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Saint Petersburg is a fascinating place and is vastly different from Moscow, Russia's other major city. It is a truly European city and rivals Paris itself, which was, of course, the goal of its great architect, Peter the Great. This beautiful cultural capital is the personification of the European complex that plagued the Russian aristocracy and greatest thinkers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
This complex may even be a chip on the shoulder of the elite of Russia today and may explain why the city is so Westernized and full of tourists from around the world. It certainly is for Vladimir Putin, who is known to take dignitaries to the apple of the nation's eye in order to show off its stunning architecture and European sophistication. Petersburg was where the Russian tsars of old chose to build their palaces and the creme de la creme of Russian society held court in their luxurious homes, inviting only the "best" of society to their evening salons. The city was Peter the Great's major project and he went to Europe for the specific purpose of Westernizing Mother Russia. He came back after having spent some time in Europe, bringing at least a thousand people with him to build this dazzling city of pastel buildings and winding canals. Even though the city was bombed by the Germans in WWII, the old architecture still remains, either reconstructed or repaired. A walk through the city provides enough eye candy to last a lifetime and it's worth a stroll through the sweltering summer heat if only to marvel at the detailed decor of the architecture. In the summer, it doesn't get dark until well after 11 pm and even then, throngs of people walk down Nevsky Prospect, the main thoroughfare, to drink coffee or wine at the many cafes. Tourists prowl the canal, as boat cruises are a very popular attraction here.
It is easy to see the cultural conflict that the great literary giants of Russia often spoke about through the mouths of their characters. If you are a reader of Russian literature (and if you aren't, you should be), you will no doubt find that a major thread in their works deals with the Russian conflict over whether or not to Westernize. In the early nineteenth century, most Russians in the aristocracy spoke primarily in French and some even confessed to not being fluent in Russian! Of course, Peter's goal was to bring Russia into the European club, which prides itself on its exclusivity, for the country's territory is so expansive that it has always seemed to have one foot in Europe, with the other planted firmly in Asia and even the Middle East. There is a sort of negative connotation when one speaks of Eastern Europe and Russia has always been the region's capital. When we hear those two words, one inevitably pictures drab Soviet buildings, old fashioned cars and clothes, and people standing in breadlines. And while there is some truth to these images, it is unfortunate that such a culturally rich and historic country like Russia has a sort of inferiority complex.
On my first day in Petersburg, I went to the Russian State Museum and marvelled at the amazing art there. In the art world, people seem to ohhh and ahhh over the French and Italian painters, but they never seem to be exposed to (or educate themselves) about Russian art, whose artists are just as good and, in many cases better, than those of Western Europe. Of course, her writers are often read and Petersburg itself is the home of the Russian ballet tradition, which is the best in the world, as well as many famous composers. Unfortunately, many people from the West fail to explore this fascinating country and it is a shame, as it has much to offer and provides a more rewarding experience than many of the tourist-heavy countries in Western Europe. While Petersburg is a touristy city, Moscow is far less so and any surrounding area will only have Russian tourists and a few lone backpackers, if any. This allows for a traveler to truly experience a country and draw their own informed conclusions about it. Traveling is best when it combines knowledge and experience, with this synthesis creating truth. If you have one without the other, you are missing a necessary component in understanding the world. I highly recommend learning Russian history and reading some of it's literature before coming here. It will not only better inform your experience, but it will make a city like St. Petersburg that much more meaningful because the very concerns that plagued the great thinkers of the nineteenth century are still, clearly, being asked today. Petersburg is European in shape and form, but it's heart is Russian. This contrast is incredibly interesting and can be seen in many of the places you go and things you do, but, most notably, it can be seen in its people, who like to pretend they have the marble exterior of the French, but are, just under the surface, delightfully and uniquely, Russian. A few good book to read before coming are: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turganev (If you get the Penguin version, it has an excellent essay at the beginning that you should read AFTER the novel itself) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (looks intimidating, but is a great read and is all about the aristocracy during the War of 1812 against Napoleon!) Crime and Punishment by F. Doestoevsky (set in Petersburg)
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Aunt J says:
Hi Heather...I want to be there with you. What a superb experience traveling the out-of-the-way places and not just hitting typical tourist spots. Love your stories. Aunt J