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Church of the Savior on Blood
Храм Спаса на Крови
This Church was built on the site where Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory.
Church of the Savior on Blood is prominently situated along the Griboedov Canal. The embankment at that point runs along either side of a canal. On March 13, 1881 , as Alexander's carriage passed along the embankment, a grenade thrown by an anarchist conspirator exploded. Alexander II, shaken but unhurt, got out of the carriage and started to remonstrate with the presumed culprit. Another conspirator took the chance to explode another bomb, killing himself and mortally wounding the Alexander. The tsar, bleeding heavily, was taken back to the Winter Palace where he died a few hours late |
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Hermitage Museum
Эрмитаж
One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and open to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise nearly 3 million items,including the largest collection of paintings in the world. The collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace, a former residence of Russian emperors. Apart from them, the Menshikov Palace, Museum of Porcelain, Storage Facility at Staraya Derevnya and the eastern wing of the General Staff Building are also part of the museum. The museum has several exhibition centers abroad. The Hermitage is a federal state property. |
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| The church on St Isaac's Square was ordered by Alexander I, to replace an earlier Rinaldiesque structure. A specially appointed commission examined several designs, including that of the French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand, who had studied in the atelier of Napoleon's designer, Charles Percier. Monferrand's design was criticised by some members of the commission for the dry and allegedly boring rhythm of its four identical pedimented octastyle porticos. It was also suggested that despite gigantic dimensions, the edifice would look squat and not very impressive. The emperor, who favoured the ponderous Empire style of architecture, had to step in and solve the dispute in Monferrand's favour. |
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| The museum was established on April 13, 1895, upon enthronement of Nicholas II to commemorate his father, Alexander III. Its original collection was composed of artworks taken from the Hermitage Museum, Alexander Palace, and the Imperial Academy of Arts. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, many private collections were nationalized and relocated to the Russian Museum. These included Kazimir Malevich's Black Square. |
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Field of Mars
Марсово Поле
The Field of Mars is a large park named after the Mars - Roman god of war situated in the center of Saint-Petersburg, with an area of about 9 hectares. Bordering the Field of Mars to the north are the Marble Palace (Мраморный Дворец), Suvorova Square and Betskoi’s and Saltykov’s houses. To the west are the Barraks of the Pavlovsky Regiment. The Moyka river forms the boundary to the south. |
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Russian cruiser Aurora
Крейсер Аврора
Aurora is a Russian protected cruiser, currently preserved as a museum ship in St. Petersburg. She battled the Japanese Navy in the Russo-Japanese War. One of the first incidents of the Communist Revolution in Russia happened on the cruiser Aurora. |
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Банковский мост
Bank Bridge is a 25-meter-long pedestrian bridge crossing the Griboedov Canal near the former Assignation Bank in Saint Petersburg. Like other bridges across the canal, the existing structure dates from 1826. The bridge engineer was Wilhelm von Traitteur, who conceived of a pedestrian separation structure suspended by cables. He was an engineer who also built other bridges over the Griboyedov Canal, Fontanka and Moika. |
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