Here in the city is situated one of the largest picture galleries in the world. The Hermitage museum can be compared with such eminent museums as Louver, Prado and Metropolitan museum. The museum is housed in a complex of buildings including the Winter Palace, the former official residence of Russian emperors. The immense collections of the Hermitage contain at about 3 000 000 objects of art. In spite of the fact that only 7% are on display one should stay at the museum 11 years to see all the exhibits if he stood a minute only in front of each of them. The city owes the exitance of such a jam to Catherine the Great who was fascinated with collecting objects of art and founded in 1764 a museum which was private at firs but later in the middle of the 19th century was turned into a national art gallery. The most interesting department of the museum is the one of European art. It contains real masterpieces of great Europeans like Leonardo Da Vinchi, Rafael, Titiano, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh etc. The wonderful interiors of the museum serve a proper framing for the invaluable exhibits of the Hermitage.
It was here that the history of Saint-Petersburg starts. On the 16th of May of 1703 Peter the Great chose a small island named the Hare Island to found his new capital. It was a strong fortress that has never used for the war purposes. At the very beginning of its history it was turned into a political prison that existed till the days of the Revolution. Now almost all the building of the fortress house the collection of the State Museum of St.Petersburg History. The main and the oldest construction on the grounds of the fortress is the Peter and Paul's Cathedral designed as the fortress itself by Domenico Treziny. Its golden spire dominates the Neva perspective being the highest architectural construction of Saint-Petersburg. By order of the founder of the city the cathedral became a burial place of Russian emperors. And all of them are here starting with Peter himself and up to the last Russian emperor Nicolas the Second executed together with all his family after the revolution.
Address: 3,Petropavlovskay krepost Open: May - October daily 10.00 a.m - 07.00 p.m. October- May daily 10.00 a.m - 06.00 p.m. except Wednesday. Ticket Office closes 1 hour earlier. www.spbmuseum.ru
Russian Museum
The Russian museum was the first state museum of Russian art. It was an idea of Alexander the Third to found such a museum and it was called after him. Generally that period of time Russian people started paying great attention to their past discovering for themselves the forgotten world of Russian traditions and Russian ancient art. There appeared great interest for icons which till that time hadn't regarded as a work of art.
For the needs of the museum there was chosen a former palace of Grand Duke Michael, designed at the beginning of the 19th century. It was reconstructed to meet the requirements of a museum. The basis of the collections of the Russian Museum became the Hermitage collections of the works of Russian art, as well as the collections of the Academy of Arts and the collections of Tzars' residences located in the environs of the city. The new exhibits were purchased by the museum or donated to it. At present, there are more than 320 thousand exhibits in the Russian Museum representing Russian art of various epochs, from the 11 th century to present time. Here you can see the works of such famous painters as Andrei Rublev, Karl Bryullov, Arkhip Kuindji, Vasily Surikov, Kazimir Malevich, Lev Bakst, Mikhail Vrubel, Mark Chagal, Vasily Kandinsky and many others.
The forth highest cupola construction in the world Saint Isaac's Cathedral was the principal Cathedral of the city. The tremendous building of the Cathedral dominates one of the 3 main squares of Saint-Petersburg. It is 101.5 m. high. The diameter of its huge golden dome is 21.8 m. Each of the grenite columns that decorate the cathedral outside weighs more than 100 ton and the hight is 17 m. It accommodates up to 14 000 people. It owes its interior decoration to the best Russian painters and sculptors. The walls and pylons are adorned with about 20 kinds of decorative and semi-precious stones. The total area of mosaics is about 600 square metres. It took 40 years to construct the cathedral from 1818 to 1858 when it was consecrated to become the main church of the city. After the Revolution it was turned into a museum showing the history of its construction.
The colourful Cathedral of Our Savior on the Spilt blood is a kind of monument to Russian tzar Alexander the 2nd. It was constructed at the very spot where Alexander, one of the most liberal emperors of Russia was assassinated on March of 1881. To honour his father Alexander the 3d ordered a church to be build and there was announced a competition for the best design of the church. But the first one failed in spite oof the fact that a lot of eminent architects took part in the design tender. The tzar wanted the church to be a reminiscent of ancient Russian churches.
There is a legend that Archimandrite Ignaty dreamed of the church and described it to the architect Parland and it became the winning entry of the competition.
