The station in the Vladirnirskaya Square, was designed by the architects G. I. Aleksandrov, A. V. Zhuk and A. I. Pribulsky. The architectural decoration of the station embodies the growth of the material well-being of the Russian people.
Constructed in 1879 by the architect L. Fontana, the building of the theatre was the home of the pre-revolutionary Maly Suvorin Theatre. The Bolshoi Drama Theatre was established on the initiative of A. M. Gorky supported by A. V. Lunacharsky, the poet A. A. Blok and the actors Y. M. Yiiryev, N. F. Monakhov and…
Petersburg State Transport University (Institute of Railway Engineers named after Academician V. N. Obraztsov): Moskovsky Prospect, 9 (9, Moscow Avenue). This Institute is one of the oldest and most important establishments of higher education in the field of transport. It was founded in 1809. Such outstanding men of science and engineering as D. I. Zhuravsky,…
The obelisk was set up in 1908. The author of the memorial was the sculptor A. L. Ober.
The Nikolsky Cathedral is an architectural monument; it was built in 1753—1762 by the eminent Russian architect S. I. Chevakfnsky. The beautifully proportioned, light and elegant bell-tower of the cathedral is one of the masterpieces of the 18th century architecture.
In 1930 a House of Culture for trade-and public catering workers was built on the site of the former Litovsky market. The large-scale reconstruction of the building was carried out in 1956— 1957 according to the plan submitted by the architects N. A. Miturich, V. V. Gorbachev and M. L. Fainberg. The outside of the…
The reconstruction of this formerly suburban part of the city, which was begun before the war, made possible the building of the Malo-Okhtinsky Prospect on the right bank of the Neva and the laying-out of the Zanevsky Prospect which in the near future will be a continuation of the Nevsky Prospect (the plan is by…
Designed by the architect K. A. Ton, the building of the Moscow Railway Station was erected in 1851, when the construction of the St. Petersburg — Moscow Railway Line was completed. When, in the autumn of 1890, the twenty-year old Ulyanov first set foot in Petersburg, he arrived from Samara at the Nikolayeysky Station (now…
This is the first station of the Saint Petersburg Underground, named after V. I. Lenin, which began to operate in November 1955. The underground hall and the vestibule were designed by the architects I. I. Fomin, B. N. Zhuravlyov and V. V. Gankevich; the architectural decoration embodies the theme of the Great October Socialist Revolution.…
In 1835 the architect Q. Fossati erected a building with a classical portico, and in 1959 it became the Palace of Art Workers, the first in the country. This palace joins two clubs of intellectuals, the House of Art Workers and the Actor’s House. The palace runs two Universities of Culture, organizes various cycles of…
In 1905 this building housed the editorial office of the first legal Bolshevist newspaper Novaya Zhizn (New Life). Directing the work of the paper and constantly collaborating as its correspondent, V. I. Lenin concentrated here the best literary men of the Party, the outstanding publicists M. S. Olmfnsky, V. V. Vorovsky, A. V. Lunacharsky and…
The four sculptural groups — a remarkable work by the sculptor P. K. Klodt — were created in 1841—1850. Two similar groups were taken by the sculptor to Berlin and erected in front of the Grand Palace; two more groups were sent to Naples and set up in the garden at the Theatre of San-Carlo.…
The St. Petersburg City Palace of Youth Creativity — a wonderful gift from the Russianpeople to the children of Saint Petersburg — was opened on February 12, 1937, in the former Anichkov Palace, where court nobility used to assemble at magnificent balls. Nowadays the three buildings of the palace contain 300 laboratories and workshops, work-rooms…
The ballet school was established in 1738 to train artists for the Russian court theatres and since 1837 has been housed in the world-famous building in Architect Rossi Street. Such coryphees of Russian ballet as A. I. Istomina, E. A. Te-iesheva, A. P. Pavlova, A. Y. Vaganova, V. F. Nizhinsky, M. M. Fokin and many…
A. S. Pushkin Academic Theatre. Its history is a vivid illustration of the growth of old Russian and modern Russiandramatic art. On August 31, 1832, the Aleksandrinsky Theatre (as it was called before the Revolution) gave its first performance. It was M. V. Kryukovsky’s historical drama Prince Pozharsky. The building of the theatre, wonderfully harmonious…
The State Public Library named after M. E. Saltykoy-Shchedrin is one of the largest book repositories and a world-known bibliography-research centre. It contains over 13,000,000 catalogued items, three times more than in pre-revolutionary years. Nearly 4,000 people come to the library every day in order to draw out more than 12,000 books, magazines, newspapers and…
The monument to M. I Glinka, the great Russian composer and founder of our national opera and symphonic. art, was erected in 1906 according to the design of the sculptor P. P. Bach.
