The main attractions of St. Petersburg: an overview, history and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

There are many cities in the world that every traveler should visit. One of them is Peter. This extraordinary place has long been called a treasury of monuments and legends. The list of popular attractions in St. Petersburg is endless. There are a huge number of palaces and monuments known all over the world. If you are going to visit this city, then our article is for you.

Winners

Everyone who comes here wants to visit the main sights of St. Petersburg. It is quite difficult to rank these places, but you can pay attention to the reviews of tourists. Thanks to them, we will form our own conditional rating. In the first place, as always, is the Winter Palace. We will talk about it a little later. The second place is occupied by the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral. This is followed by two more famous temples - the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood and Kazansky.

The fifth place was taken by Palace Square, followed by a large museum - the Hermitage. The seventh line is occupied by the Peter and Paul Fortress, then - the cruiser "Aurora". The list of "the most important sights of St. Petersburg" closes the famous Bronze Horseman and the StateRussian Museum.

Of course, that's not all. There is not enough Nevsky Prospekt with the Anichkov Bridge, the Kunstkamera and the Field of Mars. It will not be difficult for a tourist to find the main attractions of St. Petersburg. The list of them can go on for hours and send the traveler to the museum-apartment of Pushkin on the Moika, to the Rostral columns, to the University embankment or to the house of Peter the Great.

A little more detail

There are a lot of significant places in St. Petersburg where everyone can get. There is something for everyone here: visiting museums, theaters, exhibitions and major concerts. This place has long been considered the center of the fusion of two cultures: Slavic and European. Despite the fact that St. Petersburg is a huge city, it is a tourist center that has been friendly and hospitable for 3 centuries.

Earlier, we learned the popular rating of attractions, and now we will deal with each of them. We will learn interesting facts and fascinating stories that are hidden behind monuments, cathedrals and palaces.

Rich

Perhaps the main attraction of St. Petersburg is the Winter Palace. Here for a long time, from 1762 to 1904, was the residence of the emperors. This palace is considered the most expensive and eclectic in St. Petersburg. His birth can be marked in 1754, when the famous Rastrelli undertook to build something magnificent and grandiose.

Initially, the palace was built for Elizabeth Petrovna, but was completed under Catherine II. At the endconstruction of the palace contained more than a thousand rooms. Over the centuries, the interior of the palace has changed, and only the Jordan Stairs remained from the initial version. It got its name due to the fact that it was through it that the entire imperial family passed for the rite of blessing water, supposedly to "Jordan", which was called the hole in the ice of the Neva.

Over time, the Small Hermitage was built nearby, where they began to store works of art by Catherine the Great. Further, the current Old Hermitage and the theater were added to the palace. And in the 19th century, the New Hermitage appeared on Millionnaya Street. The Winter Palace has become a kind of center of the whole architectural complex.

Above the clouds

The main attractions of St. Petersburg have prepared many more interesting stories for tourists. The next in our ranking is St. Isaac's Cathedral. In addition to being the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg, it is also one of the highest domed structures in the world.

The history of this cathedral began with a small wooden church in honor of Isaac. In 1712, it was here that Peter and his second wife got married. Later the temple was made of stone. After a while, a third project was created, which did not correspond to the general style of development. It was decided to make a restructuring. Only 9 years later, the project of the young architect Auguste Montferrand was accepted.

Work on the cathedral lasted for 4 decades. It took 43 types of minerals for facing. In addition to granite, there is gray, green and yellow marble, jasper, porphyry, etc. Due to its size, the cathedral can accommodate 12,000 people.

In memory of the deceased emperor

In 1881, on March 1, Alexander II was mortally wounded, it was then that it was decided to build a wooden chapel on this site. It so happened that the grief did not bypass other provinces, and donations began to come from there. With the funds raised, they decided to build a large church - the Savior on Spilled Blood.