The project was based compositional structures taken from 16-17th provincial churches of Moscow and Yaroslavl. That's why it strongly resembles the Saint Basil's Church in the Red square. Inside the cathedral is richly decorated with superb mosaics, Italian marble and semi-precious stones. The fragment of pavement where the emperor's blood has spilt is crowned with a canopy made of gray and violet jasper.
The world famous palaces, parks and architectural ensembles of Petrodvorets are excellent examples of the Russian art of the 18-th -19-th centuries. Every year, more than three million people visit "the Capital of Fountains" – the town of Petrodvorets . The world famous palaces and parks of Petrodvorets (until 1944 – Peterhof) located 29 kilometers away from St. Petersburg are among the masterpieces of Russian culture. This is an example of a wonderful combination of architecture, sculpture, landscaping and engineering.
Founded at the beginning of the 18 th century on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, Petrodvorets became a kind of monument to Russia 's victory in the Northern War and gaining access to the Baltic Sea. The idea and original design of this unique architectural ensemble were those of Peter the Great. At present, Peterhof with its beautiful fountains, parks and palaces, became the most attractive palace ensemble located in the environs of the Northern Capital of Russia. You are sure to enjoy a visit to Peterhof and to admire its magic beauty.
A small farm called Saaris moisio (which means "a farm on a hill" in Finnish) was located on the place of today's Tsarskoye Selo. In Russian, the name of the farm was pronounced as "Saritskaya (or Sarskaya) myza". In 1710-1720, a summer residence of the Czar was constructed on the place of the former farm. In 1719-1720, near the farm, on the place where the town would be constructed, a settlement of Czar's servants appeared, and, as the construction of the Czar's palace was continuing, this settlement gradually became a small town called Saarskoye Selo and later Tsarskoye Selo (which means "Czar's Village" in Russian). For two centuries, Tsarskoye Selo was a summer residence of Emperors. Its construction, to a great extent, depended upon the tastes and, sometimes, even whims of the Royal owners. Hundreds of talented architects, artists and gardeners implemented their fantasies and projects. Here, in a quiet place, near St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia at that time, the Emperor's family was not only a monarch's family living within the frameworks of the State policy, but just a numerous family, with interests and joys typical of all human beings. The quiet and picturesque parks and the historical landmarks make the town of Pushkin not only a historical and cultural treasury, but also "the Town of Muses". For two centuries, the town developed as a Czar's residence, and it became a wonderful example of Russian architecture and the 18-th -century landscaping. At the same time, the town is also famous for generations of poets, writers and other prominent figures of Russian culture who lived in this town or visited it. The great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, Anna Akhmatova and Alexei Tolstoy. spent his childhood and youth here. He was one of the pupils of the Lyceum – a privileged educational institution for children of noble families. Since that time, the town has always been associated with the name of this poet. Among other poets and writers whose lives and works were connected with this wonderful town were Nikolai Karamzin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Fyodor Tyutchev, Sergei Yesenin, Inokenty Annensky
The excellent palace and park of the late 18-th century – early-19 th century in Pavlovsk is a real masterpiece of Russian architecture. It was the summer residence of Emperor Paul I and his family. There is one of the biggest landscape parks in Europe . Every year, about 1.5 million tourists visit the State Museum and National Preserve of Pavlovsk. Pavlovsk is on the UNESCO list of towns to be under special protection as valuable architectural landmarks.
The Palace preserves the original interiors of 19 – early 20 centuries. The motives of various historical styles were used for the palace halls’ design: for example, the Home Theatre reveals the baroque spirit, the Turkish Room boasts oriental style, the Reception-rooms are decorated in Empire, part of the rooms of the ground floor got the decor of neoclassicism. The halls amaze with their magnificence: paintings, fretwork, marble, mirrors, glittering with gold chandeliers, expensive silk, refined furniture.
Now it's time to show you something REALLY RUSSIAN! Here in a cozy and nicely decorated Concert Hall of the Nikolaevsky Palace we will give you more than just an opportunity to see unforgettable folk show performance "Feel Yourself Russian": you will not only FEEL involved - you will BE really involved! During two hours of this dynamic colorful and pictureous show, you will hear tuneful folk songs - romantic, and full of life, watch sparkling dances of different provinces of Russia, - and learn that some items - such as saws, wooden spoons, and other traditional household appliances, - can also be used as musical instruments! And - oh, miracle! - suddenly you will find yourself right on the stage dancing like a real Russian, playing folk games and enjoying yourself! The folk show is represented with 4 professional folk groups: "Peters Quartet", "Souvenir", "Maidan", "Stars of St.Petersburg". The show consists of two parts (45 minutes each) and lasts for 1 hour 50 minutes including a break, during which the guests are offered some canapés with red caviar, cheese, ham, and also some fruit, champagne, red wine, vodka, juice and mineral water. During a break - live music is playing, beauties in crinolines are dancing for you - and candle light reflected in your glass gives your wine the color of a precious stone.
