Day 14: Palace Square and the Winter Palace

 
After dropping our bags, our destination for the day was the Hermitage.  The Hermitage was originally the Czars’ art collection gathered from across Europe and the rest of the world started by Catherine the Great in 1764.  Since then it was opened to the public in 1852 and became a state museum after the Communist Revolution.

The main building of the collection is the colossal Winter Palace, residence of the Romanov Czars for two centuries, and it is naturally located right next to Palace Square.  We walked down Nevsky Prospekt, the main street of St. Petersburg, crossing several canals on our way to the square. 

Sphinx statues on a canal bridge next to an enclave of the St. Petersburg University campus.  There are several other sphinxes around St. Petersburg, including two authentic ones imported via the black market from Egypt.	This sign, left over from the siege during World War II, reads “Citizens!  During artillery bombardment this side of the street is most DANGEROUS”

We took a cutoff at the Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa to pass by the Hermitage dorm rooms because that entryway gives you the best view and first impression of Palace Square.  The square itself is surrounded by the Winter Palace on the north, and the General Staff Building in the south.  In the center is the Alexander Column, built to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon in 1812 which was, ironically, designed by the French-born Auguste de Montferrand.  It’s named after Czar Alexander I, who reigned during the Napoleanic Wars.

The General Staff building.  We entered from under the arch.  Off camera to the right is Nevsky Prospekt, the Admiralty, and the bridge over the river Neva.

Much like Red Square, Palace Square is home to numerous historical reenactors dressed in czarist dress and the like.  For some reason they were a bit upset when Lance took pictures of them without compensation.

Historical reenactor at Palace Square.	Slightly less historically accurate reenactors at work.  When the weather turned bad a few days later they were very active in trying to pose with the tourists.

After a light lunch in the park adjoining the palace, we plunged straight in to see the Hermitage!