Уникальность павловского дворца
20 miles to the South of SPb a Large country estate was presenting by Catherine-II to her son Paul in 1777 when the first son was born to Paul and Maria Fedorovna Alexander. Paul wasn’t happy with this present. The palace was to be built far away from the city. Paul realized that Catherine-II wanted to keep him away from court life, gossips and intrigues. Before there was a hunting estate there. Royal hunts were held here. In 1782 the Palace was founded. It took them only 4 years to build the Palace. It was built to the design of Architect Cameron. There were other distinguish architects who worked there later: Brenna, Quarenghi, Rossi. It was almost 50 years ago before the palace ensemble was completed. When construction of the main building was completed the major fault was found with the palace: it wasn’t big enough for the emperor. Brenna was entrusted with a task of extending the palace. There are over 300 rooms in this palace. It was constructed in the style of Classicism. And the main principal of Classicism is symmetry. It is symmetrically laid out. When the World War II started the director of the Palace was one of the first who decided to evacuate objects of art to safety. That’s why almost 90% of the unique objects of art were saved and now introduced in the Palace. One of them is a dressing table set which is unique. It was made at the Sevres porcelain manufactory. It was presented by Mary Antoinette in 1782. The set consists of 72 pieces including perfume bottles, powder holders, jewel boxes, jars for face cream, also tea and coffee cups. The molds for this set were destroyed to the order of Mary Antoinette so that there shouldn’t be another set like this one. One more unique set of objects is collection of watches of different masters which embellish many rooms of the Palace. The unique fact of these watches that they all still work.
The Chinese palace
10 km westwards Peterhof Oranienbaum is located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland which is now called Lomonosov. It received the name of Lomonosov in 1948. There was the former country residence of Peter’s close associate prince Menshikov. In German the word “Oranienbaum” means “wild orange tree”. The name is said to be given by Peter the Great. Certainly, in the Leningrad region oranges would grow only in Menshikov’s hothouses. Later in 1785 when every city and town in Russia received its own emblem an orange tree was depicted on the emblem of this town. The town was quite small and consisted of 45 houses only where craftsmen lived who built the palaces.
The Menshikov’s palace was founded in 1710. Schlüter, Schädel and Fontana were the architects who built the Grand (Big) palace. One of the pavilions of the palace was the church. Peter II was invited for the ceremony of its opening but he never came (arrived) which meant that the owner of the palace was out of favor and this day (the 3rd of September 1727) meant the first period of the construction of the palace. The owner was exiled to Siberia and the furniture and decoration went to Moscow. The palace now belongs to the Ministry of construction. Later on Elizabeth presented the palace to her nephew Peter III and Rastrelli was commissioned to rebuild the palace. Since 1762 (Catherine’s assignment) Rinaldi worked on the palace and in the middle of the 19th century – Shtakenshneider. At one time the palace was the residence of grand dukes and the last owners were relatives of imperial family. This one served as a residence of Russian czars. During the war Oranienbaum wasn’t occupied by the Nazi. A small piece of land was defended by the ground forces and sailors of the Baltic fleet. The town withstood the 29 months’ blockade. The Great palace is one of several monuments of architecture. The same architect (Rinaldi) built a smaller palace on the grounds of the estate – the Chinese palace. The decoration of the Chinese palace combines the pseudochinese exotic style and these genuine Chinese objects of art. It was never meant for lengthy stay, it was a house for entertainment of the court. One of the most famous rooms is decorated with embroidered canvas (bugles – tiny tubes of colored glass). Here there was glass manufactory set up in 1753 (the first manufactory in Russia). It existed for 12 years and produced unique colored glass objects. It was there where Lomonosov carried out his experiments (tests) which allowed him to make mosaics for decoration of buildings, churches.
The palace is also famous for its floors. The palace is quite small: about 20 rooms.
34Символы России
The State flag of Russia has long and complex history.
At first the banners of the Grand Princes and the Russian Imperial banners with a depiction of Holy Face served as Russian national flag. Then came a white dynastic banner with a gold (sometimes black) double-headed eagle.
The Russian national flag of white, blue and red colors has originated since 1668. This flag was first mentioned in chronicles of that time when Peter the Great began the construction of the Russian fleet. The birthday of the three colored Russian national flag is the 20th January of 1705. On that day Peter I issued a decree on the national flag. The colors were always in this order (white, blue, red), they never changed. These colors are popular in many countries. It’s believed that Peter I borrowed it from the Netherlands. At the beginning of the 18th century the well-known St. Andrew’s Ensign (two blue crossed stripes against white background) was hoisted on the Russian ships. St. Andrews flag was extremely popular. St. Andrew was a patron saint of Russian lands and he was disseminator of Christian knowledge in Russia.
