to visit as part of an organised tour, there were masses of tedious paperwork to complete which was not only time-consuming to fill out, but also took some weeks to get an approval.
Also, a three-month visa to Russia was about AUD$120 each. However, if we left the country at all during that time, we needed a new visa to return. As all passengers had to return to the ship on the first night, and therefore leave Russia because the cruise ship is officially the country where it is registered, then we needed a second visa for the second day!
It was also evident that few people outside the specialist tour guides spoke both English and Russian, hence travelling alone meant you were actually alone and had little hope of being understood in regards to directions, transport, shopping, restaurants or basic foods, or accessing any destinations unless you had a personal guide!
Left: A boat tour gives great perspective of the city. Right: Some of the crowds at Catherine's Palace.
Eventually we decided to take two whole day tours from the cruise, which included our visas, guides and translators, transport, access to attractions, and food!
They were days jam-packed with many emotions. We were amazed by the absolute squandering of wealth under the Tzars and equally shocked by how the people were starved, bought and sold like slaves, and even heard how whole communities were won and lost in card games!
I reflected how there was a common thread running through the lives of everyday people during the Chinese dynasties; in England during the Middle Ages; slavery in the United States leading to the civil war; in countries under the conquering Greeks or Vikings; and even similar situations today in many countries around the world.
Listening to modern Russians tour guides speak about life during the last three centuries and the corruption and brutal treatment of people by the aristocracy; followed by the corruption and brutal treatment of people during the Communist Soviet Union era; and even to modern life in Russia under President Putin, we were glad we were visiting for only a short while.
Given all of that, there are some beautiful and unique parts of Russian history that are preserved in the buildings, monuments and museums of Russia.
I highly recommend at least one visit to St Petersburg - it is almost certain to open your eyes and influence your perspective on life.
They were days jam-packed with many emotions. We were amazed by the absolute squandering of wealth under the Tzars and equally shocked by how the people were starved, bought and sold like slaves, and even heard how whole communities were won and lost in card games!
I reflected how there was a common thread running through the lives of everyday people during the Chinese dynasties; in England during the Middle Ages; slavery in the United States leading to the civil war; in countries under the conquering Greeks or Vikings; and even similar situations today in many countries around the world.
Listening to modern Russians tour guides speak about life during the last three centuries and the corruption and brutal treatment of people by the aristocracy; followed by the corruption and brutal treatment of people during the Communist Soviet Union era; and even to modern life in Russia under President Putin, we were glad we were visiting for only a short while.
Given all of that, there are some beautiful and unique parts of Russian history that are preserved in the buildings, monuments and museums of Russia.
I highly recommend at least one visit to St Petersburg - it is almost certain to open your eyes and influence your perspective on life.
The Monplaisir Palace
It is said that in the early 1700s Peter the Great began sketching his own idea of what a palace should look like, including the site itself as well as the layout and aspects of the decorative finish.
Not to be confused with the Summer Palace, it was his idea of a summer retreat that he could use on his journeys to and from Europe. In 1714 he began building his palace which he called Monplaisir, and around it naturally created some amazing gardens.
The palace had his personal Maritime Study (below left), located so that from the window he could see St Petersburg on the right and Kronstadt Island on the left.
Peter filled the walls with hundreds of paintings he purchased from Germany, with the palace designed to protect the paintings from the dampness of the sea and the cold of Russian winters.
It is another amazing palace that was a forerunner to the networks of palaces and gardens he built further inland and named the Peterhof Palace and Gardens
Not to be confused with the Summer Palace, it was his idea of a summer retreat that he could use on his journeys to and from Europe. In 1714 he began building his palace which he called Monplaisir, and around it naturally created some amazing gardens.
The palace had his personal Maritime Study (below left), located so that from the window he could see St Petersburg on the right and Kronstadt Island on the left.
Peter filled the walls with hundreds of paintings he purchased from Germany, with the palace designed to protect the paintings from the dampness of the sea and the cold of Russian winters.
It is another amazing palace that was a forerunner to the networks of palaces and gardens he built further inland and named the Peterhof Palace and Gardens
See more stories on St Petersburg on other pages.
St Petersburg: Home of the Tsars
Russia: St Petersburg and Monplaisir Palace
St Petersburg: The Winter Palace
St Petersburg: The Peterhof Gardens,
St Petersburg: Homes of the Tsars
The Spectacular Neva River, St Petersburg
St Petersburg: The Winter Palace (or Palaces)
St Petersburg: The Museum of Russia and Summer Palace
St Petersburg: Home of the Tsars
Russia: St Petersburg and Monplaisir Palace
St Petersburg: The Winter Palace
St Petersburg: The Peterhof Gardens,
St Petersburg: Homes of the Tsars
The Spectacular Neva River, St Petersburg
St Petersburg: The Winter Palace (or Palaces)
St Petersburg: The Museum of Russia and Summer Palace