|
St. Petersburg and Moscow offer Many Historical Sites
People shouldn’t expect a simple answer if they ask someone from Russia, “How long will it take to see most of the country?” To only tour the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the official residence of Russian czars, and spend a mere 10 seconds on each exhibit, a visitor would have to spend 300 days observing. Most trips then can only take in a small portion of the possibilities, but this is one possible itinerary.
Turning to Moscow, Russia’s capital, a tourist discovers a city with one of the world’s most expensive costs-of-living. It has cross-pollinated with European culture, style and cuisine, creating a unique city. It is a major economic center, with four international airports, nine rail terminals and the world’s second
most heavily used metro system —
after Tokyo.
An ancient bridge takes visitors to Russia’s Red Square, a former royal citadel, and residence of Russia’s president. Ivan the Terrible ordered St. Basil’s Cathedral built on Red Square in the 14th century and it was the tallest building until the 1600s.
According to legend, the builders of the cathedral were blinded so they could not recreate the masterpiece elsewhere.
No trip to Moscow would be complete without a trip to the Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi
Opera — among the oldest and greatest groups in the world.
After the Bolshoi Theatre, Victory Park is a great place to visit, and features aircraft and tanks as well as other military vehicles used in World War II. The
Avenue of the Soldiers has a monument to the anti-Nazi coalition soldiers as well as victims of concentration camps. The park opened in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Russia’s World War II victory.
Back to St. Petersburg. Tourists can visit a city that was created by Peter the Great as a paradise, cultural center and access point to the Baltic Sea. Sometimes called the Venice of the North, it was built in 1703 on 42 islands and is surrounded by 68 rivers and channels. Moscow may claim to have the world’s 2nd busiest metro line, but, surely, St.
Petersburg has some of the most beautiful metro stations in the world which are decorated with marble and bronze.
One of the wonders of St. Petersburg’s surroundings is Peterhof Palace, which is actually a series of palaces and gardens, and is a diamond in St. Petersburg’s crown.
It contains the Grand Cascade, a series of fountains, one of the most extensive of the Baroque period.
It works without any water pumps by storing the water from natural springs in reservoirs in the Upper Garden. Then the elevation difference creates water pressure which drives most of the fountains. The Grand Cascade was built with only one purpose; to amaze guests.
|
The 150 fountains surrounded by gardens and gold, granite and marble sculptures create a unique fairytale landscape. Both of these cities are filled with historical wonders that are nothing short of amazing.
Natasha Alexander is a native of Russia but has lived many years in San Diego. She now works
as a Realtor with Prudential
California Realty.
Who was Peter the Great?
Peter I, more commonly known as Peter the Great, was born in 1672 and died in 1725. He became czar when he was only 10, but because of political infighting he was forced to rule with his brother Ivan under the patronage of his sister Sofia. After a failed coup, his sister was overthrown and exiled to a convent. Ivan died in 1696, leaving Peter in control.
Peter created a series of reforms that placed Russia among the major European powers and invited European artists, architects and engineers to modernize the country.
One of his main goals was to access the Baltic Sea. To accomplish this he started the Northern War with Sweden, which lasted for 21 years and resulted in annexing lands on the Baltic Coast.
St. Petersburg was founded in 1703 during the war. Peter wanted to change the world’s view of Russia by making a new city more European. In 1712 he moved the Russian capital to St. Petersburg as the headquarters of his Empire and a city rivaling Moscow in grandeur and beauty.
Rumored to be cruel, the towering ruler—6 foot 8 inches tall—greeted coup attempts with mass executions. He suspected his son of plotting against him and confined him to a political jail. His accomplishments include boosting manufacturing and trade, reorganizing the army, founding the Russian navy, and, of course, the creation of St. Petersburg.
|