Saint Petersburg - imperial luxury

The dome Isaac's Cathedral it is covered with 490 kilograms of gold. Summer garden next to Peter the Great's summer palace, which is one of the most romantic corners of the city, is decorated with more than eighty statues and 3,000 trees, and the request for arranging the park in the English style was issued by Peter the Great himself. Nearby, with a giant advertisement on the main avenue of the city, named Nevsky Prospekt, laughs Penelope Cruz, proving that elegance and sophistication have never been lost in this city full of palaces. Today, two decades after the end of the Soviet era, the jewel of the Gulf of Finland proudly displays its beauty to Europe and the world. Russia did to Europe what the Roman Empire did to Greece: it raised the original to the level of maximum sophistication. Russia learned to be rich and brilliant, she learned to speak French and made this language the language of the tsars and the highest classes. Russian was restricted to the rural population and intellectual circles, just like the popular vodka. The drink of the aristocracy was champagne, and even today, the renowned champagne producer Veuve Clicquot claims that their typical color used on their labels (a strong orange with an autumnal touch) is the color they were supposed to use in the residences in St. Petersburg, and the selection of this color was a tribute to the Russian aristocracy.

Peter's place
Saint Petersburg was the vision of a single Russian ruler. After defeating and expelling the Swedish army in 1703, Peter I decided to lay the foundations of the future Russian capital in the Neva River Delta, in the extreme northwest of his empire. In just three days, a group of soldiers under his command built a modest wooden hut, which was Peter's residence until 1708, and even today it stands proudly by the Neva River and bears witness to the grandiose idea of the Russian Tsar, who was nicknamed the Great by history precisely because of his boldness and determination. Not only was the northernmost million city in the world his idea, Peter the Great was also the conceptual leader of the plans for public areas and the port, in which he even worked as a craftsman. St. Petersburg retained its status as the capital of the empire for two centuries, during which time the city witnessed key revolutions in Russian history, which occurred in 1917. The February Revolution (which took place in March) ended the reign of Nicholas II, his family, and of the Russian Empire; Petrograd was renamed Petrograd, and a few months later the October Revolution brought socialist rule and the city was renamed Leningrad. After the end of the Soviet era, the city regains awareness and revives its original identity, proudly calling itself the gateway to the east and the Venice of the north, and gratefully protecting and restoring the imperial heritage. Today, the souvenir stands located around every church, palace or monument offer dolls in Russian folklore clothes, matryoshka dolls[D1]  of all sizes, shapes and motifs, fakes of the famous Fabergé decorated eggs, costume jewelry made of imitation amber, t-shirts with aggressive anti-Soviet slogans, souvenirs with an engraved hammer and sickle of various designs... a showcase of kitsch that sells socio-political irony without a bad conscience.

Three royal residences
With the development of the city, the aristocracy, who built their palaces on the most beautiful parts of the Neva River, preferred to retreat to the countryside during the warm days of the short summer, where wonderful mansions grew up, among which, of course, those belonging to the ruling family stood out. One of them was designed by Peter the Great, after the victorious end of the war with the Swedish army. He decided to celebrate the victory by building a luxurious palace and a small town by the sea. He also envisioned a large park with a complex system of wells and fountains, a total of 129 of them. The most beautiful of them is Samson's Well, a veritable delirium of gilded bodies and mythological figures. Peter's mansion was the summer residence of Peter the Great, which he built near the port, from where he was so fond of embarking on trips around Europe. Peter's successors, especially his wife Catherine I and daughter Elizabeth, greatly remodeled the palace, park and other buildings, as Catherine even reportedly declared that the palace, which was modeled after the French Versailles, reminded her more of a cottage than a royal one. residence. The result is obvious: pure 18th century opulence. It is important to first get to know Peterhof, and then head towards Pushkin (the old and still used name is Imperial village), a small town that grew up next to the summer palaces of the rulers Catherine and Alexander I. Above all, Catherine's Palace is an expression of extreme baroque. The exterior is bathed in bright shades of blue and gold, while the interior is an endless succession of halls accented by mirrors and crystal details and of course full of gold, which is a ubiquitous element on the walls, ceilings, floors, angel wings and clothing of graceful female figures. The most terrible period that marked the history of the palace was the Second World War, in which it was bombed and destroyed by the Nazis. In 1941, they are from the famous amber rooms within 36 hours, they took away panels with amber mosaics of inestimable value, which no one has found until today. In 1979, however, with the help of architects and craftsmen specialized in working with antique techniques, they began to restore the room and restore it to the image that Katarina and her daughter Elizabeta imagined, and since 2003 we can admire the renovated room. A visit to both summer residences is just preparation for the beauties Hermitage, the palace of all palaces, where the Romanovs stayed during the winter months. In 1764, Catherine the Great opened a museum in one of the side wings of the palace, which was intended only for the court. Today, the Hermitage is considered one of the largest galleries in the world, which can stand alongside the Louvre, the Prado, the Uffizi and any other gallery without a hint of shame.

Borscht with added creativity
The reawakened Russian creativity is visible at every turn. Cultural events are no longer focused only on visiting one of the largest and richest museums in the world Hermitage, which spreads through the 400 rooms of the famous Winter Palace, and ballet performances of probably the most famous ballet in the world Mariinsky (former Kirov). Today it is one of the leading gathering places for artists and art admirers Loft Project Floors. Three galleries, a bookstore specializing in the sale of art books, and four spaces dedicated to international exhibitions, as well as enough space for shopping in addition to art, and a wine bar - the new Russian understanding of art is very attractive! Last year, two new museums dedicated to modern art were opened on Vasilije Island. Erarta, located on the western part of the island, presents new Russian talents, New ones museum and presents the works of the artists Komar & Melamid and other representatives of contemporary art. Art requires energy. The fact is that if we want to see all the objects that are on display in the Hermitage, we will have to walk as much as 19 kilometers. Of course, walking through museums is not all physical activity in St. Petersburg. The city on 101 islands lies so far north that it almost never gets dark during the summer months, and walks along the romantic embankments during the so-called white nights will add a few more kilometers to the number of kilometers walked around the city. Anyone who prefers running to walking can check their fitness on June 26 at the Ergo White Nights marathon, and the marathon route leads past the biggest attractions of the city of Petrov.

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Russian creativity is also evident in the kitchen, and after tiring walks, we will happily stop by one of the restaurants that are the new culinary stars. Restaurant Terrace near Kazan Cathedral offers a mix of Italian, Thai and Russian cuisine, boat lovers love to visit the ship/restaurant Volga-Volga, because during an excellent dinner they can observe the city's sights from a new perspective.

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