Monument to N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov in Teatralnaya Ploshchad (Theatre Square). In 1952, near the building of the conservatoire where the outstanding Russian composer taught his students, a monument to N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov was unveiled; this memorial was designed by the sculptor V. Y. Bogolyubov and V. I. Ingal This is the oldest Russian conservatoire; it…
This is one of the oldest theatres in Saint Petersburg; its stage history is organically associated with the development of Russian musical, vocal and choreographic art. On October 2, 1860, the patriotic opera Ivan Susanin by M. I. Glinka was staged in the building designed by the well-known theatre architect A. K. Kavos and built…
By the decree of the RussianGovernment, a Biological station was established here in accordance with I. P. Pavlov’s plan. The great physiologist worked for many years in this scientific research centre —the Capital of Conditioned Reflexes. In 1951, close to the building of the Institute, a monument to I. P. Pavlov was set up: a…
Numerous rivers, canals, bridges and embankments lend the city a charm all of its own. Here is one of the 600 bridges — the Bank Bridge over the Griboyedov Canal. From this wharf steamers sail down the Neva to the Central Park of Culture and Rest named after S. M. Kirov, as well as up…
The world-khown historical building of the Smolny is the symbol of Lenigrad (in USSR) — the city of three revolutions, the cradle of the Great October Revolution. There are two memorial plaques on the portico of the main entrance; the inscriptions on them read: ‘Here, in the Smolny, were the headquarters of the armed uprising…
The collection of the museum includes about 4,000 items; they show the chief landmarks in Suvorov’s life and the development of his military genius. The museum has gathered valuable archive materials and various thophies captured by the Russian army under the command of Suvorov. The building of the museum was erected in 1904 in accordance…
The museum was set up in 1946. N. A. Nekrasov, the great Russian people’s poet, lived in this apartment for 20 years — from 1857 to the last day of his life; he died here in 1877. The same building housed the editorial office of the magazine Sovremennik edited by N. A. Nekrasov and, at…
This is the first theatre for children in the RUSSIA It was established in 1921 on the initiative of the well-khown art-director A. A. Bryantzev.- The opening performance was given on February 22, 1922, when The Hunchback Horse, a stage version of P. P. Yershov’s fairy tale, was presented to the public. During the years…
The Comedy Theatre was set up in 1929. In the 1930’s it staged works by West European classics, including plays by Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, Sheridan. During recent years the repertoire of the theatre has included plays by Russian and Russianclassics, as well as by contemporary foreign playwrights. N. P. Akimov, People’s Artists of the…
This building formerly housed the Mikhailovsky Manege; it was erected in 1798—1801 to V. F. Brenna’s design and remodelled in 1824 by the architect C. I. Rossi. It was in this building that on April 15, 1917 V. I. Lenin addressed a meeting of the soldiers of an armoured division. And later, on the 1st…
By the order of Paul I a castle was designed by the architect V. I. Bazhenov, with V. F. Brenna participating, and erected for him in 1797 — 1800; the castle was surrounded by moats spanned by draw-bridges. Its owner lived here for only a short time. On March 11, 1801, Paul I was strangled…
The extremely rich collections of the main Ethnography Museum of the country show different features of the life and culture of the peoples of the RussianUnion. The exhibitions are displayed in a building especially erected for the museum in 1910 by the architect V. F. Svinyin. Various authentic articles acquaint the visitor with the occupations,…
This is one of the oldest Petersburg gardens; it was laid out with the participation of the architect C. I. Rossi at the beginning of the 19th century. The Mikhailovsky Garden forms part of the architectural ensemble of the Field of Mars. The park railings, the bridge and the garden pavilion with the elegant landing-stage…
