St Petersburg: The Homes of the Tsars
Story by Paul Hughes, 2019
St Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia after the capital Moscow and, built around a vital port on the Baltic Sea, has a broad population of almost 6.5 million people.
St Petersburg was founded by the first Russian Emperor or Tsar, Peter the Great in May 1703 and was the capital of Imperial Russia for around 200 years until the revolution, when the revolutionary army moved the central government to Moscow in 1918.
However, Moscow is regarded only as the political capital of Russia while St Petersburg is regarded by most Russians as the historical, social and cultural capital.
It is easy to understand why.
St Petersburg is so incredible that the historic centre of city, and its many monuments, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and today the city houses one of the world’s largest art collections at the Hermitage Museum (above).
While there are countless palaces, museums and historic sites to visit, we were in St Petersburg for only two days so we have included some articles to give you a brief insight into what we discovered and experienced.
While many people were smitten by the Winter Palace (below left), the Summer Palace, the Church of the Spilled Blood (below right), Monpaisir Palace and gardens, Vivat (the Summer Garden) and even the wonderful boat cruise on the Neva River, my favorite place was the Peterhof Gardens, not only because they highlighted the absolute wealth and decadence of the Tsar, his family and the aristocracy but also the ingenuity of the architects, engineers and artists from some 300 years ago.
St Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia after the capital Moscow and, built around a vital port on the Baltic Sea, has a broad population of almost 6.5 million people.
St Petersburg was founded by the first Russian Emperor or Tsar, Peter the Great in May 1703 and was the capital of Imperial Russia for around 200 years until the revolution, when the revolutionary army moved the central government to Moscow in 1918.
However, Moscow is regarded only as the political capital of Russia while St Petersburg is regarded by most Russians as the historical, social and cultural capital.
It is easy to understand why.
St Petersburg is so incredible that the historic centre of city, and its many monuments, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and today the city houses one of the world’s largest art collections at the Hermitage Museum (above).
While there are countless palaces, museums and historic sites to visit, we were in St Petersburg for only two days so we have included some articles to give you a brief insight into what we discovered and experienced.
While many people were smitten by the Winter Palace (below left), the Summer Palace, the Church of the Spilled Blood (below right), Monpaisir Palace and gardens, Vivat (the Summer Garden) and even the wonderful boat cruise on the Neva River, my favorite place was the Peterhof Gardens, not only because they highlighted the absolute wealth and decadence of the Tsar, his family and the aristocracy but also the ingenuity of the architects, engineers and artists from some 300 years ago.
See more stories on St Petersburg on other pages.
St Petersburg: The Winter Palace
St Petersburg and Monplaisir 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: The Winter Palace
St Petersburg and Monplaisir 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