Simultaneously czar standard was formed – the black double-headed eagle on the yellow background. As for the standard it was believed that it was borrowed from the Roman Empire. It’s known that the banner of the Roman Emperor was double-headed eagle against golden background. The traditional version of double-headed eagle was borrowed from Byzantine as the result of Grand Prince’s (Ivan III) marriage to the last Emperor’s niece Sofia Paleola in the 15th century. For more then 400 years of its existence the state symbol of Russia has undergone various changes (the outline of the eagle itself and the colors of scheme and attributes). 1447 is considered to be a year when the double-headed eagle was chosen as the state emblem of Russia. It means the equal state of Russia, Rome and Bysantium. As the eagle is double headed one head looks to East and the other one to West and symbolize Oriental opulence and Western Civilization.The crown, the scepter and the orb are the czar’s regalia which are accepted everywhere where such a power exists. The regalia originated from the ancient world. The crown comes from sport conquests. A victor was crowned with a wreath which later transformed into a crown. The scepter is an attribute of the God Zeus. As for the orb it was known to Russian grand princes from the 16th century as an attribute which symbolizes power during the coronation. Scepter was held in the right hand and the orb was in the left.Peter I has his own coat of arms (2 crossed anchors – a sea anchor and a river one as SPb is the large sea and river port). The emblem dates back to the 18th century. As SPb was the capital of Russia Empire from 1712 to 1918 the emblem included double-headed eagle, crown, scepter and orb.
St-George slaying the dragon is a part of the state symbols.
Петропавловский с. и как усып. Романовых The PPC is one of the most notable buildings in the fortress. Its general shape is an elongated rectangle stretching from West to East. The building in stone began in 1712. This is the most interesting monument of Peter’s baroque architecture in SPb designed by D. Tresini. The construction works lasted for 21 years and were completed only in 1733. The spire of the bell-tower is the highest edifice of the city topped with a weather vain having a form of an angel with a cross. The chime clock was made in Holland in the middle of the 18th century by Kpacc. It is an interesting fact that till the middle of the 19th century the clock hadn’t been provided with a minute hand and this lack was compensated by short chimes every quarter of an hour. This tradition has been preserved till our days. At first the spire was made of wood and because of the absence of a lightning deflector it caught fire several times. In the middle of the 19th centure the wooden frame work was replaced with a metal one. The framework was covered with golden plates. During the War the spire as well as other spires and domes in the city was camouflaged. The Cathedral was not hit directly though it was badly damaged by shel splinters. Then it was restored. Inside the cathedral impresses with its size first of all. The walls are painted to imitate green and pink marble. 5 large crystal chandeliers made in Russia hang from the vaults. The Cathedral resembles secular hall more that a church. Above the cornices there are not icons but 18 oil paintings with scenes from New Testament. Besides the Cathedral was a monument of military glory of Russia. There are the banners hanging in the hall. They are exact copies of those banners which were captured as trophies by Russian troops during the Wars with Sweden and turkey in the 18th century. The iconostasis was donated by P-I and his wife Catherine-I. The general design of the iconostasis belongs to Tresini and was executed in Moscow in 1722-1727 out of soft lime-tree under the direction of the architect Ivan Zarudniy. The iconostasis and the altar canopy were delivered to SPb in pieces and installed in 1729. 43 icons were painted in SPb at the same time by a group of Moscow iconpainters. The cathedral was conceived as a burial place of the Romanovs. 23 grave-tombs of members of the dynasty are located there today. All the Tsars beginning with P-I were buried here except P-II. Before that Russian Tsars had been buried in Moscow in Kremlin. 11 of 32 buried here were ruling emperors or empresses. 30 out of 30 tomb-stones are of white marble with gilt bronze plaques bearing the name, title, date of birth and death of the person. The image of the state eagle is fixed to the corners of the tomb-stones of the ruling emperors. 2 of the monuments near the northern wall above the graves of Emperor Al-II and his wife Maria Alexandrovna differ greatly in form and material from all others. There were carved of monolithic pieces of wavy green jasper to Al-II and of pink rodonite to M.A. according to the design of Ган in 1888-1906. It took 17 years to cut grave stones and to polish them. These tombs-stones were placed here only in
Голландская живопись
As a result of struggle for independence 7 northern provinces got separated from the influence of Spanish Kingdom and formed their own republic. They had an access to the sea and sea trade was flouring. They hadn’t vast colonies and the people of the country were industrious. The country became one of the most prosperous in the World. Middle class and even farmers could spend money for decoration of the houses because living standards were high. The most popular genres were landscapes, still life paintings, genre scenes and portraits. The size of the canvases was also rather small because most of the pictures were meant for peoples homes. The artists didn’t paint what they want, rather they painted what they were commissioned. Artists have a narrow specialization because if a painter became a famous for landscapes he was commissioned for landscapes and he didn’t paint anything else. Painting a specific kinds of pictures Dutch Artists brought their skills to perfection in painting this kind of pictures. It was Yan van Goyen who is known for invented aerial perspective. And these were Dutch artists who showed other that it is not necessary to have an idea or subject. Just the simple matter of usual things drawn with perfection can make a picture masterpiece. There is a gallery in the Hermitage devoted to Rembrandt. There are about 25 canvases and several drawings which date from each of his creative periods. This allows to trace the development of his art. Rembrandt was born in Laden where he went through the Zatin school and the University. Later he lived in Amsterdam where he studied art under Zastman. From 1626 Rembrandt became an independent artist whose works were highly recognized by the public. This period of the artists life is illustrated by some outstanding works such as “Flora”, “Abraham’s sacrifice”. Great variety of subjects can be traced in the paintings of his 2nd creative period. To this period we refer such pictures as “David and Johnathan” this painting was acquired by P-I in 1716 and thus was the 1st picture by Rembrandt brought to Russia. “The parable of the labors in the vineyard”, “A lady trying her earrings” here one can recognize his 2nd wife Henrike who became his permanent model for Rembrandt’s 2nd period. After 1640 Rembrandt’s short happy period of life had passed and his life went wrong. His greatest commission “The night Watch” wasn’t recognized by the public. He was in want, He had to sell his house collection of oriental treasures and silks which he had used in his work. He moved to a poor district of the city. In those days he painted many portraits. One of them is the portrait of “An old man in red”. Rembrandt preferred to paint such people who acquired real wisdom and become real characters. One of the Rembrandt’s masterpieces which was completed short before his death is “The return of the prodigal son”. The episode attracted the artist’s attention a number of times in his early graphic works, but in the Hermitage painting the theme is interrupted with deep feeling, elevating it to a symbol of Universal significance. Complex emotions are expressed in the figures of the bent old man and his suffering, kneeling son – repentance and charity, boundless love and regret at the lateness of spiritual awakening. These images represent the summit of Rembrandt’s psychological mastery. The mastery of Remrandt was that he was a psychological master and before paint a picture he tried to understand what people feel and think, they emotion in this or that situation. He tried to express in his paintings this intangible things.
