In 1716, emperor Peter the Great commissioned the Italian sculptor Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli, father of his favorite architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, to design an equestrian statue in commemoration of the Russian victories over Sweden in the Great Northern War. Rastrelli worked for eight years with a model of the monument before it was approved by the emperor in 1724. But as the emperor died the following year, work halted and the sculpture»s casting was only completed after the sculptor»s death, by 1747,only to remain in a local warehouse,and not to be erected until 53 years later. In the meantime, Catherine the Great had ordered another monument in memory of her predecessor Peter the Great - the Bronze Horseman, the most famous statue of Peter the Great in St Petersburg. At the base of the Bronze Horseman, Catherine even linked her name with Peter the Great, an expression of Catherine»s attitude toward her predecessor and her view of her own place in the line of great Russian rulers. Catherine, who, having gained her position through a palace coup, had no legal claim to the throne, was anxious to appear as Peter»s rightful heir.
Only in 1800, during the reign of emperor Paul I, was the Monument to Peter I finally erected. It was placed on a pedestal faced with green, red and white-shaded Finnish marble that is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting scenes of two Russian victories over Sweden during the Great Northern War, the Battle of Poltava and the Battle of Hangö, and also an allegorical composition with trophies. The Russian victories at Poltava and near Hangö, Finland helped Russia become the dominant power in the north of the continent. Peter the Great led his troops to both victories.
By order of emperor Paul I, the inscription «To Great Grandfather from Great Grandson» (Прадеду - правнук) was made on the pedestal, a subtle but obvious mockery of the Latin «Petro Primo Catherina Secunda», the pompous dedication by Catherine the Great on the Bronze Horseman.
During the World War II, the equestrian statue of Peter I was removed from its pedestal and sheltered from the 900-day German siege of the city. In 1945, the statue was restored and returned to its pedestal.
8. (9) Mikhaylovskiy Castle (Engineer»s Castle)
(The Branch of The State Russian Museum)
Arch. V. Bazhenov, V. Brenna (1797-1808)
MIKHAILOVSKY CASTLE (ENGINEERS» CASTLE)
This building was designed by the Russian architect Vasily Bazhenov and was used as the personal residence of Czar Paul I. The original layout reflected his great fear of being assassinated (see thumbnail sketch on page 8). In Paul»s day, water surrounded the building on all four sides. Drawbridges offered access during the day, but they were raised at night to prevent entrance by would-be murderers. Twenty bronze cannon looked out onto the city from within the palace grounds to defend the czar.
Alas! His paranoia proved to be well-founded, but his preventive steps failed to measure up to the task. After living here only forty days, Paul was strangled as part of a court intrigue involving his son, the future Alexander I.
Paul»s murder occurred in March 1801. The castle remained vacant after his death for nearly twenty years. In 1819, a school for military engineers opened here. Reportedly, young cadets occasionally saw the ghost of Paul prowling the corridors of the castle.
The cadets numbered among their ranks the young Feodor Dostoevsky. The future writer studied literature, history, drawing, and architecture here. Long into the night, he would remain awake reading in his second floor room, which looked out onto the Fontanka River. A year after his graduation in 1844, Dostoevsky left the engineers to concentrate on writing.
Before you move on, you may wish to walk around to the southern facade of the castle to see the first monument erected in the city to the memory of Peter the Great. Paul I ordered its construction. Sculpted by Carlo Rastrelli, the father of the architect who designed the Winter Palace, it bears the following inscription: «To Grandfather — from Grandson.»
10. The Cathedral of Christ»s Resurrection
(The Church on Spilled Blood)
Arch. A. Parland (1883-1907), Naberezhnaya kanala Griboedova, 2a.
The church of the savior on spilt blood
If you look to the south and west from the Field of Mars, you can see the distinctive cupolas of the Church of the Savior on Spilt Blood, your last stop of the day. From the southern end of the Field of Mars, cross the street, turn right, and follow the embankment of the Moika River. Walk until you reach a signal crossing. Turn left, cross the bridge which spans the Moika and continue along until you come upon the church.
On this spot, on March 1, 1881, a terrorist bomb mortally wounded Czar Alexander II. As a memorial to him, the royal family paid for the church»s construction. Built between 1883-1907, it stylistically borrows from Russian church architecture of the 16th and 17th centuries. In particular, it resembles St. Basil»s Cathedral, located on Red Square in Moscow. In the future, this church will house a museum of Russian mosaics.
This ends the second section of your tour of some of the best-known sites in St. Petersburg. Again, we»re delighted you took the opportunity to take a closer look at our city and we hope that your schedule will allow you to enjoy still more of what it has to offer.
