🪢 Russia
Day1
MOSCOW
Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents within the city limits,over 19.1 million residents in the urban area,and over 21.5 million residents in its metropolitan area.The city covers an area of 2,511 square kilometers (970 mi2), while the urban area covers 5,891 square kilometers (2,275 mi2), and the metropolitan area covers over 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 mi2).Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe,and the largest city by land area on the European continent.
EVERYONE
LOOKS GLOOMY
IN MOSCOW
The city's name is thought to be derived from the Moskva River.Theories of the origin of the name of the river have been proposed.
The most linguistically well-grounded and widely accepted is from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *mŭzg-/muzg- from the Proto-Indo-European *meu-"wet", so the name Moskvamight signify a river at a wetland or marsh.Its cognates include Russian: музга, muzga "pool, puddle", Lithuanian: mazgoti and Latvian: mazgāt"to wash", Sanskrit: májjati "to drown", Latin: mergō "to dip, immerse",Prekmurian müzga "marsh, swamp."In many Slavic countries Moskov is a surname, most common in Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and North Macedonia. Additionally, there are similarly named places in Poland like Mozgawa.
Saint Basil's Cathedral
The original building, known as Trinity Church and later Trinity Cathedral, contained eight chapels arranged around a ninth, central chapel dedicated to the Intercession; a tenth chapel was erected in 1588 over the grave of the venerated local saint Vasily (Basil). In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was perceived as the earthly symbol of the Heavenly City. Like all churches in Byzantine Christianity, the church was popularly known as the "Jerusalem" and served as an allegory of the Jerusalem Temple in the annual Palm Sunday parade attended by the patriarch of Moscow and the tsar of all Russia.
Architectural style
contemporary Greek and Italian culture. Shvidkovsky noted the resemblance of the cathedral's floorplan to Italian concepts by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and Donato Bramante, but most likely Filarete's Trattato di architettura. Other Russian researchers noted a resemblance to sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, although he could not have been known in Ivan's Moscow.Nikolay Brunov recognized the influence of these prototypes but not their significance; he suggested that mid-16th century Moscow already had local architects trained in Italian tradition, architectural drawing and perspective, and that this culture was lost during the Time of Troubles.
Andrey Batalov wrote that judging by the number of novel elements introduced with Trinity Church, it was most likely built by German craftsmen.[27] Batalov and Shvidkovsky noted that during Ivan's reign, Germans and Englishmen replaced Italians, although German influence peaked later during the reign of Mikhail Romanov.[27]German influence is indirectly supported by the rusticated pilasters of the central church, a feature more common in contemporary Northern Europe than in Italy.
The 1983 academic edition of Monuments of Architecture in Moscow takes the middle ground: the church is, most likely, a product of the complex interaction of distinct Russian traditions of wooden and stone architecture, with some elements borrowed from the works of Italians in Moscow. Specifically, the style of brickwork in the vaults is Italian.
Structure
The foundations, as was traditional in medieval Moscow, were built of white stone, while the churches themselves were built of red brick (28 by 14 by 8 cm (11.0 by 5.5 by 3.1 in)), then a relatively new material (the first attested brick building in Moscow, the new Kremlin Wall, was started in 1485).Surveys of the structure show that the basement level is perfectly aligned, indicating use of professional drawing and measurement, but each subsequent level becomes less and less regular.Restorers who replaced parts of the brickwork in 1954–1955 discovered that the massive brick walls conceal an internal wooden frame running the entire height of the church. This frame, made of elaborately tied thin studs, was erected as a life-size spatial model of the future cathedral and was then gradually enclosed in solid masonry.
The builders, fascinated by the flexibility of the new technology,used red bricks as a decorative medium both inside and out, leaving as much brickwork open as possible; when location required the use of stone walls, it was decorated with a brickwork pattern painted over stucco. A major novelty introduced by the church was the use of strictly "architectural" means of exterior decoration.Sculpture and sacred symbols employed by earlier Russian architecture are completely missing; floral ornaments are a later addition.Instead, the church boasts a diversity of three-dimensional architectural elements executed in brick.
The church acquired its present-day vivid colours in several stages from the 1680sto 1848. Russian attitude towards colour in the 17th century changed in favour of bright colours; iconographic and mural art experienced an explosive growth in the number of available paints, dyes and their combinations.The original colour scheme, missing these innovations, was far less challenging. It followed the depiction of the Heavenly City in the Book of Revelation:
Layout
Although the side churches are arranged in perfect symmetry, the cathedral as a whole is not. The larger central church was deliberatelyoffset to the west from the geometric centre of the side churches, to accommodate its larger apse on the eastern side. As a result of this subtle calculated asymmetry, viewing from the north and the south presents a complex multi-axial shape, while the western façade, facing the Kremlin, appears properly symmetrical and monolithic.The latter perception is reinforced by the fortress-style machicolation and corbeled cornice of the western Church of Entry into Jerusalem, mirroring the real fortifications of the Kremlin.
State Historical Museum
Государственный исторический музей, ГИМ
The place where the museum now stands was formerly occupied by the Principal Medicine Store, built by order of Peter the Great in the Moscow Baroque style.
The museum was founded in 1872 by Ivan Zabelin, Aleksey Uvarov and several other Slavophiles interested in promoting Russian history and national self-awareness. The board of trustees, composed of Sergey Solovyov, Vasily Klyuchevsky, Uvarov, and other leading historians, presided over the construction of the museum building. After a prolonged competition, the project was handed over to Vladimir Osipovich Shervud (or Sherwood, 1833–97). The present structure was built based on Sherwood's neo-Russian design between 1875 and 1881. The first 11 exhibit halls officially opened in 1883 during a visit from the tsar and his wife.[2] Then in 1894, Tsar Alexander III became the honorary president of the museum and the following year, 1895, the museum was renamed the Tsar Alexander III Imperial Russian History Museum.[3] Its interiors were intricately decorated in the Russian Revival style by such artists as Viktor Vasnetsov, Henryk Siemiradzki, and Ivan Aivazovsky. During the Soviet period, the murals were proclaimed gaudy and were plastered over.
