Day 14: St. Petersburg

Anyone who wants to experience Russia should visit both Moscow and St. Petersburg. 

Moscow has the most history (and is over 850 years old) and is where modern Russia can trace its cultural roots (Muscovite Russia became the pre-eminent Russian state in the post-Mongol period, fought against Poland, Sweden, and the Golden Horde and eventually established the Russian Empire).  Not only that, but as the capital of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation, Moscow has all the iconic places and images from the Cold War such as Red Square, the Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and grandiose examples of Soviet architecture and propaganda. 

In contrast, St. Petersburg has a much different feel than Moscow.  For one, most of the tourist attractions are close together.  In Moscow we used the metro almost every day.  In contrast, we used the Metro in St. Petersburg twice, both going to or from the train station.  Secondly, the city has a much more European feel.  The Orthodox Churches in downtown don’t have onion domes (with the exception of the Church on the Spilled Blood) and the numerous canals throughout the city have led some to call it the “Venice of the North.”  Finally, St. Petersburg seems to be more a center of art and academia than Moscow.  Moscow has the Moscow State University, but that’s was only built after World War II and is a ways away from the city center.  In contrast, St. Petersburg not only has the Hermitage (a vast art collection started by the czars), but the Russian Museum which exclusively has Russian artwork.  Furthermore, the St. Petersburg University buildings are scattered throughout downtown and along the Neva River and have a number of well-known alumni such as Vladimir Lenin, Dmitry Medvedev, and Vladimir Putin.

Nevsky Proskpekt (Nevsky Avenue), the main thoroughfare in St. Petersburg.

The city was founded by Peter the Great both to establish a strongpoint on the frontier against the Swedes (who were rather powerful back then and at times pushed deep into modern-day Russia) and to facilitate interaction and trade with Western Europe.  Peter the Great reigned at the turn of the 18th Century when sea travel was the best way to cover long distances.  At the time, the only significant port was Archangelsk leading to the Arctic, which was closed most of the winter due to ice and was still a good distance by land to Moscow.  By moving the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712, Peter the Great greatly facilitated the modernization of Russia.

Even though St. Petersburg hasn’t been around as long as Moscow, there are still plenty of history in the city.  The Romanovs ruled Russia from St. Petersburg for 200 years, leaving behind numerous palaces in and around the city.  One of the czars, Alexander II, was assassinated in the city at the present-day location of the Church on the Spilled Blood.  In March 1917, a popular uprising ended the reign of the czars and in November 1917, the October Revolution brought the Bolshevik communists into power (the months don’t match due to the old Gregorian Calendar that Russia used at the time).  In World War II, the city (called Leningrad during the Soviet Union) was besieged by the Germans for 900 days before other Soviet forces pushed them back. 

All in all, St. Petersburg provides a nice balance to the experience of Moscow and reflects in many ways the historical conflict within Russia between sometimes seeking to imitate the West and at other times trying to forge their own path.  Culturally, it seems that Moscow is the Slavic capital of Russia, and St. Petersburg is the European capital.

Typical canal and side street in St. Petersburg.	St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Admiralty, and Rostral Columns as seen from the north bank of the Neva River.