All things glitter in Saint Petersburg
Niamh Griffin finds Saint Petersburg a mix of cultures
Palaces and football might not seem like obvious companions but with an eye to the impending arrival of World Cup fans, the beautiful palaces and canals of Saint Petersburg in Russia have been made even more inviting.
Known in the past as Leningrad and Petrograd, nicknamed the ‘Venice of the North’ and called simply Peterburg by locals, this city of 300 bridges and 42 islands stays awake all night under the bright summer skies of the White Nights.
So you’ll have plenty of time to visit every colourful, gold-covered, mosaic-clad church and palace. In the context of Russia’s more recent Soviet history, the palaces and cathedrals stand out – it’s almost impossible to find a plain wall or unadorned window in the city centre.
How is this possible, a history student might ask? Anyone who studied World War II for the Leaving Cert will remember black and white photographs of ruined buildings and devastated people in Leningrad.
But straight after the war, a citywide restoration project was launched, and in many ways, it never really ended. So in a slightly unsettling manner even though many buildings date back to 1703, they appear new.
Start with the brightest and most colourful of them all – the famous Hermitage Museum. Once the winter palace for the royal family, many of the rooms are so dripping in gold and giant chandeliers, you could easily overlook the art on display. Two-day tickets are available and with more than three million artefacts on display, you will need every minute.
Fans of Russian TV series Ekaterina: The Rise Of Catherine The Great, on Amazon Prime, will recognise the sweeping lines of the turquoise walls. Yes, turquoise.
The famous ballroom from that series is also the room where Andrei and Natasha waltz together in the BBC’s production of War & Peace – but that palace is outside the city.
A short train journey from Vitebksy station in the city centre takes you to Tsarskoye Selo, also known as Pushkin town. This palace reportedly left even Empress Catherine herself staggered by its opulence. The equally famous Amber Room is fully restored having been destroyed during World War II.
Back in the city, the Russian Museum is another converted palace with enough sweeping staircases to keep even the most ardent romantic happy. Facing onto the Mikhailovsky and Summer Gardens, a picnic will give you time to rest and clear your mind for the next viewing.
Nearby, the Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood has no less than 7,000 square metres of mosaic. The colourful onion-domed roof is often confused with a similar but smaller church in Moscow’s Red Square. Unfortunately, restoration of the roof continues but there is more than enough on display to generate considerable social-media envy with your photographs.
Underneath all the glitz, like many cities, there is a darker side to Saint Petersburg’s history. It is also known as the ‘city built on bones’ due to the high number of deaths during construction in the 1700s. In more recent times, comparatively speaking, residents suffered through a 900-day siege by invading Nazi forces – the Blockade Museum tells this story with moving relics from the time, including children’s toys.
The city’s Soviet history is not as visible, but the Museum of Political History is well worth a visit for its detailed and sometimes chilling displays, bringing you right up to modern times. The converted mansion has an interesting history: during the revolution, Lenin gave speeches from the balcony. Mean-
ROOMS DRIP IN GOLD – YOU MAY OVERLOOK THE ART ON DISPLAY
while, the previous owner – ballerina Mathilde Kshesinskaya – was the rumoured mistress of the last Tsar. And if that sounds like a great idea for a movie, somebody’s already thought of it – though 2017’s Matilda proved controversial in Russia.
A night at the ballet is of course a must in Saint Petersburg. Tickets sell out weeks in advance, especially at the Mariinsky Theatre but a little forward planning can work wonders.
For the full gold-plated, redvelvet experience book tickets for the original Mariinsky, not the modern extension Mariinsky II. Classical shows can also be seen at the Alexandrinsky Theatre and the Mikhailovsky Theatre. At this point you may feel that you never again want to see a gilded icon or jewel-encrusted door-handle, which means it’s time to take to the boats. The ice melts in April, and tours run all day and late into the night. In the summer many of the bridges lift at around 1am to allow for shipping transit, and this sight is a favourite of tourists and locals alike. Just don’t get so dazzled by the reflections of palaces and white moonlight on the waters of the canal that you forget to be on the right side of the bridge for getting home.