Spasskaya Tower
The construction of the Spasskaya Tower was commissioned by Grand Prince Ivan III the Great. It was built in 1491 by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. Initially, it was named the Frolovskaya Tower after the Church of Frol and Lavr in the Kremlin, which is no longer there. In 1508, a wooden drawbridge connected the tower to a guardhouse after the Aleviz Ditch and a moat was built, later replaced with an arched stone bridge.The Spasskaya Tower was the first tower of the many Moscow Kremlin towers to be crowned with the hipped roof in 1624–1625 by architects Bazhen Ogurtsov and Christopher Galloway.According to a number of historical accounts, the clock on the Spasskaya Tower appeared between 1491 and 1585. It is usually referred to as the Kremlin chimes (Кремлёвские куранты) and officially designates Moscow Time. The clock face has a diameter of 6 metres (20 ft).The gate of Spasskaya Tower was used to greet foreign dignitaries, and was also used during formal ceremonies or processions held on Red Square.
Kiyevskaya Metro Station
Between Soviet Classic and French Art Nouveau
The Kievskaya Station of the Moscow Metro is a Russian cultural heritage site of regional importance
Kievskaya, one of the oldest and most beautiful metro stations in Moscow, might be considered a mirror reflecting Russian history and culture from the 1930s to the present day. The station — or rather, the three combined stations on the Filyovskaya, Arbatsko-Pokrovska, and Koltsevaya lines — combines the work of leading architects and artists and various styles of art and construction, and reveals transformations in Russia’s political life.
Its history goes back to the Soviet times, when politics was the beginning of almost everything, and Kievskaya was no exception. The first station with such name was opened in November 1936, on Filyovskaya line, between Smolenskaya and Kievskaya stations. The completion of its construction was timed to coincide with the opening of the 7th Extraordinary Congress of Soviets of People’s Deputies, which adopted the new Constitution of the USSR. The Kievskaya station was to become one of the symbols of Soviet power’s inviolability in the country.
Both vestibule and underground hall were engineered by Dmitry Chechulin. The station’s decor is inspired by the motifs of ancient Roman monuments he saw in Italy. Round light marble columns, capitals decorated with ears of wheat, and ceramic wall lining made Kievskaya a paragon of Little Italy in Moscow. The station was opened for passengers on March 20, 1937.
Almost two decades later, on April 5, 1953, one more station of the same name was put into operation as part of the section from Ploshchad Revolyutsii to Kievskaya on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line. It was the 38th station of the Moscow Metro. Being one of the deepest stations in Moscow, Kievskaya is decorated with a great number of picturesque canvases and frescoes that tell about life in Soviet Ukraine and Russian-Ukrainian friendship. This underground museum was created by the best artists of that time. Among the authors of the paintings are Viktor Konovalov, whom the great Igor Grabar himself called Russian Tiepolo; his wife Tatyana Konovalova-Kovrigina, whose art was highly praised by Alexander Rodchenko; Igor Radoman, a pupil of Vladimir Favorsky and Alexander Deineka; and many other famous artists.
One of the station's entrances is topped by a reproduction of an Art NouveauParis Metro entrance by Hector Guimard, given by the Régie autonome des transports parisiens in 2006 in exchange for an artwork by Russian artist Ivan Lubennikov installed at Madeleine station in Paris.
The Thaw at Kievskaya
Each period of the country’s history had its own Kievskaya. In 1953, the USSR was led by the former leader of Ukraine Nikita Khrushchev. He wanted one of the Moscow Metro stations to be named after Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. As he was not content with the already existing ones, he decided to give this name to a new station on the Koltsevaya line. The times had changed, and the so-called Khrushchev Thaw was coming, so the contest for the best project of the new Moscow Metro station was announced. A group of Kyiv’s architects led by Eugene Katonin won against four dozen contenders.
Katonin was a unique architect. He got his education in pre-revolutionary Russia, and his teacher at the Imperial Academy of Arts was the great Russian architect Leontius Benoit. Before the war, Katonin worked on the restoration of the Winter Palace, the Kunstkammer, and the Stock Exchange in Leningrad. He also won the competition to perpetuate the place of the Pushkin duel. His post-war projects include the Victory Park in Moscow and the Arts Square in Leningrad. Since 1948, Evgeny Katonin lived and worked in Kiev. It is not surprising that a group of architects led by him won the competition for the construction of Kievskaya on the Koltsevaya Line. Vadim Skugarev, then a young Ukrainian architect who later became a recognized artist, worked together with Katonin. Apart from them, Kievskaya was also designed by the famous Ukrainian artist Alexander Myzin.
Vozdvizhenka Street
Voentorg became a symbol of the dramatic changes in Russia’s history in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Back in the 13-14th century the street was known as “Volotsk road”, part of a trade route connecting Moscow and Veliky Novgorod. In the 17th century, Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree giving the place a new name, Smolenskaya Street. This name, however, did not last long — the Muscovites soon started to call the street after the local Krestovozdvizhensky Monastery (“the Holy Cross Monastery”).
Troitskaya Tower
Amusement Palace
The Amusement Palace is located at the Kremlin’s western wall. It is situated between the Commandant and Trinity Towers. It was built in 1652 for Ilya Miloslavsky, who was the father-in-law of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. After the death of Miloslavsky, the palace went to the state. It was then used as a theatre. In the theatre, performances were staged to amuse the family of the tsar and his court. Hence, it got the name the Amusement Palace.
