Gostinyy Dvor
Dating from the earliest days of St Petersburg, this is the city’s undisputed commercial, social and cultural centre. The area sums up the paradoxical character of the “Venice of the North”, with modern shopping centres standing next to tsarist-era churches and restaurants housed in 18th-century Style-Moderne wonders. From the bustle of Nevskiy prospekt and the Soviet-era Ploshchad Vosstaniya, the vast square commemorating the stirrings of the 1917 Revolution, to the peace and quiet of the secluded Arts Square, Gostinyy Dvor is a microcosm of Russia today and a reminder of the city’s rich cultural heritage.
1. Church on Spilled Blood
Despite its typically “Russian” onion domes, this church is something of an anomaly in St Petersburg, a city more famous for its European style architecture. Extensively restored after years of neglect, this church is an example of Russia’s Eastern cultural heritage, which is usually more visible in Moscow (for further details see Church on Spilled Blood).
2. Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan
This building was constructed in 1811 solely for housing Russian Orthodoxy’s precious, miracle-working icon, Our Lady of Kazan. After the 1917 Revolution, the icon was seized by the atheist Soviet authorities. It resurfaced many years later in New York and is now housed once again in the cathedral. A statue of Field Marshall Kutuzov (1745–1813), a hero in the 1812 war against Napoleon, is just outside the premises.
Kazansky ploshchad 2 • 314 4663 • Open 8:30am–end of evening service daily (from 6:30am Sat & Sun)
3. Russian Museum
This museum’s exhibits explore the history of Russian art from 13th-century icons to modern masterpieces. It contains works by perhaps the greatest of the city’s avant-garde painters, Pavel Filonov, an artist little known in the West, but who is reported to be President Putin’s favourite. For those with more traditional tastes, the museum also displays calming canvases by landscape painter Ivan Shishkin, another St Petersburg artist (for further details see Russian Museum).
4. Armenian Church
While today a beautifully decorated building, during the Soviet era and the period immediately after perestroika, the Armenian Church lay in ruins, abandoned to the elements. It was handed back to the Armenian community in the mid-1990s. With the help of funds from the vast Armenian diaspora as well as local donations, it was not long before the church was restored to its former glory. The courtyard outside houses a tiny shop selling Armenian snacks.Nevskiy prospekt 40–42 • 570 4108 • Open 9am–8pm
5. Mikhaylovskiy Castle
This castle was constructed especially for Paul I in 1797–1801. The tsar’s fear of being assassinated led him to surround the castle with moats and draw bridges, as well as build a secret escape tunnel. Despite all this, the tsar was murdered after just 40 days in his new residence. Today the castle is a branch of the nearby Russian Museum, used for temporary exhibitions.Inzhenernaya ulitsa 4 • 595 4248 • Open 10am–5pm Mon, 10am–6pm Wed & Fri–Sun 1–9pm Thu • Adm
6. Sheremetev Palace
This elegant Baroque palace, built in 1750, was originally the residence of the wealthy Sheremetev family. During the Soviet period, one of the attached communal flats was the home of the famous Anna Akhmatova, who lived here for nearly thirty years. The palace is now a museum dedicated to musical instruments.Nab. reki Fontanki 34 • 272 4441 • Open 11am–7pm Wed–Sun (closed last Wed of month) • Adm
7. Arts Square
Arts Square is a showpiece for the city’s cultural institutions and a patch of green amongst the canals and grand constructions of Gostinyy Dvor. Designed by Carlo Rossi in the early 19th century, it is not far from the Philharmonia Concert Hall, the Russian Museum, the Circus and Mikhaylovskiy Castle. Just opposite is Mikhaylovskiy Garden, and the two areas together form the favourite haunt of lunching office workers and romantic couples.Ploshchad Iskusstv
8. Statue of Pushkin
One of many statues of Pushkin, this commanding figure was created by the Russian sculptor, Mikhail Anikushin, in 1957. Dominating Arts Square, Pushkin stands in front of the Russian Museum, gesturing casually away from it, his pose taken from Ilya Repin’s 1911 painting of the poet. Exiled to the Caucasus region of Russia by the tsar, Pushkin was later lauded by the Soviet regime for his perceived anti-bourgeois views – hence the abundance of Pushkin statues and street names around the city.Ploshchad Iskusstv
9. Church of St Catherine
Built in 1782, the Church of St Catherine is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Russia. It saw many state funerals in pre-revolutionary Russia, including that of the last king of Poland, who was one of Catherine the Great’s many lovers, and those of the heroes of the 1812 war against Napoleon.Nevskiy prospekt 30 • Open 9am–9pm
10. Ploshchad Vosstaniya
The vast, imposing Ploshchad Vosstaniya, or Uprising Square, gets its name from the events of February 1917, when a group of Russian soldiers refused to fire upon demonstrators, instead taking up arms on the side of the discontented masses. In 1985, it was the scene of a walkabout by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who went into the masses to discuss the country’s problems.
Pushkin’s African Past
Alexander Pushkin, whose statue stands in Arts Square, was the great grandchild of an African slave, Abram Hannibal, brought to Russia by Peter the Great. Hannibal gained popularity around the court of the tsar and served as the governor of Tallinn (then known as Reval). Pushkin owed his distinctive curly hair to Hannibal and even began a novel (unfinished) about him.
A Day Around Nevskiy Prospekt
Morning
Starting around 11am to avoid the morning rush-hour crowds, turn right from the even-numbered side of Nevskiy prospekt into the atmospheric nab. Kanala Griboedova. From here, walk down to the Church on Spilled Blood at the end of the canal and then walk back up to the exhibition halls of the Russian Museum, where you can feast your eyes upon one of the world’s best collections of Russian art. Afterwards, weather permitting, picnic at the nearby Arts Square, an oasis of calm in this bustling area. If the weather is bad, then savour some delicious pancakes in the Russian Museum café on the ground floor.
Afternoon
Walk back up nab. Kanala Griboedova and cross Nevskiy prospekt at the traffic lights opposite the metro station. To your right is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, inspired by St Peter’s in Rome. Heading away from the cathedral, take a stroll along Nevskiy prospekt, soaking up the atmosphere and visiting a few souvenir shops. Be sure to stop by at the brooding Church of St Catherine and the “Blue Pearl of Nevskiy Prospekt” – the Armenian Church. Then head up to the Grand Hotel Europe, and splash on a meal at the stunning L’Europe restaurant (for further details see p44). If your wallet won’t quite stretch to this, make your way to the nearby Kalinka-Malinka for some tasty traditional Russian food.