Scythian Gold
The most exciting feature of the display of the antiquities then at the time of Nicolas I (1830th) as now was the number of gold and silver objects of art. They were exquisitely wrought. They have been found in Scythian tombs (barrows) in southern Russia. The Scythians, nomadic people, who originated in central Asia, arrived in the Black Sea area in the 8th century BC. They remained dominant there for the next 4 centuries. They became immensely wealthy because they were trading grain with Mediterranean world. Their princes went to their graves richly decorated with gold ornaments. Mostly these gold ornaments were made by Greek craftsmen who were very sophisticated jewellers. The Scythians either imported the gold jewelry or commissioned Greek craftsmen who had settled locally to make it for them. Greek colonies were established on the Crimea from the 7th century BC. At the time the New Hermitage was being built Russian archeology was still at its beginnings. The burial mounds that remain one of the curiosities of the south Russian landscape only began to attract attention at the end of the 18th century. The first excavations were made on the orders of the Russian military governors. There were also French immigrants who had been ousted from France by the French revolution (Paul Dubrux). He began to excavate on his own account in 1816. He gave some of his early finds to the dowager empress Maria Fedorovna. Thus, home-grown archeology began to attract attention of the court. New museum was set up to house local finds but it was ordered that the finest artifacts had to be sent to the capital to the Hermitage. In 1830 came the sensational opening of the burial mound close to Kerch. The governor of Kerch who was a keen amateur on archeology invited Paul Dubrux to watch how 200 soldiers were removing stones from 2 burial mounds to build barracks. The Frenchmen realized from the shape of the stone structure that was revealed that the site contained an unexplored tomb. It turned out to contain a Scythian king, his wife and his servant. Round his neck he wore a magnificent gold necklace (torque). Beside him was a gold vessel. His wife wore an elaborate gold pendant embossed with a head of Athena copied from the famous statue of the goddess by Phidiy in Pantheon. At her feet was gold flask worked by a Greek master from scenes from life. This vase is one of the highlights (gems) of the Hermitage collection of Scythian gold. It has been suggested that the scenes illustrate the Greek myth concerning the founding of the Scythian kingdom. There is a goddess represented “a strange being” between a maiden and a serpent whose youngest son Scythes inherited the kingdom. The so-called Kerch-room was one of the most popular at the New Hermitage when it opened to the public in 1852. It contained artistically arranged gold objects, bronzes, vases, terracotta and stone sculptures from the burial mound of south Russia. The excavated jewellry was upstairs in the empress’s drawing room. They were 18 crowns and a gold death mask of a queen. From the very start the antiquities collection galleries were of the high standards.
48 Gold chamber (India, Посольские дары)The collection of gold chamber was started during the days of Peter the Great. He wanted to have all the rare things kept in one place. The number of exhibits is still increasing because even nowadays the excavations are still being held on the vast territory of Russia. In the last 2 sections we can see the official and diplomatic gifts to the members of the tzar’s family. Among them there are daggers and maces with the cases richly decorated by precious stones like ruby, emerald, sapphire an so on. We are amazed with the subtle work of the masters. The covers for Coran , some mirrors, and the decorations for oriental women and of course the decorations for horses attract our attention at this part of the exhibition.