On top of the gates of Spasskaya Tower, there appears the following inscription (it is inscribed in Latin):
In Latin: IOANNES VASILII DEI GRATIA MAGNUS DUX VOLODIMERIÆ, MOSCOVIÆ, NOVOGARDIÆ, TFERIÆ, PLESCOVIÆ, VETICIÆ, ONGARIÆ, PERMIÆ, BUOLGARIÆ ET ALIAS TOTIUSQUE RAXIE DOMINUS, ANNO 30 IMPERII SUI HAS TURRES CONDERE FECIT ET STATUIT PETRUS ANTONIUS SOLARIUS MEDIOLANENSIS ANNO NATIVIT ATIS DOMINI 1491 KALENDIS MARTIIS IUSSIT PONERE.
In English: Ioann Vasiliyevich, by God's grace, Great Prince of Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, Vyatka, Ugorsk, Perm, Bulgaria and others, and Ruler of all Russia, ordered this tower to be built in Year 30 of his reign, and Pietro Antoni Solari the Milanese made it in the Year 1491 since the Incarnation of Our Lord.
Cathedral Square or Sobornaya Square The square owes its name to the three cathedrals facing it – Cathedral of the Dormition, Cathedral of the Archangel, and Cathedral of the Annunciation. Apart from these, the Palace of Facets, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe and the Church of the Twelve Apostles are placed there. The tallest structure on the square (and formerly in all of Russia) is Ivan the Great Bell Tower,which also separates Sobornaya Square from Ivanovskaya Square.
Cathedral Square is famous as the site of solemn coronation and funeral processions of all the Russian tsars, patriarchs, and Grand Dukes of Moscow. Even today, the square is used in the inauguration ceremony of the President of Russia.
The Moscow Kremlin, where the square is located, is a closed object for archaeologists because the state authorities are located there. The Kremlin cannot be called a sufficiently studied monument: before the revolution, no one was engaged in archaeological excavations because the territory was built up and monasteries were in operation. After the Revolution, the Kremlin continued to be a closed territory. The main source of archaeological materials was not excavations with the full opening of ancient structures, but observations and fixation of the cultural layer during economic and engineering works.
Cathedral of the Archangel
Inside, the church decoration is dominated by its fresco painting. The huge iconostasisdates from 1547, but its two highest tiers are later additions from 1626 and 1653/1654 under Patriarch Nikon. In addition to its liturgical function, the iconostasis also served as a sort of trophy wall, in that Russian Tsars would add the most important icons from cities they had conquered to their collection. One of the oldest, icons with the bust of Saint George dates from the 12th century and was transferred to Moscow by Tsar Ivan IV on the conquest of the city of Veliky Novgorod in 1561.
However, one of the most important icons of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Theotokos of Vladimir kept at the cathedral from 1395 to 1919, is now at the Tretyakov Gallery.
Day2
Station halls
The escalator hall is a tent room with a semicircular aisle, which houses the upper end of the escalator tunnel. The white dome of the hall is crossed by frequent narrow low nervures. At the top of the dome there is a stucco Rosette with a star, and along the dome drum there is a wide frieze with a ceremonial ornament.
Novoslobodskaya
Evolution of the design
After Shchusev's death, the station was completed by Viktor Kokorin, A. Zabolotnaya, V. Varvarin and O. Velikoretsky and Pavel Korin, the creator of the mosaics.
Market with wonderful architecture.
Izmailovsky Market
The Izmailovsky Market is inside the walls of the Izmailovo Kremlin. Fairy tale like, I’m convinced this is what a Russian Disney castle would look like! Not surprising, because the design was in fact inspired by Russian fairy tales and it was built as a wedding complex, complete with a wedding palace. The huge, and I mean huge, open-air bazaar is filled with organized stalls of vendors with a garage-sale like feel.
Izmailovo Kremlin
T
Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line
In 1938 the branch was split into a separate line, and a 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) stretch connecting Alexander Garden and the Kursky railway stationopened. Despite the outbreak of World War II, the construction of the metro continued, and in 1944 three stations of the Pokrovsky radius were completed.
The eastern part of the line was extended three times, one extension being to the Pervomayskaya temporary station inside a newly opened depot. It was replaced in 1961 by the Izmaylovsky Park, Izmaylovskaya and the Pervomayskaya stations. These three stations demonstrated a change of design priorities was straying away from Stalinist architecture to the new minimalism centipede designs supported under Nikita Khrushchev's leadership. The line reached its present eastern terminus in 1963 with an extension to Shchyolkovskaya.
This image displays an ornate mosaic found within the Kiyevskaya metro station in Moscow, Russia. The mosaic is a monument to the Soviet era, depicting a scene related to the production of the newspaper "Leninskaya Iskra" (Lenin's Spark).
The mosaic is one of many panels celebrating the theme of Russian-Ukrainian unity.
Elektrozavodskaya (Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line)
Saint Petersburg
Ца́рское Село́
Tsarskoye Selo
Екатерининский дворец
Catherine Palace
The Main Staircase was replaced by state and private rooms such as the Chinese Room, decorated with Charles Cameron designs, and a new staircase built in the center where the Chinese Room had stood. Cameron's 1780s interior designs included the Arabesque Room with arabesque painted ceiling, walls, and doors, while Greek and Roman classical motifs were used on the wall vertical panels. Cameron's Lyons Room used French golden-yellow silk on the walls, while the doors, stoves and panels used Lake Baikal lapis lazuli. The empress' bedroom used Wedgwood jasper bas-reliefs designed by John Flaxmanand George Stubbs. The Blue Room, or "Snuff-box", incorporated white and bright blue glass on the walls. Giacomo Quarenghi designed the Mirror and Silver Rooms in 1789, while Rastrelli's hanging gardens were pulled down in 1773.
Vasily Neyolov's 1768 master plan for Tsarskoye Selo was elaborated in 1771 by Johann Busch and implemented. Antonio Rinaldi added the Chesme Column, Morea Column, and the Kagul Obelisk to commemorate the victorious Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). Neyolov's Gothic monuments included the Admiralty, the Hermitage Kitchen and Red (Turkish) Cascade, and his Chinese motifs included the Creaking Pagoda and the Great Caprice.
