Palace square
Palace Square is the central square of St Petersburg, it is considered to be the heart of St Petersburg. It is one of the world's most interesting architectural ensembles. The square owes its name to the Winter Palace, the former official winter residence of Russian tsars from 1762 to 1917.
It took the square about a hundred years to acquire its present-day appearance. The Winter Palace is the oldest building here: it was built in 1754-1762 to a design by the architect Rastrelli in Russian Baroque style. It was St Petersburg's largest and most attractive building. For a very long time it remained the tallest building, too, and in 1844 a law was issued by which no private house could be higher than the Winter Palace. This stipulation was valid right up till 1905.
The decoration of the palace is very typically Baroque. Each facade of the palace is different and has its own character. The northern facade which faces the Neva has more serene (спокойный) lines, while the main, southern facade which looks onto Palace Square is abundant in ornamentation. 176 sculptures decorate the roof of the palace. The height of the Winter Palace is 22-23m, the width is 160m, and the length stretching the embankment is 200m. There are 1057rooms. It was even estimated: that to overnight in every room one should stay there for three years. The Winter Palace is now part of the Hermitage. The Hermitage museum was founded in 1764 as a court museum. It was not until the second half of the 19th century that it was opened as a public museum. Today’s collection is equal to more than 3mln. exhibits, and about 3,5 mln. people visit the Hermitage every year.
The crescent-shaped (имеющее форму полумесяца, дуги) Classical yellow building opposite the Winter Palace is the former General Headquarters of the Russian Army (Rossi, 1829). They say the building has the longest facade in Europe (about 580 m long). It is actually a combination of two buildings joined by an enormous arch. The arch, decorated with martial symbols and a Roman chariot of glory, was meant as a memorial of Russia's victory over Napoleon in the Russian-French War of 1812. The arch is about 28 metres high; the horses are 3 metres high; the whole sculptural group is more than 15 metres wide at the front.
The General Headquarters building has now been given over to the Hermitage; when the restoration is over, part of the Hermitage collection will be displayed there.
The triumphal Alexander Column in the centre of the square was put up in 1834 to commemorate the same victory over Napoleon. The column was named in honor of Alexander I, the Russian tsar during whose reign Russia won its victory over Napoleon. The column was designed by architect Montferrand. It is the highest solid piece of granite in the world. Its height is 47.5 metres; it weighs 600 tons. It rests on its base without any support devices, just because of its weight. The angel on top of the column was a symbol of peace; it is said to bear portrait likeness to Alexander I.
The ensemble of Palace Square is completed by the rather modest Classical building of the former Royal Guards Headquarters built towards the middle of the 19th century (Bryullov, 1840).
Palace Square has witnessed many significant events of the history of Russia. The events of the so-called Bloody Sunday of January 9, 1905, which triggered the First Russian Revolution, took place in this square (a peaceful procession of people was shot in front of the Winter Palace). Then, after the tsar had abdicated as a result of the Second Revolution of February 1917, the Winter Palace became the seat of the Provisional Government. In October 1917 when the Third, Bolshevik Revolution started in the city, workers and soldiers stormed the Winter Palace (its main facade which faces Palace Square) to arrest the Provisional Government.
Nowadays Palace Square is still a popular place for all kinds of meetings, demonstrations and festivals.
Now we are approaching the main water-way in the city, the Neva River. It is 74 km (50miles) long (over 30 km within the city limits), flows from the Ladoga Lake and empties into the Gulf of Finland.
The widest part of the Neva is at the gate of the commercial port (1250 m); the narrowest part (340 m) is between Palace and Lieutenant Schmidt Bridges. The deepest part is 24 m deep; the shallowest part is less than 6 m. The biggest islands of the delta of the Neva are Vasilievsky (1090 hectars), Petrogradsky (570 hectars) and Krestovsky (420 hectars).
The Neva freezes in the winter time; the normal date of freezing is November, 25 or December, 5.
Peter I conceived the Neva as the main thoroughfare of the city, and the part of the river at the point of Vasilievsky Island was regarded as the city’s main square. The city was built simultaneously on both banks of the river and is the only European city with a big river where the river was originally included in the whole architectural ensemble.
So we are crossing the Neva River. The bridge across it is called Palace Bridge due to the nearby Winter Palace. It was built in 1910. And it is one of 21 draw bridges across the Neva River. At night it is open at 1.25 a.m. in its central section. It is a symbol of our city, too.
Now we are on the largest island in the city, Vasilievsky, and we are having our first photo stop here.
You will have 5-10minutes at your disposal. Please be careful while stepping the grounds, watch your steps, please don’t forget about pickpockets, as St Petersburg is like any other big cities full of front and shadow sites.