Balley performances and folk-show in Saint-Petersburg
Alexandrinsky Theater (The Pushkin Drama Theater)
Near the main street of St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospect, is one of the most harmonic architectural ensembles of the city – the ensemble of Alexandrinsky Theater and Ostrovsky Square. It was designed by Carlo Rossi and constructed for twenty years. Before the formation of this architectural ensemble, there was Anichkov Palace in the eastern part of this area. From 1828 to 1832, the building of the theater was constructed under the supervision of Carlo Rossi. This is one of the masterpieces of the architecture of Classicism. It looks modest, but, at the same time, luxurious, and the integrity of the composition of the building is really wonderful. This is one of the most beautiful theater buildings in the world. The official opening ceremony of the theater took place on August 31, 1832. The performance was Kryuchkovsky's patriotic tragedy Pozharsky . The theater was named Alexandrinsky after Alexandra Fyodorovna, the wife of Nicholas I. Drama, opera and ballet performances were staged in this theater. Later, however, they began to stage only dramas. The company of this theater was one of the best theater companies in Russia. Several plays by Ostrovsky and by Tchekhov were staged here for he first time. Among the actors who worked here were Yekaterina Semyonova, Varvara Asenkova, Vera Komissarzhevskaya, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Nikolai Simonov and Nikolai Cherkasov. At present, the old traditions of this theater are being revived: not only drama performances, but also ballets are staged here. National and international ballet festivals are also held in this theater.
The theatre has been the home of Russian ballet and opera since the 1860s and has become a mecca for both Russian and international artists. The theatre was reconstructed by A. Kavos, and in 1860 was opened as the Mariinsky Theatre. It was named after the wife of the reigning Tsar Alexander II, Marina. Throughout the years, the theatre has held several names. In 1919, it was renamed the Kirov Theatre. In 1992 the name changed officially once again, back to the original name of Mariinsky Theatre. The theatre s splendid and elegant auditorium is richly decorated and in fact is one of the most beautiful in the world. Through its history, the stage of this theatre has seen such famous ballet-masters and ballet-dancers as A. Pavlova, M. Petipa, G.Ulanova, M.Baryshnicov, A.Nyriev. The performances here are of worldclass quality. The current Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer, Oleg Vinogradov, has received international recognition for his outstanding work. The repertoire of Mariinsky Theater includes the best works of opera and ballet classics. It also follows the best traditions of Russian theaters. Soloists of Mariinsky Theater participate in major international competitions and festivals. Recently, the theater company has prepared several joint performances together with the world famous Covent Garden, Opera de Bastille, La Scale and La Fenice.
The Hermitage Theatre is the oldest theatre building in St.Petersburg. In November 1985, it has celebrated the 200th anniversary.In 1711 the erection of the stone building for the Second Winter Palace have been started on the embankment and in 1725 after several reconstructions the decoration of the Fourth Winter Palace was completed. Two years later on January 28, 1725 Peter the Great died there. In 1766, the buildings were transferred to the possession of the Imperial Theatres Administration. Construction of the new theatre was committed to Qiacomo Quarenghi and lasted since 1785 up to 1785. After the official opening, the construction works continued up to 1802.
The Hermitage Theatre was projected by Quarenghi on an antique model - with semicircular amphitheatre of rising tiers of seats, and it is really one of the best theatre halls in the city. The hall is decorated with Corinthian semi-columns and between them Quarenghi have placed sculptural images of Apollo and nine Muses as well as bas-reliefs of famous musicians and poets.The first season in the Hermitage Theatre was opened on November 16, 1785. Thoroughly chosen guests entered the theatre through roofed passage built by G.Veldten across Zymnyaya Kanavka (Winter Channel).All the European and Russian repertoire of the XVIII century was performed on this stage.
After the death of Catherine II in 1796 performances have ceased. All the attempts to revive the theatre in the XIX century have failed. Up to the early 1980s the Hermitage Theatre housed the Hermitage Lecture-hall, other premises were occupied by museum's departments, laboratories and depositories. In 1989 after reconstruction and restoration the Hermitage Theatre was opened again.