Neyolov's Early Classicism monuments included the Upper and Lower Baths. Neyolov built the Opera House in 1778–79. In the 1780s, Cameron added the Thermae as part of Catherine the Great's "Greek-Roman rhapsody", and started building the Chinese Village. Quarenghi added a music pavilion and Ceres temple to an Upper Pond island. His Kitchen Ruin folly was added next to the Concert Hall. Neyolov's Babolovo Palace was added by 1785, and in the 1790s, Quarenghi built the Alexander Palace. In 1809, Luigi Rusca built the Granite Terrace. In 1817, Stasov built the Triumphal Arch commemorating the Russian repulsion of the French invasion of Russia. From 1851 to 1852, Monighetti added the Turkish Bath.
Layout
Although Stasov's and Cameron's Neoclassical interiors are manifestations of late 18th-century and early 19th-century taste, the palace is best known for Rastrelli's grand suite of formal rooms known as the Golden Enfilade. It starts at the spacious airy ballroom, the "Grand Hall" or the "Hall of Lights", with a spectacular painted ceiling, and comprises numerous distinctively decorated smaller rooms, including the recreated Amber Room.
The Great Hall, or Light Gallery, as it was called in the 18th century, is a formal apartment in the Russian baroque style designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli between 1752 and 1756.[4] The Great Hall was intended for more important receptions such as balls, formal dinners, and masquerades. The hall was painted in two colors and covers an area of of approximately 1,000 square meters.
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| The Ballroom |
Beyond the Great Hall is the Courtiers-in-Attendance Dining Room. The room was designed by Rastrelli in the mid-18th century. The small room is lit by four windows which look out into the formal courtyard. The architect placed false windows with mirrors and mirrored glass on the opposite wall, making the hall more spacious and bright. Decorated in the typical Baroque interior style, the hall is filled with gilded wall-carvings, complex gilded pieces on the doors, and ornamental patterns of stylized flowers. The ceiling mural was painted by a well-known student of the Russian School from the mid-18th century. It is based on the Greek myth of the sun god Helios and the goddess of the dawn, Eos.
Across from the Courtiers-in-Attendance Dining Room, on the other side of the Main Staircase, is the White Formal Dining Room. The hall was used for the empresses' formal dinners or "evening meals". The walls of the dining hall were decorated with the utmost extravagance with gilded carvings. The furnishings consist of gilded carvings on the consoles. Some of the furniture which can be seen in the room today is original whilst other pieces are reproductions.[5] The painted mural, The Triumph of Apollo, is a copy of a painting completed in the 16th century by Italian artist Guido Reni.
Other interiors by Cameron include the Waiters' Room, with an inlaid floor of rosewood, amaranth and mahogany and stylish Chippendale card tables; the Blue Formal Dining-Room, with white-and-blue silk wallpaper and Carrara marble chimneys; the Chinese Blue Drawing Room, a curious combination of Adam style with Chinoiserie; the Choir Anteroom, with walls lined in apricot-colored silk; and the columned boudoir of Alexander I, executed in the Pompeian style.
Amber Room
The Amber Room was intended in 1701 for the Charlottenburg Palace, in Berlin, Prussia, but was eventually installed at the Berlin City Palace. It was designed by German baroque sculptor Andreas Schlüter and Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram. Schlüter and Wolfram worked on the room until 1707, when work was continued by amber masters Gottfried Turau and Ernst Schacht from Danzig (Gdańsk).
The Amber Room is a priceless piece of art, with extraordinary architectural features, such as gilding, carvings, 450 kg (990 lb) of amber panels, gold leaf, gemstones, and mirrors, all highlighted with candle light.Additional architectural and design features include statues of angels and children.
Because of its unique features and singular beauty, the original Amber Room was sometimes dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Modern estimates of the room's value range from $142 million (2007)[5] to over $500 million (2016).
The Green Dining Room marks the beginning of the private apartments in the northern part of the palace that were created in the 1770s on the orders of Catherine II for her son, Grand Duke Paul (the future Paul I) and his first wife Natalia Alexeyevna.
These rooms appeared in place of a hanging garden – a huge terrace constructed by Rastrelli. One of the end walls of that “open-air hall” was the façade of the palace church; instead of an elaborate parquet floor it had Baroque flowerbeds and its furniture consisted of stone benches set up in the shade of fruit trees. In time, however, the garden became a source of damp in the palace and in 1773, on the Empress’s orders, the architect Vasily Neyelov (1722–1782) constructed “Their Highnesses’ Apartment” instead of it.
The interior decoration of the new rooms was carried out in 1779 by Charles Cameron. By that time the apartment was occupied by the future Paul I’s second wife, Grand Duchess Maria Fiodorovna.
In 1820 a serious fire broke out in the palace church and badly affected the rooms that Cameron had created. On the orders of Emperor Alexander I a commission headed by the architect Vasily Stasov was created to repair the burnt part of the building on the basis of surviving fragments of décor and Cameron’s own designs. The Green Drawing Room was restored to its previous appearance.
During the Second World War Cameron’s halls were looted and partially destroyed. In 1957 it was with these halls that restoration work began in the Catherine Palace to a plan devised by Alexander Kedrinsky.
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| Emperor Nicholas II |
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| Empress Alexandra Feodorovna |
DAY4
The State Hermitage Museum (Russian: Государственный Эрмитаж, romanized:Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, IPA: [ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ]) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the largest collection of paintings in the world. It was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired a collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, Saint Catherine's Day. It has been open to the public since 1852. The Art Newspaperranked the museum 10th in their list of the most visited art museums, with 2,812,913 visitors in 2022.
Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise over three million items (the numismaticcollection accounting for about one-third of them).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. Since July 1992, the director of the museum has been Mikhail Piotrovsky.