The collection of Peter the Great is considered the glory of the Hermitage. It consist of gold buckles and ornaments created in the so-cold animal style made around 7-3 centuries B.C. Peter’s attention was drown to these artifacts when Demidov who had mined for precious metals in Siberia presented 20 gold objects to Catherine I. Peter the Great gave the order to the governor of Siberia - Prince Gagarin - strict instructions: “All the antiquities found in the burial mounts should be collected and sent to the St. Petersburg.” The following year 100 objects were sent to St. Petersburg. The museum contains objects of art which remind the visitor an extraordinary event from the history of Russia. Nadir Shakh - the ruler of Iran (1736-1747) - sent an embassy from India to St. Petersburg after his conquest of the Moguls in 1739. It took them 2 years to get to St. Petersburg as they traveled by elephants. They arrived to St. Petersburg on the 8th of October 1741 and brought 22 jeweled objects including plates, bottles, rings. All these things were booties ceased from the Mogul’s treasury. The jeweled gift was intended for Anna Ioanovna. Nowadays these objets are kept in the Gold Chamber and they are considered the largest collection of such kind. As for the rest only 3 pieces have survived in the Iranian treasury. And there none of them kept in the Indian museums. The Mogul Emperors were the richest rulers in the World. They were the main customers of the Columbian emerald mines. These emeralds than as now were considered finer than such stones of any other source. All the emeralds used in the Hermitage pieces came from Columbia via India. All the objects are incrusted with precious stones. From the original gift 18 original items have survived. 1 ring is inscribed with a commemoration of the birth of one of the rulers of India, the one who built Taj Makhal. The 14 elephants which accompanied the gift to the imperial family. In the advance of the arrival several of the city’s bridges had to be reinforced. A new elephant yard was constructed.
Dining out
the choice for tourists is limited. The main demands that tourists place upon dining places are safety and clearness. Russian cuisine is based on such staples as beets, potatoes, cabbage, buckwheat, mushrooms, beef, lamb, game and sturgeon. There are delicious soups often served with fresh soured cream on the side, meat filled Siberian dumplings. If guests stick to that they will minimize the risk of a bad meal. Bottled water is a must (sparkling or plain water). Ice is to be avoided except in the best places. But that should be no problem, because Vodka is served straight and cold. Podvorie. Built to resemble a traditional Russian log-house Podvorie (about 26 kms south to St. Petersburg) is the place to eat when visiting Catherine Palace in Pushkin or the nearby Pavlovsk Palace. The setting includes a stuffed bear at the entrance, long tables and benches and folklore groups of musicians and singers. The capacity of the restaurant is about 300 seats. Russian food includes cabbage soup with soured cream, cabbage and wine leaves with a meat and rice filling, marinated herring, and stuffed dumplings. Lunch or dinner costs 60 dollars for two including beer and a cranberry drink. Senate-bar. The former President of the United States Bill Clinton dined in this attractive restaurant in the Senate building near the Admiralty. Anyone can order the same menu of Russian caviar, cabbage soup, grilled salmon in the ginger-soy sauce and a mango dessert. Other choices could be scrambled eggs with salmon caviar, delicious grilled sturgeon fillet, French sautéed whole fresh trout and perfect French fries. The globetrotting menu (international) also includes seafood. This informal restaurant and bar occupies several low-ceilinged vaulted rooms and is decorated with the 17th century motives. Adjoined venture with a Dutch company that owns Dvoryanskoye Gnezdo, they both specialize in beers both bottled and on tap (draft). The waitresses are well-trained, helpful and very familiar with menu. Three meal averages 100 dollars for two with beer. Dvoryanskoye Gnezdo. The name of this restaurant means “Nobel’s Nest” referring to the Usupovs – the family that owned the magnificent palace, on whose grounds this elegant little pavilion stands. At the palace in 1916 Prince Felix Usupov entertained Rasputin with poisoned cake and wine. He enchased him across the ground, shot him and threw him in the river that finally killed him. This restaurant adjoined venture with a Dutch company is in a few blocks of the Mariinsky theatre and perfect for supper after performance. The menu is Russian and international. The Russian influence was reflected as an appetizer of house smoked beef slices surrounding a salad or diced beets studded with nuts, pink slices of pickled pork with cabbage salad, lamb fillet served with potatoes and mushrooms. The lamb is perfectly medium rare. The only disadvantage in going to the restaurant after the theatre is that some of the desserts could be unavailable. As for wine, a bottle of Italian wine for 65 dollars is about the best buy. This restaurant has only 40 seats and two romantic dining rooms lighted by candles. Reservations are essential. Live music drifts down from the balcony. It’s open for lunch and dinner from noon to midnight. A three-course meal for two with a moderate bottle of wine is about 240 dollars. Roubles and credit cards are accepted. Restaurant “Europe”. One can opt to have dinner in the hotel’s magnificent main dining room. That way you could feast your eyes on the extraordinary art-nouveau stained-glass window and enjoy live music played by a small orchestra. One can have a bawl of thick meat soup (солянка), pieces of salmon or sturgeon. Less spectacular but also good are wild mushrooms, chicken, beefstroganoff with potatoes, pike-perch larded with potatoes.The clientele are an international mix of tourists and business people. The restaurant is open for buffet-breakfast from 7 to 10.30 in the morning. There is a jazz brunch on Sundays. Three course dinner for two with wine will run at least 150 dollars and can cost twice as that.