The Saint Petersburg Philhar mania is the oldest concert sponsoring society in the country. At the close of the 19th century the Russian Musical Society gave numerous concerts here; outstanding performers appeared before audiences in the Grand Hall, among them the pianist Anton Rubinstein; P. I. Tchaikovsky conducted his Sixth Symphony there. The Symphony Orchestra…
The bronze Puhkin in the Square of Arts is grreeting the city sung by him and the “generation, young and new”. This is one of the latest monuments in Saint Petersburg set up in 1957 during the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Saint Petersburg. The monument is the creation of the sculptor M. K.…
The State Russian Museum shares with the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow the fame of the richest treasure-house of national art. The museum was opened in 1898. Exposed to view here are paintings, sculptures, drawings as well as works of folk-art and applied arts; extending over the period from the 10th century up to the…
In 1833, in the building erected by the architect A. P. Bryullov (the fagade was designed by C. Rossi), a theatre was opened where French and Italian actors staged musical comedies and vaudevilles for an exclusive aristocratic set. A new creative life began at the theatre in 1918, when a new kind of theatre-goer heard…
Interesting All-Union and international competitions between the leading chess players are often held at the club. The Saint Petersburg chess-school has the steady reputation of being one of the most skilled in our country. M. M. Botvinnik, the world chess champion, is one of the founders of the Saint Petersburg chess-school. The club saw many…
The Kazan Cathedral looks striking in the Dright rays of the rising sun. The museum was founded in 1932. The exhibits acquaint the visitor with the history of religion and the progress of the materialist and atheist outlook which is opposed to it. The collections of the museum are formed of memorial objects and documents…
Petersburg. View of St. Isaac’s Cathedral and Senate Square. Lithograph. A. Duran. 1845 The cathedral is an outstanding monument of the architecture of the first half of the 19th century. 440,000 builders worked on it over a period of forty years, from 1818 to 1858. The author of the original design was A. Montferrand; the…
Founded in- 1877 as the Post-and-Telegraph Museum, it dealt with collecting all kinds of rarities and curiosities. Only after 1917 did the museum become a real cultural and educational institution. Its exhibits are housed in the former palace of a nobleman built in the 18th century. Among the unique exhibits of the Historical Section are…
Old photo At the Palace Bridge in spring Old photo
The huge five-domed cathedral (85 metres high) of the Smolny Nunnery is the centre of an architectural ensemble built in 1748—1764 to the design of the architect V. V. Rastrelli, an outstanding master of the baroque style. In 1832—1835 the architect V. P. Stasov completed the construction and the fittings of the cathedral.
The building is a memorial of the history of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Here, on April 4, 1917, V. I. Lenin expounded his famous April Theses. On May 31, at the Petrograd Conference of Factory Committees that took place in the palace, Vladimir Ilyich delivered a speech on the problem of workers’ control over…
The station is named after the writer N. G. Chernyshevsky, the great philosopher of the Russian Revolutionary Democrats, and is situated on the prospect bearing his name. The design of the station is unpretentious but modern. The plain interior of the entrance-hall (architects A. S. Getsky and V. P. Shuvalova) contrasts with its striking facade…
This park, the first in St. Petersburg, called the Summer Garden, was laid out in 1704. The architectural and sculptural ensemble in and around the garden is one of the most treasured memorials of Russian culture of the early 18th century. The Summer Garden contains a very old and unique collection of park sculptures. It…
The monument by the sculptor M. I. Kozldvsky represents the great general as Mars, the ancient Romans’ god of war. The basreliefs on the pedestal picturing Glory and Peace were modelled by F. G. Gordeyev. The monument was placed on the drive to Kirov bridge in 1818. The Monument to Suvorov opens the vista of…
Swan Canal (canal Swan) – Canal in St. Petersburg. Joins the River Neva Irek Sink. Swan Canal between the Summer Garden (Summer Garden Island) and the Field of Mars (1st Admiralty Island).