Of the six buildings in the main museum complex, five—namely the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and Hermitage Theatre—are all open to the public. The entrance ticket for foreign tourists costs more than the fee paid by citizens of Russia and Belarus. However, entrance is free of charge the third Thursday of every month for all visitors, and free daily for students and children. The museum is closed on Mondays. The entrance for individual visitors is located in the Winter Palace, accessible from the Courtyard.
Name
A hermitage is the dwelling of a hermitor recluse, who lives in isolation from society. Originally, the "Hermitage" of the Winter Palace referred the Palace's private apartments -- so-named because, as the personal residence of the Tsars, they were intended to be a refuge from the obligations of courtly life; where the Russian sovereigns could retreat to with their intimate circle of personal friends. As such, what is today the Hermitage Museum was initially the personal collection of the Russian Imperial family.
The Hermitage of the Winter Palace was founded by Catherine the Great, who used these apartments to host private salons. She also founded the Museum's collection in 1764, with a collection of 225 paintings from Western Europe.
Today, the Hermitage Museum includes a complex of six buildings, and has extended beyond the original palace apartments (today called the "Small Hermitage").
The Hermitage of the Winter Palace was founded by Catherine the Great, who used these apartments to host private salons. She also founded the Museum's collection in 1764, with a collection of 225 paintings from Western Europe.
Today, the Hermitage Museum includes a complex of six buildings, and has extended beyond the original palace apartments (today called the "Small Hermitage").
Collections
The Western European Art collection includes European paintings, sculpture, and applied art from the 13th to the 20th centuries.
Italian Renaissance
The rooms on the first floor of the Old Hermitage were designed by Andrei Stakenschneider in revival styles in between 1851 and 1860, although the design survives only in some of them. They feature works of Italian Renaissance artists, including Giorgione, Titian, Veronese, as well as Benois Madonna and Madonna Littaattributed to Leonardo da Vinci or his school.
The image displays a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, which is known by two names: the "Madonna with a Flower" or the "Benois Madonna".
The image shows the painting known as the Madonna Litta, traditionally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.
The image shows the painting known as the Madonna Litta, traditionally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.
The Italian Renaissance galleries continues in the eastern wing of the New Hermitage with paintings, sculpture, majolica and tapestry from Italy of the 15th–16th centuries, including Conestabile Madonna and Madonna with Beardless St. Joseph by Raphael.
Dutch Golden Age and Flemish Baroque
The image is a detail from the painting The Sacrifice of Isaac (also known as Abraham's Sacrifice) by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn, painted in 1635.
The Binding of Isaac (Hebrew: עֲקֵידַת יִצְחַק, romanized: ʿAqēḏaṯ Yīṣḥaq), or simply "The Binding" (הָעֲקֵידָה, hāʿAqēḏā), is a story from chapter 22 of the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. In the biblical narrative, God orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaacon the mountain called Jehovah-jireh in the region of Moriah. As Abraham begins to comply, having bound Isaac to an altar, he is stopped by the Angel of the Lord; a ram appears and is slaughtered in Isaac's stead, as God commends Abraham's pious obedience to offer his son as a human sacrifice.
The painting Saskia as Flora by the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. The oil-on-canvas painting was created in 1634, a year after Rembrandt's marriage to his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, whom he portrayed as the Roman goddess of spring, Flora.
A life-sized oil on canvas painting created by the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn, initially in 1636 and later reworked before 1643. The work depicts the mythological figure Danaë, an Argive princess, who was visited and impregnated by Zeus in the form of a shower of gold.
In 1985, the painting was attacked by a man who threw acid on it and cut it twice with a knife, requiring an extensive 12-year restoration process.
Italian and Spanish fine art
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The image is a detail from the painting The Sacrifice of Isaac (also known as Abraham's Sacrifice) by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn, painted in 1635. The Binding of Isaac (Hebrew: עֲקֵידַת יִצְחַק, romanized: ʿAqēḏaṯ Yīṣḥaq), or simply "The Binding" (הָעֲקֵידָה, hāʿAqēḏā), is a story from chapter 22 of the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. In the biblical narrative, God orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaacon the mountain called Jehovah-jireh in the region of Moriah. As Abraham begins to comply, having bound Isaac to an altar, he is stopped by the Angel of the Lord; a ram appears and is slaughtered in Isaac's stead, as God commends Abraham's pious obedience to offer his son as a human sacrifice. The painting Saskia as Flora by the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. The oil-on-canvas painting was created in 1634, a year after Rembrandt's marriage to his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, whom he portrayed as the Roman goddess of spring, Flora. A life-sized oil on canvas painting created by the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn, initially in 1636 and later reworked before 1643. The work depicts the mythological figure Danaë, an Argive princess, who was visited and impregnated by Zeus in the form of a shower of gold. In 1985, the painting was attacked by a man who threw acid on it and cut it twice with a knife, requiring an extensive 12-year restoration process. |
The first floor of New Hermitage contains three large interior spaces in the center of the museum complex with red walls and lit from above by skylights. These are adorned with 19th-century Russian lapidary works and feature Italian and Spanish canvases of the 16th–18th centuries, including Veronese, Giambattista Pittoni, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Murillo.
The first floor of New Hermitage contains three large interior spaces in the center of the museum complex with red walls and lit from above by skylights. These are adorned with 19th-century Russian lapidary works and feature Italian and Spanish canvases of the 16th–18th centuries, including Veronese, Giambattista Pittoni, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Murillo.
German, Swiss, British and French fine art
The first floor rooms on the southern facade of the Winter Palace are occupied by the collections of German fine art of the 16th century and French fine art of the 15th–18th centuries, including paintings by Poussin, Lorrain, Watteau. The collections of French decorative and applied art from the 17th–18th centuries and British applied and fine art from the 16th–19th century, including Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds, are on display in nearby rooms facing the courtyard.