Nevsky Prospect
Nevsky Prospect is the main street of the city, 4,5 kilometers long. Its width varies from 25 to 60 meters. It’s one of the oldest streets in the city, which was being built for two centuries. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1714. The street was named after Alexander Nevsky, Russian warrior and the canonized prince of Novgorod and then Vladimir. Alexander Nevsky, is said, to win the battle against Swedes on the bank of the Neva-river in 1240. That’s why he was called Nevsky. 5 centuries later when Peter the Great laid the foundation to the new city, he remembered the old Russian warrior, and to commemorate the victory of Alexander Nevsky, Peter founded the monastery, where he order to transfer the remains of Alexander Nevsky to. It took them nearly two hundred years to complete the ensemble of Nevsky Prospect and in the middle of the XVIII century palaces and mansions of Russian aristocracy were built. In the XIX century apartment houses, banks, trade firms and stores were opened here.
The largest and the oldest department store of the city is across the street from the hotel Europe, called Merchant’s Yard. In old Russia the world guest meant merchant. Here was a big market place, where in the middle of the XVIII century the Merchant’s Yard was built to the design of the French architect Vallin de la Mothe, and it set model to other merchant’s stalls built at the end of the XVIII century. In the recent years the interior has been renovated and changed. Only the shell of the building was preserved. The shopping center is huge. The length of it’s two and half km. As for the hotel (Grand Hotel Europe) it’s the oldest in the city. It was built in the XIX century and it was meant for the hotel from the start. It’s a five star hotel run by “Kempinski Hotel Company”. The capacity is 300 beds. Prices start from 200$ per night to sometimes like 1000$ per night. Next to Grand Hotel Europe is a Catholic Church of St. Catherine. To the right is the largest bookstore in St. Petersburg, called the House of Books. The building was constructed in the beginning of century for the Zinger sewing machine. It was built of stone, glass and metal. It was the first fire-proof building of the city. Upper floors of the building are taken by the number of publishing offices. To the left is a Kazan Cathedral, built in 1811 by the Russian architect Voronikhin. As the Cathedral was built, approximately at the time of the war of Russia against Napoleon, it was regarded by contemporaries as a memorial to the victory of Russia in that war. The captured enemies banners and keys of the French cities, which surrendered, are kept in the Cathedral. For quite a long time, during the soviet period, it was the museum of the history of religion and atheism. Some time ago it was reconsecrated. The monuments of two commanding generals of Russian Army are in front of it.
The Monpleasir palace
It stands on the bank of the Gulf of Finland, was built in the Dutch style. The garden in front of it has also the Dutch lay out. Flowers are changed regularly. Oaktrees that grow here, probably saw Peter the Great (about 300 years old). The central fountain is “Wheat sheaf”, “Bells”. The palace was built in 1714 to the design of Brounstein. The brick wall, which overlooks the north, is thicker than the southern wall. It was built to protect the residence from cold northern winds. In 2 galleries on either side of the palace there is collection of pictures by (of ?) Peter the Great. In the central hall Peter’s famous assemblies took place. There are Chinese studies. About 150 porcelain items situated in it. And as this palace was during the war on the occupied territory it needed restoration. But to a large extent it survived and one can say that it’s one of 3 authentic palaces in the environments of SPb.
Высшее образование
65 Вузов, 60% школьников поступают в Вузы.
Petersburg is an important educational center. There are 65 educational establishments of higher learning. Every yeah 3500 specialists graduate from institutes.
High education is available for everyone in this country. But to join the University or Institute one must have a school certificate and take entrance competitive exams. Those who pass exams successfully and score high grades are enrolled.
There are day time and part time students. There are also part time students who study by correspondence.
There are also students who study for free, mostly those who passed entrance competitive exams successfully and pay student. Tuition fee varies from 5 thousand rubles a year to 2 thousand dollars a semester.
Academic year starts on the 1st of September. Twice a year students have to sit for exams. Those students who don’t leg behind and pass exams successfully will receive the State Grant.
At the end of their fifth year students are given time to write their graduation paper. They defend it and receive their diplomas. If students participate in fundamental research they may receive a personal scholarship.
There’s no job assignment and students who graduated from an Institute look for a job themselves.
As for me…
Theatre visit
There are special rules you have to follow during your visit to the theatre. You have to check in your coat in a cloakroom. During the performance there will be several intermissions during which you can go to a cafe and have some refreshments, for example a glass of Champaign. It is not accustomed in Russia to take the glasses and food with you in an auditorium. The cell-phones and beepers are preferably to be turned off or switched into vibrating mode. After a play artists usually take curtain calls and flowers are sent from the admires as a sign of recognition.