To return to Nevsky Avenue, simply walk north following the Griboyedov Canal, which passes alongside the facade of the church. You will soon emerge onto the location where the first tour began — next to the House of Books.
11. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Pet
(Tserkov Svyatogo Petra)
Arch. A. Bryullov (1833-1831 Nevskiy prospekt, 22-24
12.The Cathedral of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan
(Kazanskiy Sobor)
Arch. A.Voronikhin {1801-1811), Kazanskaya ploshchad, 2
Kazan Cathedral, built between 1801-11, having 96 Corinthian columns arranged in four rows that form an extended arc facing Nevsky Prospekt. Andrei Voronikhin»s design was inspired by Bernini»s colonnade for St. Peter»s in Rome. From 1811-1858, the Kazan Cathedral was the main cathedral of the city. After 1932, when the cathedral was closed, the building housed the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. In 1991 services were resumed and it is again fully functional as an Orthodox church.
The excursion termination № 3 m. Nevskiy prospekt
POPULAR MUSEUMS
HERMITAGE. Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya 34. Open daily except Monday.
RUSSIAN MUSEUM. Inzhenemaya Ulitsa 4. Open daily except Tuesday.
MUSEUM OF THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF RUSSIA. Ulitsa Kuibysheva 4. Open daily except Thursday.
MUSEUM OF ST. PETERSBURG HISTORY. Petropavlovskaya Krepost 3.
Open daily except Wednesday.
MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF RELIGION. Kazanskaya Ploshchad 2.
Open daily except Wednesday.
RUSSIAN ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM. Inzhenemaya Ulitsa 4/1. Open
daily except Monday.
HISTORY MUSEUM OF ARTILLERY, ENGINEERS, AND SIGNALS.
Across from Peter and Paul Fortress. Open daily except Monday.
CENTRAL NAVAL MUSEUM. Birzhevaya Ploshchad 4. Open daily except
Monday and Tuesday.
ST. ISAAC»S CATHEDRAL. Isaakiyevskaya Ploshchad. Open daily except
Wednesday.
SUMMER PALACE OF PETER THE GREAT, Letny Sad (Summer Garden).
Open daily except Tuesday.
BOTANICAL MUSEUM AND GARDEN. Ulitsa Piofessora Popova 2. Open
Monday through Friday except Wednesday.
ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUM. Universitetskaya Naberezhnaya 1 Open daily except Friday.
CENTRAL EXHIBITION HALL, Isaakiyevskaya Ploshchad 1. Open daily
except Thursday.
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY
ST. TRINITY CATHEDRAL. Ploshchad Aleksandra Nevskogo 1, Alexander
Nevsky Monastery. I. Starov, 1776-90.
ST. NICHOLAS» CATHEDRAL. Nicolskaya Ploshchad 6. S. Chevakinsky,
1753-62.
CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF VLADIMIR. Vladimirsky Prospekt 20.
A. Menshikov, G. Quarenghi, 1780-83, L. Rusca, 1848. P
RINCE VLADIMIR»S CATHEDRAL. At the comer of Ulitsa Blokhina and
Prospekt Dobrolyubova. A. Rinaldi, 1766-72, I. Starov, 1783-89. S
T. TRINITY CATHEDRAL. At the corner of Izmailovsky Prospekt and
Prospekt Moskvinoi V. Stasov, 1828-35.
CATHEDRAL OF OUR SAVIOR»S TRANSFIGURATION. Preobrazhenskaya
Ploshchad 1. V. Stasov, 1827-29.
ST. CATHERINE»S ARMENIAN CHURCH. Nevsky Prospekl 40-42.
Y.Felten, 1771-80.
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LURDE. Kovensky
Pereulok 7. L. Benoit, M. Peretyatkovich, 1908-09.
ST. CATHERINE»S LUTHERAN GERMAN CHURCH. Vasilyevsky Ostrov,
Bolshoi Prospekt 1. Y. Felten, 1768.
MOSLEM MOSQUE. Prospekt Gorkogo 7. N. Vasilyev, A. von Gogen,
S. Krichinsky, 1910-14.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE. Primorsky Prospect 91. G. Baranovsky, 1909-15.
JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. Lermontovsky Prospekt 2. I. Shaposhnikov,
1891-93.
BAPTIST CHURCH. Borovaya Ulitsa 50. N. Nikonov, 1889-97.
A FEW FINAL SUGGESTIONS...
Despite our best efforts, some notable points of interest in St. Petersburg lie outside the route of your walking tour. If time permits, we urge you to inquire at your hotel or with your tour escorts about how to visit these places.
The cruiser Aurora, moored in the Neva River opposite the St. Petersburg Hotel, fired the shot which signalled the launching of the Revolution in 1917.