The image displays a reproduction of the painting Still Life with Fruits, Shells and Insects by the Dutch Golden Age painter Balthasar van der Ast.
Knights' Hall
Antonio Canova's statue The Three Graces is a Neoclassical sculpture, in marble, of the mythological three Charites, daughters of Zeus – identified on some engravings of the statue as, from left to right, Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia – who were said to represent mirth (Euphrosyne), elegance (Aglaea), and youth/beauty (Thalia).
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| A Roman marble copy of the famous Statue of Zeus at Olympia |
French Neoclassical, Impressionist, and post-Impressionist art
French Neoclassical, Impressionist and post-Impressionist art, including works by Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh and Gauguin, are displayed on the fourth floor of the Eastern Wing of the General Staff Building. Also displayed are paintings by Camille Pissarro (Boulevard Montmartre, Paris), Paul Cézanne (Mount Sainte-Victoire), Alfred Sisley, Henri Morel, and Degas.
An interior featuring a highly decorated, barrel-vaulted ceiling characteristic of the Neoclassical style.
Russian art
The richly decorated interiors of the first floor of the Winter Palace on its eastern, northern and western sides are part of the Russian culture collection and host the exhibitions of Russian art from the 11th-19th centuries.
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| The artwork "Portrait of an Architect" by contemporary Russian artist Nestor Engelke. |
Jewelry and decorative art
Four small rooms on the ground floor, enclosed in the middle of the New Hermitage between the room displaying Classical Antiquities, comprise the first treasure gallery, featuring western jewellery from the 4th millennium BC to the early 20th century AD. The second treasure gallery, located on the ground floor in the southwest corner of the Winter Palace, features jewellery from the Pontic steppes, Caucasus and Asia, in particular Scythian and Sarmatian gold.
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| The Pavilion Hall |
Pavilion Hall, designed by Andrei Stackenschneiderin 1858, occupies the first floor of the Northern Pavilion in the Small Hermitage. It features the 18th-century golden Peacock Clock by James Coxand a collection of mosaics. Two galleries spanning the west side of the Small Hermitage from the Northern to Southern Pavilion house an exhibition of Western European decorative and applied art from the 12th to 15th century and the fine art of the Low Countries from the 15th and 16th centuries.
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| A Roman mosaic replica depicting a Triton an Nereid. |
Qajar art
A Chinese cloisonné enamel elephant and vase. This type of object was popular in the imperial court and features several key characteristics:
- Material and Technique: The piece is made of copper with intricate cloisonné enamel work and gilt details.
- Design: The elephant is predominantly white with a decorated saddle blanket and a vase (or censer) on its back.
- Symbolism: An elephant carrying a vase is an auspicious image in Chinese culture.
Prehistoric art
On the ground floor in the western wing of the Winter Palace the collections of prehistoric artifacts and the culture and art of the Caucasus are located, as well as the second treasure gallery. The prehistoric artifacts date from the Paleolithic to the Iron Age and were excavated all over Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union and Russian Empire. Among them is a renowned collection of the art and culture of nomadic tribes of the Altai from Pazyryk and Bashadar sites, including the world's oldest surviving knotted-pile carpet and a well-preserved wooden chariot, both from the 4th–3rd centuries BC. The Caucasian exhibition includes a collection of Urartuartifacts from Armenia and Western Armenia. Many of them were excavated at Teishebaini under the supervision of Boris Piotrovsky, former director of the Hermitage Museum.
Classical antiquitie
The collection of classical antiquities occupies most of the ground floor of the Old and New Hermitage buildings. The interiors of the ground floor were designed by the German architect Leo von Klenze in the Greek Revival style in the early 1850s, using painted polished stucco and columns of natural marble and granite.
The Room of the Great Vase in the western wing features the 2.57 m (8.4 ft) high Kolyvan Vase, weighing 19 t (42,000 lb), made of jasper in 1843 and installed before the walls were erected. While the western wing was designed for exhibitions, the rooms on the ground floor in the eastern wing of the New Hermitage, now also hosting exhibitions, were originally intended for libraries.
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, previous emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. The floor area is 233,345 square metres (it has been calculated that the palace contains 1,886 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms and 117 staircases).[2][3] The total area of the Winter Palace is 14.2 hectares. (approximately 1.52 million square feet) Situated between Palace Embankment and Palace Square, adjacent to the site of Peter the Great's original Winter Palace, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and altered almost continuously between the late 1730s and 1837, when it was severely damaged by fire and immediately rebuilt.[5] The storming of the palace in 1917, as depicted in Soviet art and in Sergei Eisenstein's 1928 film October, became a symbol of the October Revolution.
The Malachite Rotunda (or Malachite Room) refers to a famous, stunning interior in the Winter Palace (part of the Hermitage Museum) in St. Petersburg, Russia, known for its massive, intricate decorative elements—including columns, vases, and wall panels—all crafted from vibrant green malachite stone, showcasing the luxury and artistry of 19th-century Russian craftsmanship
During the Tsarist era, the Malachite Room, which links the state rooms to the private rooms, served as not only a state drawing room of the Tsaritsa, but also as a gathering place for the Imperial family before and during official functions.[2] It was here that Romanov brides were traditionally dressed by the Tsarina before proceeding from the adjoining Arabian Hall to their weddings in the Grand Church.
From June to October 1917 this room was the seat of the Russian Provisional Government. When the palace was stormed during the night of 7 November 1917, the members of the Government were arrested in the adjoining private dining room.
Today, as part of the State Hermitage Museum, this room retains its original decoration.
Armorial Hall
The Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, is a vast chamber originally designed for official ceremonies. The Armorial Hall is located between the Military Gallery and the palace courtyard.