Adress: Dvortzovaya pl.34
KONSTANTIN TACHKIN BALLET THEATRE
The Theatre was founded in 1994 by Konstantin Tachkine and represents a classical ballet theatre which develops the traditions of Russian classical ballet. It is an unique private theatre in Saint-Petersburg and is able to compete with the most famous state companies. The repertoire of the theatre includes such masterpieces of the world famous choreography as: "Giselle", "Don Quixote", "Swan lake", "The Nutcracker", "Classical Ballet Gala", "Diamond", "Sleeping Beauty". All mentioned performances are based on classical choreography and on original music versions. Usually the theatre performs with orchestra accompaniment.
The theatre was built by the architect Alexander Bryullov during 1830 - 1833. It was named after the brother of the Tsar Nicolas I, Michael. It was opened on 8 November in 1833. Before the revolution, touring French court-performers gave private performances to small groups of aristocrats at the theatre. Since 1918the Maly Opera House (dedicated to Mussorgsky), as it was called up until 1992, was one of the centers of Soviet musical art. Such famous ballet-masters as Yakobson and O.Vinogradov worked there. The current Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer, N.Boyarchicov calls the theatre as the laboratory of the modern choreography, although they have rather classical repertoire. Today in St. Petersburg, this Theatre is the second only to the Mariinsky Theatre.
Greater Concert Hall of the Shostakovich Philharmonic Society
The concert hall of the Philharmonic Society was designed by the architect Paul Jacquot (the facade was designed by Carlo Rossi) and constructed in 1839 to house the Noblemen's Club of St. Petersburg. The concert hall with excellent acoustic properties and with more than 1,500 seats has been the center of St. Petersburg's musical events since the late 1840s. The performances of such outstanding musicians of the 19-th century as Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, Anton Rubinstein, Robert Schumann, Paulona Viardo and Pablo Sarasate took place here. Many famous works of Russian composers, such as Borodin, Musorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov, were performed here for the first time. On June 12, 1921, the official opening ceremony of the Petrograd Philharmonic Society took place. Very soon, the Philharmonic Society became famous for its concerts, lectures and publishing activities (with the help of its library). Music was performed here mainly by the Symphonic Orchestra of the Philharmonic Society. For fifty years (1938-1988), the orchestra was headed by the outstanding Russian conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky. Since 1988, the head of the orchestra and its principal conductor has been Yuri Temirkanov. The repertoire of the Philharmonic concerts includes a wide range of works of Russian and international classics, as well as the works of the outstanding composers of the 20-th century, such as Schonberg, Stravinsky, Bartok, Hindemith (performances of all these composers, as musicians or conductors, took place in this concert hall). The performances of the most famous musicians of our epoch, such as Klemperer, Walter, Anserme, Kleiber, Stokowsky, Corto, Schnabel, Ar. Rubinstein, Gorowitz, Benjamin Britten, Fischer-Diskau, Svyatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Michaelangeli, Guld, Yehuda Menuchin, Mstislav Rostromovich, took place here. Among the guest orchestras performing in this concert hall were the orchestras of Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Chicago, the Philharmonic orchestras of Berlin, Vienna and New York, as well as the Amsterdam Koncertgebau orchestra. On May 12, 1926, the first performance of the First Symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich took place here. For many years, audience used to applaud to this famous composer in this concert hall. In the 1930s, he came here from Moscow to listen to the first performances of his works, and later the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society was named after him. Now, the Greater Concert Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society is one of the best concert halls of Europe. It is a great honor for a musician to perform here.
The Chamber Music Theater was founded in Leningrad in 1987 by one of the leading Russian musical performance stage managers, Yuri Alexandrov. The St. Petersburg Opera company was gradually transformed into a State theater well-known and admired by opera connoisseurs not only in Russia, but in many other countries. In spite of its short history, this opera company has great achievements. The repertoire of St. Petersburg Opera includes all types of operas, from comic opera and opera-buff to musical dramas, including operas by modern composers. Many of these operas were staged in Russia for the first time. The theater is located now in the former mansion of Baron von Derives . Under the Soviets, the mansion housed several clubs, but, fortunately, the original old interiors have been preserved here. The White Auditorium of the mansion has had old musical and theater traditions. It was here that Fyodor Chaliapine and Leonid Sobinov used to sing. It was here that Isedora Duncan used to dance. Vsevolod Meyerhold used to work here, and among the visitors of the auditorium were Constantine Stanislavsky, Vasily Kachalov and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Now, after many decades, the mansion is a theater center again.