The theatre we are going to is known as Mariinsky after Maria – wife of the Czar Alexander-II. It was renamed after S. Kirov in 1935, who was killed in 1934 in Smolny. He was very popular among the people. And Stalin was afraid that Kirov would be able to take over his place and that’s why he ordered to kill him. After his death people bewailed the loss of an outstanding figure and that’s why Stalin decided to name a few buildings and houses after Kirov to commemorate his name.The capacity of the auditorium is 1760 people. The building of the theatre was constructed in 1860 to the design of Albert Kavos in the site of the old circus, which was destroyed by the fire. The interiors are decorated with gilded stucco moldings and ceiling paintings, which go well with the blue velvet upholstery of the chairs. The curtain was laid after sketches by Golovin. The chandelier is quite famous, it is laid of 27000 crystal pendants and weighs about 1 ton. The first Russian operas were staged here. The 1st season of the theatre was opened with Glinka’s “Ivan Susanin”. Mariinsky theatre has got two companies: 1st - opera, 2nd – ballet. The most famous ballets are “The swan lake”, “Nut-cracker”, “The fountain of Bakhchisaray”, “Giselle”, “Spartak”. The famous operas are “Havanshina”, “Traviada”, “Boris Godunov”, “Aida”. Nowadays actors often shock visitors because they sing in German and French languages (with Russian subtitles). The chief-conductor is Gergiev, the chief ballet choreographer is Nadiev. The theater was known as the Mariinsky in honor of (after) Mari, wife of Alexander II. It was renamed after Sergey Kirov (party leader) in 1935. The theater is among the biggest and oldest theaters in Russia. The exact date of its foundation is not known. Musical performances were staged at the imperial court as early as 1730s. Later there was a Stone theater and later it was rebuilt into the Big St Petersburg Theater. At the time of Catherine the Great in 1783 an opera and ballet company was organized (set up). This theater (Big Theater) was located on the square where popular festivals were held with various amusements and a merry-go-round, hence the name (Площадь каруселей). The square was later renamed “Theater square”. The building has been replaced by what is now known as conservatoire. At first the theater staged both musical and dramatic performances. In 1836 the troupe was divided: drama went to what is now Pushkin, former Alexandrinsky theater; and opera was performed in the Big theater. In the middle of the 19th century an Italian opera company played in this theater while Russian musical performances were staged in the circus across the street. The wooden circus was destroyed by the fire in 1859. In October 1860 Albert Kavos completed a new building which was named Mariinsky. The auditorium seats 1760 people. It’s decorated with ceiling paintings and gilded stucco ornament, which goes well with a blue velvet upholstery of chairs. The chandelier is made of 27000 crystal pendants and weighs 700 kilos. The curtain was made after sketches by Alexander Golovin. For many years St Petersburg was both the administrative and the musical capital of Russia. Here the first Russian operas were staged back in the 18th century and the first Russian singers and conductors won recognition. The theater foreign hours now are invariably great success. It was on the 27 November 1836 when Glinka’s “Ivan Susanin” was performed, with which the first season of the theater was opened. The conservatoireThis is the country’s oldest music school (1862). The composer Anton Rubenshtein was its founder and its first manager. It wasn’t easy at all to prove to the conservatoire was founded on private donations and was initially housed in a private building on the Moyka embankment. Until 1860s it was simply a music school in spite of lack of support. The conservatoire soon became an important center of professional musical training. Among the graduates: Chaykovsky (“Sleeping Beauty”), Rimsky-Korsakov who wrote music for numerous operas (“Sadko”). He did much for the conservatoire when he was its manager. On the centenary of his birthday the conservatoire was given his name (1904). Among the graduates were also Shostakovich and Prokofiev. 2 monuments to Russian composers stand in the square near the conservatoire. They are in good harmony with architecture of the square. Small theater (of Musorgsky)
This building located in the square of arts was constructed in 1833 for a theater which like the square was called Mikhailovsky. When working on the project architect Alexander Brullov used the sketches of Karlo Rossi who had originally planned the ensemble of the entire square. In 1859 the building underwent considerable alterations under the direction of Albert Kavos. The theater was placed at the disposal of foreign visiting troupes. A French group acted permanently there. After 1917 the building was handed over to the new opera theater founded in 1918. We owe the planning of the square and the adjacent streets to Karlo Rossi who created many of the city’s ensembles. The surrounding edifices were built according to his sketches. PhilharmonicIt was built in 1838 for the assembly hall for Russian nobility (architect – Jaco). The St Petersburg’s philharmonic society was founded in 1802. The works of Glinka, Chaykovsky, Borodin, Rakhmaninov and others were first held there. During the 2nd World War Hitler said that Leningrad would fall on the 9 August 1942. On that very day the besieged city radiobroadcast over a nation the 17th symphony by Shostakovich who called his work “The Leningrad symphony”. Pushkinsky Drama TheaterOne of the buildings in Rossi street behind the theater houses a ballet school. 12 boys and 12 girls, children of servants employed at court, were the very firsts pupils of the school founded in 1783. The school quickly grew both in size and fame. The school bore a name of Agrefina Vaganova who taught there for 30 years. Children at the age of 10 are admitted. In addition to general instruction they have classes in choreography and music.czar the need to have a higher music school. No state subsidies were given, so
8 The spit of Basil IslandThe island is called Basil because this land owned to Russian merchant and his name was Vasiliy. It’s the eastern part of the largest island in the delta of Neva. From here right across the water, we can see the smallest island where the PPF stand.A few things from the history of Russia: these lands of the Gulf of Finland originally belonged to the Novgorodian principality, to the south of it were Russian lands since the 10th c.. But these lands were always an “apple of discord” because this was a part of a trade way from North to South. In the 17th c. Sweden succeeded in taking hold of these lands. A peace treaty was signed, according to this, lands were ceded to Sweden. This impeded Russian’s economic development and Peter the Great undertook the task to restore the old Russian land possession. The war came down to history as the Northern war; lasted for 21 years. In the very beginning of the 18th c. Peter the Great won a few important victories over Swedes, recovering this territory. Then he founded PPF to protect it.Architectural ensemble of Basil Island:In the 19th c. the architectural ensemble of point of B.I. was formed. The building with many columns was originally constructed for a stock exchange by the Swiss architect Toma DeTomon. Now there is the Central Naval museum here. They keep models of boats from the early 18th c. up to the modern one’s. The two buildings on either side of the stock exchange were built for warehouses. It housed different museums now.There are 8 museums on the point of B.I., and there are 110 museums and permanent exhibitions in SPb. Right from the beginning, B.I. was conceived by Peter the Greate to be scientific, administrative, cultural center of SPb, but in 18th c. there were no permanent bridges across Neva till the middle of the 18th c. and the administrative center was moved to the main land. Two tall red towers were lighthouses. They are called Rostral Columns from the latin word – “rostrum”, which is in English means prow. There was ancient Roman tradition to decorate their triumphal columns with prows of defeated ships. These are models of prows of ships. The bases of each column: there are allegorical figures, which represents 4 Russian rivers. Torch is lit by gaze on national holidays.