The current hall was designed by Vasily Stasov in the late 1830s, after the original hall was damaged by an extensive palace fire in 1837; it was at this time that the fluted columns were gilded. Along with St George's Hall and the Nicholas Hall, it was one of the palace's main areas for entertaining. The edges of the hall are decorated with vast stucco panoplies. In the center of the hall sits a lapidary vase made of aventurine from 1842.
St George's Hall and Apollo Room of the Winter Palace
The architect Andrey Voronikhin[3]modelled the building on St. Peter's Basilicain Rome.[2] Some art historians assert that Emperor Paul (reigned 1796–1801) intended to build a similar church on the other side of Nevsky Prospect that would mirror the Kazan Cathedral, but such plans failed to materialize.[citation needed] Although the Russian Orthodox Church strongly disapproved of the plans to create a replica of a Catholic basilica in Russia's then capital, several courtiers supported Voronikhin's Empire Style design.
DAY5
Church of the Savior on Blood
History
Construction began in 1883 during the reign of Alexander III, two years after the assassination of his father Alexander II. The church was consecrated as a memorial to his father.Estimates suggest that the construction cost 4.5 million rubles. The construction was completed during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907. Funding was provided by the Imperial family with the support of many private donors.
Architecture
Architecturally, the cathedral differs from Saint Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism. It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
The church contains over 7065 square meters of mosaics.It may be the 2nd largest collection of mosaics in the world, after the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, which houses 7700 square meters of mosaics.The interior was designed by some of the most celebrated Russian artists of the day—including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and Mikhail Vrubel – but the church's chief architect, Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, was relatively little-known (born in Saint Petersburg in 1842 in a Baltic-German Lutheran family).Perhaps not surprisingly, the church's construction ran well over budget, having been estimated at 3.6 million rubles but ending up costing over 4.6 million.The walls and ceilings inside the church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics – the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures – but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture.
In July 1970, management of the church passed to Saint Isaac's Cathedral and it was used as a museum. The proceeds from the Cathedral funded the restoration of the church. It 
was reopened in August 1997,after 27 years of restoration, but has not been reconsecrated and does not function as a full-time place of worship. The Church of the Saviour on Blood is a museum of mosaics. In the pre-Revolution period it was not used as a public place of worship. The church was dedicated to the memory of the assassinated tsar and only panikhidas (memorial services) took place. The church is now one of the main tourist attractions in Saint Petersburg.
Singer House (Russian: Дом компании «Зингер»), also widely known as the House of the Book (Russian: Дом книги), is a historic building in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is located at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt and the Griboyedov Canal, directly opposite the Kazan Cathedral. It is recognized as a historical landmark and has official status as an object of Russian cultural heritage.
The building was constructed in 1902–1904 by the leading Petersburg architect of the time, Pavel Suzor, for the Russian headquarters of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. After the Russian Revolution the house was nationalized and since 1919 used for offices of the editors' houses of various magazines and publishers. The main city bookshop was opened in 1938 and stayed operative even during the World War II.
The "House of the First Mutual Credit Society" in St. Petersburg is a stunning historical building at Griboyedov Canal Embankment, 13, designed by architect P. Syuzor and built in 1888-1890, famous for its eclectic style, intricate sculptures (Industry & Trade by Opekushin, caryatids by Jensen), mosaic frieze, and its continued use as a bank, making it a significant cultural heritage site.
Санкт-Петербу́ргская мече́ть
Saint PetersburgMosque
was reopened in August 1997,after 27 years of restoration, but has not been reconsecrated and does not function as a full-time place of worship. The Church of the Saviour on Blood is a museum of mosaics. In the pre-Revolution period it was not used as a public place of worship. The church was dedicated to the memory of the assassinated tsar and only panikhidas (memorial services) took place. The church is now one of the main tourist attractions in Saint Petersburg.
The Saint Petersburg Mosque when opened in 1913, was the largest mosque in Europe outside Turkey. The mosque is situated in downtown St Petersburg. Its two minarets are 49 meters high and the domeis 39 meters high. It can accommodate up to five thousand worshippers.
The founding stone was laid in 1910 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. By that time, the Muslimcommunity of the Russian then-capital exceeded 8,000 people. The projected structure was capable of accommodating most of them. The architect Nikolai Vasilyev patterned the mosque after Gur-e-Amir, the tomb of Tamerlane in Samarkand. Its construction was completed by 1921.
Worshippers are separated by gender during worship service; women worship on the upper floor, while the men worship on the ground floor. During World War II, the mosque was closed, and it was only reopened in 1956, during the Cold War.
The walls are made of grey granite and the dome and both minarets are covered with mosaic ceramics of a sky blue colour. These were created by Peter Vaulin in his workshop in Kikerino.In addition, many skilled craftsmen from Central Asia took part working on the mosque. The facades are decorated with verses from the Qur'an using Arabic calligraphy. Internal columns are made from green marble. The mosque was covered by huge specially made carpets woven by Central Asian craftsmen.
Ploshchad Vosstaniya
is a station on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of Saint Petersburg Metro. It is one of the system's original stations, opening on November 15, 1955. It is a deep underground pylon station at 58 metres (190 ft) depth. The main surface vestibule is situated on Vosstaniya Square, which gives its name to the station. Another exit (opened in 1960) opens directly into the Moskovsky Rail Terminal. Ploshchad Vosstaniya is connected to the station Mayakovskaya of the Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya Line via a transfer corridor and a set of escalators.
The founding stone was laid in 1910 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. By that time, the Muslimcommunity of the Russian then-capital exceeded 8,000 people. The projected structure was capable of accommodating most of them. The architect Nikolai Vasilyev patterned the mosque after Gur-e-Amir, the tomb of Tamerlane in Samarkand. Its construction was completed by 1921.
The walls are made of grey granite and the dome and both minarets are covered with mosaic ceramics of a sky blue colour. These were created by Peter Vaulin in his workshop in Kikerino.In addition, many skilled craftsmen from Central Asia took part working on the mosque. The facades are decorated with verses from the Qur'an using Arabic calligraphy. Internal columns are made from green marble. The mosque was covered by huge specially made carpets woven by Central Asian craftsmen.
