Relishing Russia

Welcome to my first official post on Travel Jeanne! I am extremely excited to talk about one of my more recent excursions: my trip to Russia,

Being a tiny bit of a history nerd, one of my favorite parts of the world to visit was Russia, especially as I had just finished a European history course before my family and I travlled there. St. Peterburg in particular has some of the most beautiful architecture that I have ever see. But, before I get carried away with the details, I think it's important to start with a little bit of history. 

St. Peterburg was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great but, in reality, the city was named after the Apostle Peter. The city was established as a bold move on the part of the Russian tsar in an attempt to secure authority over the Baltic Sea. Peter was one of the first Russian nobles to travel out of Russia and visit other countries. He was fascinated by other palaces, such as Versailles, and eventually became obsessed with outdoing other European royals in terms of the grandeur of his city. He hired a large number of engineers, architects, shipbuilders, scientists and businessmen from all countries of Europe and, through his efforts, the city was eventually considered more cosmopolitan than Moscow, or any other Russian city.

St. Petersburg served as the capital of Russia from 1713 to 1918. It is now Russia's second largest city, and has a population of 5 million people. In regards to its geographic location, St. Petersburg was built on forty-two islands and has ninety rivers and canals.



The Winter Palace - St. Petersburg, Russia



The Raphael Loggias  in the Hermitage

St. Peterburg houses one of the largest, oldest, museums in the world - The Hermitage - in one of the many royal palaces - the Winter Palace -  in the city. It has three million artifacts, including the largest collection of artwork in the world. The Winter Palace was the official residency of the Russian Monarchy from 1732 to 1917 and the storming of the Winter Palace is one of the most iconic moments in the Russian Revolution.

The Square outside the Winter Palace

The front entrance of Tsarkoe Selo

St. Petersburg also houses two other extremely famous palaces, Tsarkoe Selo and Peterhoff.

Tsarkoe Selo was another residence of the royal Russian family. It was bequeathed upon Queen Catherine I as a present from her husband, Peter the Great. It was later renovated by Queen Catherine the Great (Catherine II). Known as the Catherine Palace, the palace is known for its cerulean blue walls with white and gold trim, as well as the surrounding garden.



The Catherine Garden



Grand Palace and Grand Cascade

I can't finish this blog without mentioning a third and final palace, Peterhof. Known as the Versailles of Russia, Peterhof is a series of palaces and gardens comissioned by Peter  the Great (notice the common trend in this town yet?). In my opinion, the fountains and entrance of Peterhof trump those of Tsarkoe Celo (hard to do, I know). Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Peterhof is comprised of the Upper and Lower Gardens, the Grand Palace (Bolshoi Dvorets), the Grand Cascade (Bolshoi Kaskad), and, finally the Sea Channel (Morskoi Kanal), dubbed one of the most extensive waterworks of the Baroque Period. 

Canal

Samson Fountain and Sea Channel



Hopefully you learned a bit about the main sites of St. Peterburg all, ironically, palaces and you'll tune in next week for another adventure with Travel Jeanne!

Over and out.