The Fault in Our Czars

Trips
Written By Patrick Mitchell

It’s still weird—after all that has happened since, as well as what we knew before—to imagine going to Russia. But we did. Growing up during the Cold War, I still associate Russia with all of the civil defense drills we had to do in school. And now Putin. St. Petersburg is a beautiful city and I would go again, but make no mistake, there is a slightly creepy and threatening vibe everywhere you go.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

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Above: The Church of the Resurrection, also known as the “Savior on Spilled Blood,” was built in memory of Alexander II who was assassinated in 1881. The church stands in the very place where a bomb was thrown into his carriage by a young man who opposed the Tsar’s reforms.

 
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Peterhof Palace

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Above, Peterhof Palace, a series of palaces and gardens in Saint Petersburg commissioned by Peter the Great. It was inspired by his envy of Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles in France.

 
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The Hermitage

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Above, the Winter Palace served as the official residence of the House of Romanov (yep, the same ones in Anastasia who met a bad ending) from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its neighboring buildings now house the Hermitage Museum.

 

St. Petersburg Misc.

Saint Isaac’s Cathedral The biggest cathedral in Saint Petersburg and the fourth largest dome church in the world after Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London, and Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. The cathedral’s dome is…

Saint Isaac’s Cathedral

Trinity Bridge This Art Nouveau structure (above and below) crosses the Neva River. It was completed in 1903.

Trinity Bridge

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The Admiralty Tower Seen from the Alexander Gardens, it is the focal point of St Petersburg’s city center. It was formerly the headquarters of the Admiralty Board and the Imperial Russian Navy and the current headquarters of the Russian Navy.

The Admiralty Tower

Winter Canal This canal connects the Neva and Moika Rivers near the Winter Palace.

Winter Canal

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral The first cathedral in Saint Petersburg, tsar Peter the Great chose the place for it himself. He wanted that its bell tower is higher than Bell Tower of Ivan the Great in Moscow. That’s why until today, a golden towe…

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral

St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral A major Baroque Orthodox cathedral in the western part of Central Saint Petersburg. It has always been closely associated with the Russian Navy, serving as its main shrine until the Russian Revolution.

St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral

A little Russian fender-bender.

A little Russian fender-bender.

Patrick Mitchell www.modusop.net
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