DAY6
Kaliningrad Oblast
SVETLOGORSK
Svetlogorsk is the part and administrative center of Municipal Unit «Svetlogorsk City». The other two parts are Primorie and Donskoe. Svetlogorsk standing in the south-west of Kaliningrad region of Russia Federation. Svetlogorsk area of just 21 km2 , population – 13030. It is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The system of water objects of Svetlogorsk flowing into the sea from the South to the North consists of the Gauzupsky stream, the pond «Tychoe», system of water keys and the river «Svetlogorka».
For more than two centuries the resort has been known for its life-giving mineral springs, healing peat mud, gentle sea with beautiful Golden beaches, clean sea air mixed with the aroma of pine trees.
Svetlogorsk stands on high coastal hills, so the slopes to the sea are quite steep, but well equipped. The whole city is full of greenery, so a walk through it may seem like a walk through the Botanical garden, where you can meet and thermopile southern plants, and more Northern, conifers. All residential buildings and architectural structures are in good condition, constantly restored.
In the early 19th century, the place became fashionable among German vacationers. Since access to the sea was hampered by a sand dune, the picturesque corners of the lake were the place of residence and recreation. A tavern was opened near the mill, new villas and boarding houses were built. On June 24, 1820, it was officially recognized as a spa town. During his visit to Rauschen in 1840, King Frederick William IV of Prussia ordered the sea embankment to be beautified. From 1871, it was part of the German Empire. The popularity of the town as a resort has grown significantly since 1900, when a railway was built from Königsberg to Rauschen / Orth station, extended in 1906 to Rauschen / Dune station, which made the resort more accessible for many residents of Königsberg. The city’s development as a resort was enhanced when the equestrian society built a hippodrome. The town began to divide into the lower section - near the lake, and the upper section (40–50 m higher) by the sea. The upper village was approximately 60 m above sea level. In 1912 a funicular was built: a 90-meter inclined railroad to transport patrons to the sea and back.
In 1908, the resort was further enhanced by improving the beach areas with a wooden promenade built on the seashore on stilts, with several serpentine descents accessing the walkway. Otto Nicolai, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Käthe Kollwitz and Thomas Mannwere among the celebrities who stayed there.
In the early years of the 20th century, private individuals launched an intensive construction in Rauschen of country houses, villas and boarding houses, especially in the upper part of the resort. The architecture of these buildings included half-timbered, neo-Gothic, and fashionable historicism, added to the beauty of the resort. In 1928, the villa of the architect Goering (namesake of the Reichsmarschall) was built in the center of Rauschen, becoming a kind of symbol of the city. In 1900-1908, a tower of a hydrotherapy was erected in the style of national romanticism.
Attractions
The water tower built in the early 20th century according to the project of the Prussian architect Otto Kukkuk from reinforced concrete structures. Being the tallest building of Raushen at that time, the 25-meter tower became the central point organizing the space of the city center, a kind of "town hall". The water in the hospital came from a tank, where it was previously pumped directly from the sea. Warm baths were intended mainly for those patients who could not go down to the water on their own on a steep slope
The Water tower and the adjoining rotundal building of the water-and-mud baths were built in Rauschen (now Svetlogorsk) in 1907-1908 according to the project of the architect Otto Walter Kukkuk. The building was designed in the German national romanticism style (art Nouveau, mixed with local building traditions). The 25-meter tower has become the architectural dominant of the upper town.
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SLOW FOR A BETTER LIFE
Cittaslow is part of a global cultural trend known as the slow movement.
An organisation founded in Italy, Cittaslow’s goals include improving the quality of life in towns by slowing down its overall pace, especially in a city’s use of spaces and the flow of life and traffic through them.
Living in a Cittaslow town means having a cleaner environment, eating wholesome food, participating in a rich social life that respects the values of tradition and openings to persons of other cultures.
North Cyprus is a member country of this organisation, and the official Cittaslow towns of Lefke, Tatlisu, Geçitkale, Yeniboğaziçi near Famagusta and Mehmetcik in the Karpaz region all represent this uprising culture, also hosting different events throughout the year characterising the Cittaslow way of life.
The Cittaslow manifesto states: “We are looking for towns where men are still curious of the old times, towns rich of theatres, squares, cafes, workshops, restaurants and spiritual places, towns with untouched landscapes and charming craftsman where people are still able to recognise the slow course of the Seasons and their genuine products respecting tastes, health and spontaneous customs.”
For the avid traveller, these towns are well worth a visit and attending one of the many events will be a pleasurable experience.
Cable car
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kaliningrad has been governed as the administrative centre of Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast, the westernmost oblast of Russia.As a major transport hub with sea and river ports, the city is the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy and is one of the largest industrial centres in Russia. It was deemed the best city in Russia in 2012, 2013, and 2014 in Kommersant's magazine The Firm's Secret, the best city in Russia for business in 2013 according to Forbes,and was ranked fifth in the Urban Environment Quality Index published by Minstroy in 2019. Kaliningrad has been a major internal migration attraction in Russia over the past two decades and was one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
New Synagogue
The Königsberg Synagogue, called at the time, the New Synagogue (German: Neue Synagoge), was a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Königsberg in Prussia, East Prussia, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia). The New Synagogue was designed by Cremer & Wolffenstein in the Romanesque Revival style, Aesopian in its crafting, and completed in 1896 to replace the Old Synagogue. The New Synagogue was destroyed by Nazis in the aftermath of Kristallnacht, that occurred during November 1938. Also destroyed was the Adass Jisroelsynagogue.
In 2018 a completely new synagogue was opened on the site of the former destroyed synagogue, at
Königsberg Cathedral
In 1695, an organ was installed in the cathedral. In the 19th century, the organ was restored and then renewed.