The Smolny complex of buildings, featuring an outstanding cathedral, was originally designed as a convent, but was used for decades as a school for the daughters of the nobility. A building located nearby served as the famous headquarters for the Bolsheviks during the Revolution in 1917.
Located one-half hour»s drive to the west of the city, Peterhof was built by direction of Peter the Great to commemorate Russia»s victories in the Northern War. Over one hundred and forty fountains and cascades adorn the spacious grounds, which are dominated by a lavish palace. Allow a full day.
Tsarskoye Selo, also known as Pushkin, lies about one-half hour south of the city and once provided a nearby retreat for the royal family. A single structure, the splendid Catherine Palace, dominates the complex of parks and build-sags. The Lyceum, nearby the palace, contains a museum devoted to Alexander Pushkin, the famous poet who once studied here.
Finally, several cemeteries deserve consideration. On the grounds of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in the Tikhvinskoye and Lazarevskoye cemeteries, are buried many eminent Russians, including the writer Dostoevsky and the composer Tchaikovsky. To the northeast of the city»s center, the Piskarovskoye Memorial Cemetery stands as a moving, solemn tribute to more than one-half million victims of the seige of the city during World War II.
3.5 Туриндустрия Санкт-Петербурга в период кризиса
С наступлением кризиса в 2008 году в турфирмах стали отмечать резкое сокращение заявок от иностранцев на культурные туры в Россию. При этом кризис в компаниях, специализирующихся на организации таких туров, начался еще раньше — три года назад.
После почти десятилетнего роста, уже в 2006 году было зафиксировано 16-процентное сокращение посещений иностранными туристами нашей страны. С тех пор, как отмечают участники рынка, этот показатель постепенно сокращается. Туризм в России дорогой, визовый режим связан со многими проволочками, а организовать тур для иностранца гораздо сложнее, чем в любой другой европейской стране.
Туристический рынок Петербурга замер в ожидании «высокого сезона». Специалисты не спешат с прогнозами на предстоящее лето – все карты может спутать кризис. Не потерять гостей должна помочь ценовая гибкость турфирм и учреждений культуры. Если получится, то серьезных убытков от падения туристического потока удастся избежать.
В 2009 году планы турбизнеса и властей корректирует финансовый кризис, поэтому бизнесмены и чиновники не спешат с прогнозами и лишь выражают осторожный оптимизм. «Я считаю, что туризм, в отличие от других отраслей, находится в более выигрышном положении», – считает начальник управления по туризму Комитета по инвестициям и стратегическим проектам Марианна Орджоникидзе. По ее мнению, поток «круизных» туристов в этом году не иссякнет, а гибкая ценовая политика городских учреждений культуры будет способствовать притоку новых посетителей.
Более осторожен в своих предположениях вице-президент Российского союза туриндустрии (РСТ) Сергей Корнеев. По его словам, «главный вопрос – когда наступит стабильность, и что туристы смогут себе позволить?» Ответ на него уже известен – в этом году гости города будут более прижимистыми. Поэтому Корнеев прогнозирует два варианта развития событий на рынке туристических услуг Петербурга.
«Можно либо сохранить цены в рублях на уровне прошлогодних, тем самым уменьшить окупаемость, но сохранить клиентов – или поднять цены и уменьшить количество туристов», – говорит вице-президент РСТ. Корнеев считает, что сохранение оптимальных цен скорее будет благоприятствовать развитию туризма. Хороший пример подают иностранные круизные компании, которые любыми средствами стараются сократить расходы своих клиентов: снижают стоимость туров и корректируют топливные сборы так, что сэкономленные деньги турист сможет потратить на борту судна. По данным участников рынка, в предстоящую навигацию в Петербург планируется совершить 326 заходов иностранных круизных лайнеров. По словам исполнительного директора компании «Арктур Трэвел» Елены Мальченок, лишь один круизный оператор, который планировал 11 заходов в год, отказался от посещения города на Неве. Благодаря безвизовому въезду на 72 часа, регион стал привлекательным для круизного туризма, но иностранцы рассчитывают, что театры и музеи Петербурга не будут пугать их неприлично высокими ценами. И эти ожидания могут оправдаться. Туриндустрия Петербурга будет изо всех сил стараться привлечь в город новых гостей, специально для «кризисного сезона» разработаны минимальные по стоимости пакетные предложения, например, «Выходные в Петербурге». За счет подобных эконом-туров операторы рассчитывают привлечь туристов из соседних стран. Если гости из Финляндии в Петербурге не редкость, то жители других Скандинавских стран посещают город на Неве не так охотно. Теперь же, по мнению представителей турбизнеса, за счет падения цен на авиабилеты и возможного снижения стоимости услуг, северная столица станет более привлекательна.