The University
There are over 350 scientific research institutes in SPb, and it’s not only important research centre but plays a significant part in training specialist. And here is the educational centre – the University. The dark-red building is one of the oldest in the city it was constructed in the 18th c. by Tresiny for the 12 Ministries of Peter the Great and only in 1819 the university moved here.
Nowadays there are 22 departments and several scientific-research centres of its own, which means that the students participate in fundamental research.
Every year 3600 students graduate from the university. High education is available for everyone, but to become a student of it one has to have a school certificate and pass entrance competitive exams successfully. One has to score high grades, and only then, he or she will be enrolled to the university.
Traditionally from the 19th c. they teach only humanities and science. Such subjects as medicine, art, music, engineering are not taught here. Now there are 42 higher educational establishments in SPb.
The academic year lasts from September to late June and they study for 5 years. During their last year they write a graduation paper and after the final exams they receive a diploma. And basically for the majority the education is still free from the 1st grade in school to the top grade at the University. However, now there are private schools and parents have to pay a lot. Besides such schools we also have colleges where a part of students pay for the education.
Mendeleev the creator of periodic element table studied and worked here too.
The U. occupies 18 buildings scattered all over the city but it’s not enough. There as also an U. Campus under construction in one of the suburbs of the city.
So, the building to the design of Quarengy accommodates the SPb scientific centre which was set up co-ordinate the work of research institutes and laboratories in the main directions of scientific and technological development. In this building, the Academy of Sciences was housed until 1934. Then it was moved to Moscow. The Academy of Sciences was founded in 1725 by Peter the Great and originally was accommodated in the Chamber of curiosities. The major directions of scientific and technology researches are shipbuilding, power research, new materials, optics, flexible manufacturing systems. They also develop highly effective semi-conductor convectors for solar energy. Shipbuilding is the oldest and traditional industry for SPb. We build nuclear power icebreakers, which are unique in the whole country as well as in the world. Never in the world any of ships could reach the Northern Pole by water. We do not build passenger ships we used to buy them. Fish processing floating factories, tug boats, container carriers are made here in SPb.
TheTreasureGallery The exhibition of jewelry introduces the visitor to the collection of works dating from the 3rd millenium BC to the early 20th century AD. The first and second rooms show works of primitive and ancient art. The exhibition includes three big hoards, from the Maikop barrow, Staromyshatovsky treasure and stanitsa Novosvobodnaya. The largest collection of objects made from precious metals comes from the Maikop barrow; its richness may be rivaled only by the famous Micenean burials in Greece. The third room contains Byzantine and post-Byzantine applied arts of the 6th-18th centuries and West European applied arts of the Middle Ages. The golden necklace with a medallion from the Mersinsky treasure dating from the second half of the 6th century is a unique Byzantine artifact. The agate bowl decorated with gems made in the unique Byzantine technique of striking wire into stone dating from the late 12th - early 13th centuries is remarkable among the Middle Byzantine things. One of outstanding artifacts in both the Hermitage collection and Gothic art as a whole is the Freiburg Cross (13th century). Another interesting medieval exhibit is the reliquary in the from of the figure of the dean St. Stephen (France, late 12th century), masterpiece in the collection of West European applied art. The Kunnersdorf Cross holds its place of honor in the section of Russian jewelry. It was made to commemorate the victory of the Russian Army by Frankfurt-an-der-Oder, one of the best known battles of the Seven Years' War (1756-1762). The fourth room introduces collections of rock crystal and stone vessels of European masters of the 16th and 17th centuries, fanciful pendants from pearls and precious stones of Renaissance masters and watches of the 17th century. Gifts of diplomats, luxury weapons and walking sticks once owned by members of the Imperial Family are showed apart. The fifth room shows the 18th-20th centuries jewelry. Most of the exhibits come from the Jewelry Gallery of the Winter Palace. The exhibition is chronological. Art of German goldsmiths is represented by statuettes, decorations and the unique toilet service of the Empress Anna Ioannovna made in the Augsburg atelier of Johann Ludwig Biller II (1730s). The collection of clocks and watches includes works of English, French and Swiss masters. Special section in the exhibition is given to the St. Petersburg jewelry school including works of Jean-Pierre Ador, Jean Jacques Duc, Duvals, the Theremin brothers and Keibels from the late 18th - early 19th centuries. The late 19th - early 20th centuries section shows works of Rene-Jules Lalique and the atelier of Carl Faberge whose name is associated with the new golden age of the St. Petersburg jewelry school. Faberge's models of the Imperial regalia won grand prix at the Paris International Exhibition of 1900.