The project was implemented for 24 years, and in 1907 it was born. When Tsarist Russia was replaced by Soviet power, financial support stopped completely. At the end of the 1930s, it was decided to completely dismantle the temple. But because of the war, urgent matters faded into the background. The full-fledged Church of the Resurrection of Christ was opened only by the end of the 90s, after a major overhaul.

The inside of the church looks as bright as the outside. This is due to the fact that initially only the elite could enter the temple, so today you can see a magnificent collection of gems, inlaid marble floors and the very fateful place where the emperor was killed. Also, from that tragic day, the pavement stones on which the monarch fell have been preserved.

Treasure vault

Like many emperors of Russia, Pavel Petrovich was brought to Europe at one time. He could not get enough of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome and upon arrival wanted to see a similar architectural marvel at home. The main attractions of St. Petersburg were already grandiose at that time. But the emperor announced a competition, which means that it was necessary to createsomething even more bewitching.

Kazan Cathedral replaced the outdated Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. His main task was to preserve the military relic - the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The competition was won by the architect Voronikhin, but the foundation of the cathedral was only possible after the assassination of the emperor.

During its existence, the cathedral has become a repository of military booty. The banners of the French army were brought here after the war, and the keys to the fortresses received during the campaigns were also kept here.

Gathering of all tourists

In our ranking, Palace Square was in fifth place. This is a favorite place for tourists and citizens, mass events and concerts are often organized here. Also, this place can rightfully be considered an architectural ensemble, which was built in the 18th century.

The name of the square came from the Winter Palace, which is located here. In addition, the General Headquarters, founded in 1819, is located here. It harmoniously passes into the arch, which, in turn, is crowned with a chariot carrying the goddess Nike.

Also on Palace Square is the famous Alexander Column, which is a popular attraction. She appeared in 1834 thanks to Montferrand. The column was erected in honor of the victory over Napoleon, and the tablet thanks Alexander the First on behalf of all of Russia. To this day, this structure is held only by its own weight and gravity

Area collectedthe main historical sights of St. Petersburg and impresses with its scale and architectural beauty.

The greatness of culture

The cultural and historical museum appeared in 1764. Then it was only a private collection of the Empress. She placed 220 paintings in the far quarters of the Winter Palace and called them "The Hermitage" - "a place of solitude". Over the centuries, the collection of works has increased, and now the museum occupies 6 historical buildings. We can safely say that the main attractions of St. Petersburg can be found not only on the streets of the city, but also in the Hermitage.

Defender of the City

The Peter and Paul Fortress can be considered an unusual place. She also hid all the main sights of St. Petersburg: powerful fortress walls, bastions and ravelins, unusual front gates, buildings of the Mint, Engineering and Commandant's houses.

In the center of the entire architectural ensemble is the magnificent Peter and Paul Cathedral. Nearby tourists can visit the Museum of the history of the city, various exhibitions and expositions.

Naval Achievements

Tourists do not bypass the cruiser "Aurora". This ship-museum attracts travelers from the shore. The greatness of the cruiser is amazing, so it has become not just a museum, but a symbol of the city. The Aurora defended the Russian fleet in two wars and did it quite successfully, so it is no wonder that she managed to become one of the main attractions.

Glory to Peter

The Bronze Horseman is considered the most popular monument to Peter the Great. Catherine the Second consulted with artists for a long time to help her with the appearance of the sculpture. But the artist himself - Falcone - neglected all the wishes and created the monument as he himself saw it.

The sculpture turned out to be very expressive and memorable. Peter the Great looks like a strong, purposeful and unshakable ruler.

World record holder

The State Russian Museum completes our symbolic rating of St. Petersburg attractions. In addition to being the first museum of fine arts in Russia, it is also the largest in the world. It was opened back in 1898 by decree of Nicholas II.

Now more than 320 thousand exhibits are collected here. The oldest one dates back to the 11th century. In addition, the Russian Museum is a complex consisting of seven buildings, including the Benois Wing, the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Marble Castle and other attractions.