Russian Fair Travel

ST. ISAAC’S CATHEDRAL

The St. Isaac’s Cathedral is a former principal cathedral of the Russian Empire, one of the finest architectural masterpieces of the XIX century by the architect O. Montferrand. It ranks between the largest one-cupola cathedrals in the world alongside with St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. The interior of the Cathedral is magnificently decorated with sculptures, paintings, polished stone, gilding, mosaic and stained-glass panels. One hundred and twelve solid granite columns are supporting the cathedral. The observation platform on the colonnade provides a magnificent view of the city.

Web: http://www.russianmuseums.info/M116


SAVIOR ON THE SPILLED BLOOD CATHEDRAL

The Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral was raised in 1907 as a national historical and memorial complex. It immortalized the memory of Alexander II as it stands on the spot of the last attempted assassination of the Tsar in 1881. The Cathedral is built in Russian style imitating medieval architecture of the XV-XVI centuries. After the restoration, in 1997 it was open as a Museum of Russian Mosaic: unique mosaic decorations of the Cathedral were done on the sketches of the well-known Russian artists.

Web: http://www.russianmuseums.info/M179


PETER AND PAUL FORTRESS, THE STATE MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF ST. PETERSBURG

The Fortress – the former military fort and political prison -is the birthplace of St. Petersburg. It was founded by Peter I on the Hare island on May 27, 1703 and this day is considered the birthday of the city. The center of this architectural complex is St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral (architect D. Trezzini). The Cathedral became a burial place for all Russian Tsars starting from Peter I and up to Nickolas II and his family, the funerals of the last Imperial family took place in July 1998. On the grounds of the Fortress one can also visit the former prison of the Trubetskoy bastion, Printing House workshop and the exhibition “The History of St. Petersburg”.

Web: http://www.russianmuseums.info/M112


THE YUSUPOV PALACE

The Yusupov palace is an outstanding architectural monument of the late XVIII century, till 1917 it was a private residence of one of the wealthiest noble families in Russia - the Yusupovs. It is listed in the encyclopedia of luxury interiors of the XIX –XX centuries. Such interiors as Moorish Room, Turkish Room, Rotonda, the State gallery and the private theatre of the Princess Zinaida Yusupova enjoy the world renown. Visitors can attend concerts and performances in the Yusupov theatre. The tragic event leading to the murder of Grigory Rasputin on December 16, 1916 happened in the basement of the building. The organizer and participant of the conspiracy was the last owner of the palace Prince Felex Yusupov.

Web: http://www.yusupov-palace.ru/


THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM

The State Hermitage Museum occupies six majestic buildings, it is situated along the riverbank of the Neva. The Winter palace, the residence of the Romanov family, was designed by the architect F. Rastrelli and built during 1754-1762. It plays the key role in this unique architectural complex. Inside the palace one can see the state rooms and living quarters of Russian Tsars striking with their splendor and magnificence. The Hermitage Museum contains one of the largest art collections in the world which counts more than three million works of art. The collection includes six departments, Western European department being the largest and most important of all featuring paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, Titian, Tiepolo, Goya, Rembrant, French Impressionists and others.

Web: http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/


THE STATE RUSSIAN MUSEUM

The country’s first state museum on Russian art, founded in 1895 by the decree of Tsar Alexander III and opened in the Mikhailovsky palace on March 7, 1898. The Museum today is the world’s largest gallery of Russian fine art, numbering about 400,000 exhibits and covering the period of 1000 years. The Benois wing of the Museum features modern Russian art of the XX century.

Web: http://www.rusmuseum.ru/eng/home/


THE TSARSKOYE SELO STATE MUSEUM RESERVE

The town of Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin town) is located in 25 km to the south of St. Petersburg. The heart of the Tsarskoye Selo complex is the Catherine palace – the favorite summer residence of two Russian Empresses Elisabeth I and Catherine the Great, it was designed by F. Rastrelly in baroque style in the middle of the XVIII century. The sumptuous interiors include the Throne Hall, the Golden suite of Rastrelly and the infamous Amber Room stolen by Nazis and recreated by modern restorers in 2003. Another masterpiece of the world architecture is to be found on the grounds of the complex – the palace of Alexander I, which became the last residence of Russian Emperors.

Web: http://www.russianmuseums.info/M119


THE PAVLOVSK STATE MUSEUM RESERVE

The palace-and-park complex Pavlovsk is located in 30 km to the south of St. Petersburg. It is a summer residence of the son of Catherine the Great Paul who ruled Russia in 1796-1801. The palace was designed by Scottish architect Charles Cameron in 1777 in classical style and extended later by Vincenco Brenna. Smaller in size than the Catherine palace, this palace is distinguished by special charm and intimate homelike atmosphere. The exquisite collection of art works – furniture, paintings, clocks, porcelain, antiquities - is on display in the palace interiors. The park of Pavlovsk is one of the largest landscape parks in Russia and Europe.

Web: http://www.russianmuseums.info/M118


THE PETERHOF STATE MUSEUM RESERVE

Peterhof , also known as “Russian Versailles”, is one of the earliest and most famous out-of-town residences of Russian Tsars (30 km west of St. Petersburg, on the bank of the Gulf of Finland). It is a town of parks, palaces and fountains, and a salient model of a palace-and-park architecture. The Grand palace was built at the beginning of the XVIII century on the order of Peter the Great, in front of the palace there is the Grand Cascade, including over 100 fountains. Totally there are about 200 fountains in the Peterhof gardens. 13 museums work on the territory of this museum-reserve: Monplesair palace, Marly palace, Royal Bathhouse Museum, Catherine Block, and others.

Web: http://www.russianmuseums.info/M115