Ансамбль Смольного. Исторические события и современность
Smolny is listed by The United Nations Organization as one of the most remarkable architectural ensembles in Europe. On the site of the complex there was a tar yard as it was a remote place. Tar was used for shipbuilding. The name was derived from Russian “smola” that in English means tar.
It was an Elizabeth idea to found a convent (nunnery) here. Elisabeth thought she would retire one day and would be mother-superior in this convent. But she died. Elizabeth summoned Rastrelli to build it. The construction of the nunnery was started in 1748. Unlike ancient Russian monasteries, this building was regular and symmetrical. Rastrelli created the edifice, which was admired by contemporaries and gave rise to a number of legends. One of them says that Giacomo Quarenghi, who later built Smolny Institute, used to take off his hat every time, he passed it. But Rastrelli didn’t finish the convent.
The nunnery came down to history as Catherine II favorite. In 1764 she turned it into a boarding school for girls of noble origin. The cathedral stood unfinished for 80 years. The style of Baroque, in which it was constructed, became out of fashion. The cathedral interiors were completed in the style of late Classicism in 1832-1835 by Stasov, who tried to adhere to the original design. And in 1835 it was consecrated as Resurrection Cathedral. It became the main cathedral of higher educational establishments in St. Petersburg. One time its premises were occupied both by widows dormitories and by school classes. The school was extremely popular. It was the only one of this kind and very good. Classes were basically in French, but they were taught other modern languages, chemistry, mathematics, physics etc. Girls received a good education, but they were also taught how to sing, dance and take care of the future household. After graduation they were not only very educated pretty girls but also they were very marriageable. They also were taught how to socialize and behave in the high society. They have balls, where they met young men and if a girl danced twice with one young man she was reprimand. So the extension was necessary. In the beginning of the 19th century Smolny Institute building was commissioned from Quarenghi. They say, that Quarenghi came to Rastrelli’s buildings to get a necessary inspiration. And after this he created the edifice as magnificent as Rastrelli’s one. He built it to the south of the Cathedral in Classical Style. But it’s still in harmony with the Baroque of Smolny Nunnery. So it took the collective genius of three architects to construct an architectural
ensemble, which is one of the finest in the world. But this complex is of historical interest not only as an architectural monument, but also as a major center of political activities. In 1917 after Nicolas II had signed abdication, there was the disturbance in the city. Because of it the girls left the school. The building stood vacant till August of 1917. Then Petrograd Soviet moved in it from Tauride palace. Smolny Institute became the Headquarter of the October uprising. In fact there was a military committee set up by the government to defend the city from the approaching German troops. But the Bolsheviks made it a revolutionary committee, which was responsible for the preparation of the October uprising. After the Winter Palace had been taken by storm and the provisional government was arrested the Second All Russia Congress was convened and Lenin proclaimed 3 decrees: on piece, land and power. Decree on land. From that time we have no private property on land. Land in our country is state monopoly. They promised peasants the land but land was never theirs. Decree on power. It materialized in the form of the first Soviet State. Soviets mean councils. The first soviets were strike committees, when workers of the textile industry delegated their best representatives to defend their rights. Those people were given the power, which they gradually began to use not for benefits of those who elected them. Decree of peace, which began entirely new policy that is peaceful coexistence with all other countries in the world regardless of their political systems. The popular slogan was “From everyone according to their possibilities to everyone according to their demands” Smolny Institute was a sit of the First Soviet Government till March 1918. Then it housed the Leningrad regional and city party committees. In 1985 Gorbachev officially proclaimed Perestroika here. The rooms where Lenin lived and worked during the Revolution can be viewed by appointment. Now it accommodates the City Executive authorities. All kinds of offices occupy the building. The cathedral is used as a concert and exhibition hall. The imperial eagle has replaced the hammer and sickle on the pediment, but the statue of Lenin outside has survived from 1927. On Friday admittance to the complex is free. On other days tours are also arranged, but you should book it advance. The buildings, surrounding the Smolny are all post war buildings. They were built at 50ths. There are office buildings, administrative buildings and government buildings. That is because the Nazy Germans bombed the area around Smolny and practically all buildings were destroyed.