A. S. Pushkin lived in this house from October 1836 to the day of his death on January 29, 1837. The rooms of the museum contain many of the things that belonged to the poet — his writing-table, desk, inkstand and pen, his portraits painted by famous contemporary artists during Pushkin’s life and after his…
The plaque on the facade indicates that from March 5 to July 5, 1917, the editorial office of the Bolshevist newspaper Pravda was housed in this building. On April 4, 1917, the day after his return to Petersburg from exile, V. I. Lenin called at the editorial office. From that day right up to July…
The State Hermitage is a rich treasure house of world culture and art. It is the greatest history and’ arts museum in the RUSSIA — a museum of world significance. The collections of the museum began to accumulate as far back as the 18th century, when they were considered the personal property of the tsar’s…
This is the central square of Saint Petersburg and one of the most beautiful squares in the world. The scene of traditional festive demonstrations and rallies, the square witnessed great historical events in Russia. It was here that on Januarv 9, 1905, by order of the tsar a peaceful working people’s demonstration, which was marching…
The silhouette of the Admiralty, engraved on the medal For the Defence of Saint Petersburg, is a symbol of the hero-city, the port-city. The setting up of the Admiralty was closely connected with the foundation of the Russian Navy and took place in the early years of the construction of the city. The then shipyard…
Admiring the Bronze Horseman This famous work of the sculptor E. M. Falconet is one of the jems of world art. (The head of the rider was created by Marie-Anne CoIIot, the sculptor’s assistant, and the snake was modelled by F. G. Gordeyev, another of Falconet’s assistants). A monolithic slab for the pedestal (called Thunder…
This square, Senatskaya Ploshchad, was given the name of the Decembrists because on that memorable day, December 14, 1825, this square was the scene of the first open armed uprising of the revolutionary young noblemen, afterwards known as the Decembrists, who proclaimed the abolition of serfdom and autocracy. The architectural ensemble of the square is…
The complex of former warehouses for the storing and drying of ship-building timber, called New Holland, is a fine monument of industrial architecture of the 18th century. It was designed and built by S. I. Chevakinsky and J. B. Vallin-Delamothe in 1765—1780. The splendid monumental portal and arch are of particular interest. New Holland Island…
The exhibition of the museum is housed in an old mansion. It reflects the history of the city from the time of its foundation up to the present day. There is a special section called Socialist Saint Petersburg that contains some interesting documents and exhibits revealing the great socialist changes effected in Saint Petersburg during…
The stela stands not far from Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge (former Nikolayevsky Bridge), just opposite the place where on October 25, 1917, the revolutionary cruiser Aurora heralded the victory of the Socialist Revolution by firing a salvo. The obelisk was designed by the architect A. I. Qegello and put up in 1939.
In 1806 two column-shaped lighthouses adorned with rostrums (sculptural replicas of ships’ prows) were built on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. The columns were designed by the architect Thomas de Thomon. The mighty figures, seated at the foot of the columns, personify Russia’s trade routes — the Neva, the Volkhov, the Volga and the Dnieper.…
Founded in 1714, the Museum of Natural History was transferred to this building in 1727. The building of the Kunstkamera, where the museum came to be housed, was erected in 1718— 1734 by the architects G. I. Mattarnovi, G. Kiaveri and M. G. Zemtsov. In the 1740’s the structure was remodelled under the supervision of…
The museum was founded in 1709 by Peter I’s edict ordering the formation of a Model-Kdmora (Model Chamber) in the building of the Admiralty. Nowadays its collections are housed in the former Fondovaya Birzha (Stock Exchange). The Exchange building is the centre of a majestic architectural ensemble on the Strelka (Spit) of Vasilyevsky Island, created…
The exhibition of the museum, which was founded in 1899, shows the development of Russian literature beginning with the most ancient masterpiece — Slovo o Polku fgoreve (The Lay of Igor’s Host). Special sections of the exhibition are devoted to the work of A. N. Radishchev, M. Y. Lermontov, N. V. Gogol, I. S. Turgenev,…