Tag: mysaint_p
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Due to the unique geology of Saint Petersburg the city's metro system is the deepest by the average depth in the world. It's deepest station is 86 meters below ground. Its 5 lines and 67 stations serve more that two million passengers daily. Did you know that metro coins is still an valid way to access the metro? Well, that was my souvenir from the city
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Saint Petersburg is the second most populous city in Russia and the fourth in Europe behind Instabul, Moscow and London. During the 20th century the city experienced some serious depopulations. From more that 2.4 millions citizens in 1916 the population dropped to less than 750 thousand as the minorities of Germans, Poles, Finns, Estonians and Latvians were transfered away from the city during the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War. Between 1941 and 1943 the population dropped from 3 million people to only 600 thousand as people died in battles, starved to death or evacuated during the Siege of Leningrad. In the 50s the population reached to more than five million to drop again in the 90s as almost half a million people moved to suburban areas after the fall of the Soviet Union. Today the population within city limits is 5.3 million people.
Church of the Savior on Blood
Emperor Alexander the Second, after his disastrous defeat in the Crimea war against Britain, France and Turkey initiated a number of radical reforms groundbreaking for the Russia at the time. His dedication on the reforms, created many enemies while the attempts against his life were numerous. Alexander II among other attacks, he survived from an explosion in the winter palace and a derailment of a train. One day his royal carriage passing near the Griboedov Canal was under attack. A grenade thrown by a revolutionary exploded and destroyed his carriage but left the Emperor unharmed. Then a second attacker threw another bomb that fatally hurt the Emperor. At the site of the attack where he was mortally wounded, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood was raised as a memorial to him .
Neva River
The river that flows through Saint Petersburg is called Neva River. It's the forth largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge. It has a length of 74 kilometers and it is the only river that flows from the largest lake in Europe, the lake Ladoga. Since the founding of the city, more than three hundred times the Neva River flooded Saint Petersburg, with three floods being catastrophic and leading to numerous casualties.
VKontakte
In 1904 the American sewing machine company Singer built a six story art nouveau building to host its Russian headquarters. The building is crowned with a glass tower topped by a glass globe sculpture that creates an impression that the building is higher than what it actually is. During the first world war, the US embassy was hosted there, but right after the Russian revolution the building turned into the city's largest bookstore. Later the success of the bookstore made this beautiful building to became also known as the House of Books. Today the Singer House is the home of several businesses including the headquarters of VKontakte, the biggest social network of Russian speaking countries.
Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 the commander in chief General Mikhail Kutuzov, asked for help from Our Lady of Kazan (the mother of God according to the Russian orthodox religion). After Russian defeated the army of Napoleon, the Russians recognizing the divine help renamed the majestic church on the Nevsky Prospekt to Kazan Cathedral which became known as the Cathedral of Our Lady from Kazan. The war hero, General Kutuzov was buried in this church in 1813. The impressive cathedral of 69 meters height was built in 1801 and its construction took 10 years.
Nevsky Prospect
The main street of Saint Petersburg is Nevsky Prospekt. Peter the Great, the founder of the city, designated this road to be the way to Moscow and Novgorod. The most iconic sights of the city can be found on this historic avenue including the Singer house, many 18th century churches, the Russian national library, the Anichkov Bridge amd the Great Costiny Dvor, an enormous shopping center one of the oldest in the world. Nevsky Prospekt is the heart of the social life of the city as the majority of shopping and nightlife take place there.
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Saint Petersburg has been renamed three times since Tsar Peter the Great founded the city on 27th of May in 1703. In 1914 the name of the city changed to Petrograd after the outbreak of the first world war to remove the German references in the name. In 1924 the name changed to Leningrad after the death of Vladimir Lenin to honor the memory of the soviet leader. In 1991 after the dismantle of the soviet union, the city authorities held a referendum regarding the name of the city. The question was "Do you want to restore to our city its original name, St. Petersburg?". 55 percent of the voters voted yes and for one more time the city changed its name.
