Red Square

Historic in Moscow, Russia

Could this be the world’s as well as Russia’s most famous square? Possibly. It is known the world over because of the buildings on its edges: the Kremlin, the iconic onion domes of St. Basils and Lenin’s Mausoleum then Kazan Cathedral and the State Historical Museum. The square itself is empty save the statue of Dimitry Pozharsky who was a hero of the war with Poland in the 17th Century.

Always a main meeting place for the people of Moscow the square gained extra significance during the Soviet era when prolific political addresses and marches were held here. For Western visitors, the square is not called red because of communism or because of the colour of the bricks but because the Russian word can also be used in the ancient translation for the word beautiful, which was the original local name for St. Basil’s Cathedral.

Alexander Palace

Castles & Palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The ultimate expression of a Grandmother’s love, the Alexander Palace was built by Catherine the Great for her grandson and future heir, Alexander over the course of young his life, the intention being that it would be presented to him when he reached adulthood.

Alexander was consulted during the planning as it went from its original location in St. Petersburg to a location a short distance from Catherine’s own great home, Catherine Palace and from a year round home to a Summer Palace. Much of the original furnishings came from other royal palaces. From start to finish the build took four years and Alexander moved in in 1796 at sixteen.

After Alexander’s ascention to the throne Alexander Palace was given to Nicholas I, then next in line to the throne, who made many personal changes to the palace including having several satellite kitchens added and replanting parts of the garden, often using his own hands. Once Nicholas became Tzar it passed to Alexander II, who’s wife, in later years, moved in permanently which required further building work. But the last major renovations took place when electricity and phone lines were installed at the end of the 1800’s for Tzar Nicholas II who also wanted Alexander Palace as a principal residence. Alexander Palace was thus the last home of the Imperial family.

After the Romanovs were exiled by the Revolution the palace was opened to the public and after their murders their personal possessions were returned to the palace to complete the collection, the idea being for it to look as if they had just left and could return at any moment. This careful preservation made the museum one of the most popular for internal and international visitors, though ran counter to the new culture which brought a disdain on the museum from the government.

The war which decimated most of Russia’s palaces was relatively kind to the Alexander Palace. As a military hospital it was looted but not damaged and many treasures were able to be removed before the Germans arrived.

It wasn’t until the 1980’s that much needed repairs and restorations were done on the palace, and though the yellow stucco of the palace is faded it has been returned to its 1917 Romanov state. Many visitors miss visiting Alexander Palace because of its proximity to the more impressive magnificence of Catherine Palace, yet for its history and its more compact grandeur it is well worth the effort, showcasing as it does the real lives of the Imperial family down to film footage of Nicholas II and Alexandra. The left wing has been best preserved and repaired and contains one of the main attractions for visitors, Tzar Nicholas II’s study.

Pavlovsk

Castles & Palaces in Volga, Russia

The Imperial complex, Pavlovsk is situated close to the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo out of the city of St. Petersburg. Catherine the Great gave this forested land by her own vast palace to her son Paul who commissioned a palace in the style of the grandest Italian villas surrounding an interior courtyard which was built in the first years of the 1780’s.

When Paul ascended the throne he made improvements to the palace and incorporated more varied architectural influences including Roman sculptures, an Egyptian Room, rich furniture in the style of the wealthy French court and an impressive painted ceiling in the throne room. Though these details are by nature costly and magnificent to the eye, Pavlovsk is a remarkable amongst Russian Neoclassical masterpieces in its clean, refined proportions and décor.

As well as the detailed man-influenced grandeur of the building is the natural beauty of the landscaped grounds and surrounding park lands. The Revolution spared Pavlovsk, maybe for its less opulent offense of wealth, but it was damaged during the war, so the 45 apartments on display today are refurbished rather than entirely original.

Hermitage Museum

Art Collections in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž or Hermitage Museum, that vast collection of Russian and human art and artefacts, has swollen to fill six buildings, the largest and most appropriate being St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace, once home of the Tzars. This big Baroque building and its contents fit well into the collection began in the mid 18th century by Catherine the Great. Starting with paintings, predominantly from the Old and Dutch Masters, the collection grew to engulf the best private collections put up for sale and expanded from just art into artefacts, relics and gold, including important pieces from Classical cultures from Greece, Rome and Eqypt and a huge collection of ancient gold.

It was Nicholas I who ordered the ordering and opening of the Hermitage to the public. In 1852 the first building was the first purpose built gallery in Eastern Europe. The Revolution nationalised the museum property further and 'absorbed' up the personal collections of the Tzars, including work collected by Catherine’s forebear, Peter the Great and other wealthy families long associated with Russian rulers which bolstered up the collection with those of the Catherine and Alexander Palaces, known for their Old Masters and modern works by Picasso, Matisse and Van Gogh.

With more than three million items and having expanded over six buildings and in other pockets around the world, the Hermitage Collection is best known for it’s Russian regalia and Faberge collections as well as excellent collections of the works of Gaugin, Monet, Rodin, Renior, da Vinci, Rembrant, Michelangelo and Rubens. It also has collections from pre-history and the east, strong in Siberian and Central Asian Art.

If you’re unable to make the excursion to Russia you can go via proxy by watching the excellent film, Russian Ark, you will get to see 33 of The Hermitage’s rooms and wander the corridors filled with actors reconstructing periods in Russia’s illustrious past.