Culture in St Petersburg
The 19th-century church on spilled blood, near the Russian Museum
Executive summary by Darmansjah
St Petersburg is a treasure trove of culture: fill your days
strolling from one art-filled room to another in the Winter Palace, listening
to a symphony at the Mariinsky and paying homepage to literary geniuses.
Art
The Hermitage
Russian victories marked at the hermitage's 1812 War Gallery
Russian Museum
While the Hermitage looks to art beyond Russia, this
lesser-known gallery concentrates on domestic art, and spreads out over four
sumptuous palaces in the centre of the city. The main building, Mikhailovsky
Palace, presents a fascinating collection, from medieval icons to masterpieces
by painters such as ilya Repin, as well as 20th-century avant garde
works (rusmuseum.ru; inzheneraya ul 4;
closed Tue, Thu morning; main building US$11.40).
Errata Museum
Out in the wilds of Vsilyevsky Island, this fantastic museum
of contemporary Russian art is the very first of its kind in the city. The
permanent collection of some 2,000 works produced from the ‘50s to the present
day is particularly strong on late Soviet underground art. One nice curatorial
touch is the frequent inclusion of objects (such as a bowl of apples) beside
paintings that depict them (errata.com;
29-yaliniya 2; closed Tue; US$9.80).
Literature
Dostoevsky Museum
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s final home was this flat in
Vladimirskaya, where he lived from 1878 until he died in 1881. The apartment
remains as it was then, and includes the study where he wrote the brothers Karamazov, and the office of his wife
Anna, who edited all his books (md.spb.ru;
Kuznechny per 5/2; closed Mon, Wed morning; US$5.20).
The Dostoevsky museum is an window into the novelist's world
The Dostoevsky museum is an window into the novelist's world
Site of Pushin’s Duel
This park is a place of literary pilgrimage for lovers of
Russia’s poectic genius, Alexander Pushkin, who was killed in a duel with the
Frencman Georges d’Anthes in 1837, after d’Anthes had publicly courted
Pushkin’s wife, Natalya A marble monument now stands on the place, where
Pushkin was shot, on the Vyborg Side, around 15 minutes’ walk north of
Chyornaya Rechka metro station. There are always fresh flowers here
(Kolomyazhsky pr).
Anna Akhmatova Museum
Housed in a wing of the 18th-century Sheremetyev
Palace, this touching and fascinating literary museum honours the life of Anna
Akhmatova, St Petersburg’s most famous 20th-century poet and
survivor of the Stalinist terror. Akhmatova lived in an apartment here from
1925 to 1952, and it’s filled with mementos of the poet. Downstairs is a
bookshop and video room (akhmatova.spb.ru;
Liteyny pr 53; closed Mon, Wed morning; US$2.60).
Music and Dance
Mariinsky Theatre
The Meraiinsky Theatere, opened in 1860, is a sight in its own left
Shostakovich Philharmonia
Under conductor Yuri Temirkanov, the St Petersburg
Philharmonic Orchestra represents the finest in orchestral music. The Bolshoy
Zal (Grand Hall) at Mihailovskaya ul 2 is the venue for a full programme of
symphonic performances, while the nearby Maly Zal (small hall) hosts smaller
ensembles. Both venues host numerous music festivals (philharmonia.spb.ru; tickets from
US$9.70).
Zoccolo
In its urgently orange and green underground space near pl
Vosstaniya, Zoccolo has a great atmosphere and an interesting line-up of music,
from indie rock to ‘ethnoelectonica’ and other styles you may not have heard
of. Entry is free before 5pm, when the venue functions as an arty café (zoccolo.ru; 3-ya Sovetskaya ul 2/3;
noon-midnight weekdays, to 6am weekends; performances US$3.20).
Transport
Flights on Singapore
airlines and Malaysia airlines are available to Heathrow, after which a
British Airways flight takes you direct from Heathrow to St Petersburg (from
US$327; ba.com). Pulkovo Airport is 10 miles
south of the centre; you can get a shuttle bus (US$1.10) or city bus (US$0.80)
into town – see times and details at pulkovoairport.ru. Airport taxis should
cost around US$24. The St Petersburg metro is sufficient, cheap (from US$0.90)
and useful for travelling long distances but it can be a bit of an adventure if
you don’t read Cyrillic. Metro maps in English are available in the tourist
publications that are distributed around town.
Where to Stay
Facing the Hermitage across the river, Tradition Hotel has
extremely helpful staff. The 16 rooms are well appointed and the great views
make up for the hotel’s distance from the nearest metro station (traditionhotel.ru;
pr Dobrolyubova 2; from US$98).
A dramatically lit stone stairwell sets the scene for Casa
Leto, a stylish boutique hotel. The spacious quarters are decorated in soft
pastel shades and filled with antiques (casleto.com; Bolshaya Morskaya ul 34;
from US$179).
ST PETER’S GREAT Three
centuries of talented writers in the city: Gogol-Nikolai
Gogol came to the city in 1829. He wasn’t impressed by it, but he wrote a
number of absurdist stories, known as The Petersburg Tales. Dostoevsky-Born in Moscow, he moved to the imperial
capital in 1838, aged 16, and his Crime and Pusnishment is the ultimate St
Petersburg novel. Blok-Alexander Blok was one
of the symbolist movement’s most renowed poets. He depicted prostitutes, drunks
and others on society’s margins. Pushkin The national bard mused on the city’s
fate through the eyes of a statue in his epic poem. The Bronze horseman.
The long evenings of the White Nights make June the busiest
time to visit. Events include the Festival of Festivals, a film festival (filmfest.ru), and the Stars of White Nights
Festival at the Mariinsky and other venues (mariinsky.ru).
Lonely Planet’s St
Petersbur is a comprehensive guide to the city and chapters from the book can
be download at lonelyplanet.com. A
briefer St Petersburg work from the pen of Dostoevsky is white Nights, dover
Thrift editions, a short story that’s been adapted for cinema several times.
You can also see the city on film in Brother (1977), Russian Ark (2002) and The
Stroll (2003).
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