Architecture – 5 page of 8

A guide to architecture in St Petersburg

The architecture of St Petersburg is very special and unique. Plenty of buildings and houses are treasures of Russian architecture and some of them can rightly be called world achievements. Many famous architects worked and created there – Rossi, Rastrelli, Monferran, Voronikhin. All of them made a great contribution to the development and appearance of the city. You can see buildings of different architectural styles and eras from Baroque and Classicism to Stalinist Architecture in St. Petersburg.

Smolny Institute in Saint Petersburg Russia

European culture that started to establish in Russia in the end of the 18th century, brought lots of novelty in the life of Russian people. During the times of Peter the Great, there were the first schools for girls. That was the first step towards…

Mariinsky Theatre St Petersburg

It’s impossible to imagine St Petersburg without its magnificent theatres. Mariinsky Theatre is one of the oldest and most famous theatres in Russia as well as in the world. History in brief Its story starts in 1783, when Empress Catherine II issued a decree of…

Menshikov palace on the Neva river

Menshikov palace in Saint Petersburg is situated at the University Embankment, opposite to the Admiralty. It is one of the greatest constructions of the 18th century. Stylish building represented the mood and spirit of Peter the Great who wanted to build a magnificent city on…

Liteynyy bridge in Saint Petersburg Russia

Liteyny or Foundry bridge is the second permanent bridge, built in Saint Petersburg. It connects Liteyny Avenue with Academic Lebedev Street on the Vyborg side. History Initially there was the Blagoveshchenskaya crossing, created before the Emperor’s decision to found Saint Petersburg. The crossing operated only…

Egyptian bridge in Saint Petersburg

The Egyptian bridge was initially chained, and built in 1825-1826 by Wilhelm von Traitteur and Vasily Khristianovich in Saint Petersburg. It crossed the Fontanka river along the avenue, currently called after Mikhail Lermontov. The name of the bridge came from its special decoration. The bridge…

Tauride Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Taudine Palace (Tavrichesky Dvorets) in Saint Petersburg is a former residence of the Knyaz Grigory Potemkin-Tavrichesky, a favourite of Catherine II. Today it’s the headquarters of the  Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States. History and architecture The palace complex was…

Anichkov bridge in St Petersburg (panorama view)

One of the first and the most popular bridges in St Petersburg - the Anichkov bridge. It’s among three bridges that follow the Nevsky Prospekt and cross the Fontanka river. Having wonderful sculptures of horses, this bridge is easy to recognize and memorize. Anichkov bridge…

Beloselsky Palace in Saint Petersburg

Most likely every tourist who was walking along Nevsky prospekt saw this palace, located right in the city centre. Even Beloselsky palace was not initially in a sightseeing route, it’s hard not to pass it by thanks to its location next to Anichkov palace and…

St Nicholas Naval Cathedral in St Petersburg (summer view)

Saint Nicholas Naval Cathedral, situated on the shore of Kryukov Canal close to Seven Bridges Point and surrounded by water, is a beautiful and quite unusual architectural monument of baroque. The Cathedral is cross-shaped and adorned with 68 columns. The facade is bright blue, symbolizing…

New Holland Island St Petersburg

New Holland (Russian: “Novaya Gollandiya”) is one of the most unusual landmarks of St Petersburg. It is actually an artificially created island, which appearance relates to the history of the Admiralty. The island is situated between the Moyka River, the Admiralty Canal and the Kryukov…