Opera and Ballet Theater at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire of St. Petersburg
The Conservatoire was founded by the conductor Anton Rubinstein in 1862. Originally, it was in a wing of Demidov's mansion in the Moika Embankment, then it moved to other places several times. On November 12, 1896, the opening ceremony of the building specially reconstructed for the Conservatoire took place. This building is in Theater Square. The first graduate of the Conservatoire to become a composer was the great Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. His name is the first in the list of names on the Memorial Board at the entrance to the Smaller Hall (the Quartet Hall), and there is his statue by the sculptor Vladimir Beklemishev in the Opera House foyer. In 1988, the theater was named the Musical Theater of Opera and ballet at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire of St. Petersburg. At present, the Chief Conductor of the theater is Alexander Sladkovsky and the Chief Ballet-Master is Professor Nikita Dolgushin, People's Dancer of Russia. A real gem of the Conservatoire is its auditorium (the Glazunov Concert Hall). Since the day of the first concert held here (on December 12, 1896), the original interior and the acoustics of the auditorium have been preserved. From August 2000 to May 2001, there was thorough restoration of this auditorium. The repertoire of the theater includes the best works of Russian and international classics. The company of the theater continues the traditions of the Russian opera and the Russian ballet.
Emperor’s Theater in the Fontanka Embankment (BDT)
This oldest Russian drama theater is located in the Fontanka Embankment. In 1874, Count Apraxin was allowed to construct a brick theater building on the territory of the market which belonged to him. The theater was surrounded by the stores of the Apraxin Market and was constructed using private capital and with merely commercial purpose. The theater was designed by Luigi Fontana and constructed in 1876-1878. The theater was named the Emperor's Smaller Theater. According to the architect's design, the facade of the theater was luxuriously decorated. The decorations of the interiors contained certain traces of the Renaissance architecture, as well as Rococo techniques. The auditorium was designed in a traditional way: the stalls, three rows of boxes and the gallery. In 1920, the theater was given to the company of the Greater Drama Theater founded in 1919. The organizers of this theater were Maxim Gorky, Alexander Blok and Anatoly Lunacharsky. The scenery artists were Alexander Benois, Mikhail Dobuzhinsky and Constantine Korovin. Music for the performances was written by the composers Boris Asafyev and Yuri Shaporin. A very important epoch in the history of the theater were the years when the Chief Stage Manager of the theater was Georgy Tovstonogov. During the period of time from 1956 to 1989, real masterpieces of Russian theater were staged here. At present, this is one of the leading Russian drama theaters. In summer, ballet performances and concerts of St. Petersburg's singers and musicians take place here.
Russian folk shows in Saint-Petersburg are really worth of being attended. Here on the scenes of former Saint-Petersburg palaces guests can see the real Russian soul life and feel themselves Russian. The Nikolaevsky Palace is a pearl of the architecture of St-Petersburg. Every day there is a folklore show on its stage. Guests will have a ceremonial meeting at the parade staircase accompanied by tender music performed by string quartet. At the foyer you can see the exhibition of folk trade works.
Guests will see Russian exotic show - the performance of folklore groups of our city - the Cossack company "Maidan", the Russian folk instrument quartet "Russian color", dancing company "Petersburg stars", the company "Souvenier". Gay and lyrical dances, original Russian songs will help to learn Russian soul. These wonderful companies of different genre performers will mare you to forget about everything during one and a half an hour. During the interval guests will be suggested to have a rest with ancient music. Russian refreshments with vodka, champagne, red and black caviar will wait for you. Adress: pl. Truda, 4, Nikolaevsky dvorec www.folkshow.ru
Here in the city is situated one of the largest picture galleries in the world. The Hermitage museum can be compared with such eminent museums as Louver, Prado and Metropolitan museum. The museum is housed in a complex of buildings including the Winter Palace, the former official residence of Russian emperors. The immense collections of the Hermitage contain at about 3 000 000 objects of art.
The colourful Cathedral of Our Savior on the Spilt blood is a kind of monument to Russian tzar Alexander the 2nd. It was constructed at the very spot where Alexander, one of the most liberal emperors of Russia was assassinated on March of 1881. To honour his father Alexander the 3d ordered a church to be build and there was announced a competition for the best design of the church. But the first one failed in spite oof the fact that a lot of eminent architects took part in the design tender. The tzar wanted the church to be a reminiscent of ancient Russian churches.
