First last

Mrs. Teacher
English IV
Month Day, Year
St. Petersburg
Thesis: St. Petersburg is one of the great wonders of Russia, filled with history and beauty.
I.
II.
III.

St. Petersburg
Church of Savior on Spilled Blood
Winter Palace
a. The main palace
b. The Hermitage

IV.

Peterhof
a. History
b. The Grand Palace
c. The fountains
d. Parks
e. Conclusion of Peterhof

Max Popov
Linda Barrett
English IV
March 5, 2015
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is one of the great wonders of Russia, filled with history and beauty. The
Russian city of St. Petersburg has an array of tourist attractions dating back centuries, from
historic churches, grand and beautiful palaces, museums of varying types and river cruises across
the many rivers the city contains. The three biggest and most significant attractions that can be
seen in the city is the Church of Savior on Spilled Blood, the Winter Palace, and Peterhof. Along
with many other historic buildings and attractions that make this city a great place for tourists,
the city is also one of the easier places in Russia to get around, with many signs having English
translations. St. Petersburg is a magnificent city and truly beautiful with no real comparison. The
Russian jewel of a city is truly just that, a jewel.
The city of St. Petersburg has a population of over 5 million, which makes it the second
largest city in Russia, along with having the largest seaport in Russia. It contains sixty-five rivers
and four-hundred bridges (Haggins). It also has more than five-hundred palaces, and was the first
capital before Moscow (Haggins). The city houses one of the most famous ballet companies in
the world, Kirov Ballet (Murdico 86). Thousands of visitors come to St. Petersburg each year to
see the beautiful city. Nonetheless the city has a dark past and is also known as the city built on
tears and corpses (Hamel). In the early days of the city, it was built on wooden piles on top of a
series of islands and marshes. Many workers died building the city so people say it was built on
skeletons (Cavendish). The city was founded on May 27, 1703 (Cavendish). The founder of the

St. Petersburg was the Tsar Peter the Great, and he ordered every province of Russia to send him
forty-thousand workers that could return home after six months, if they were still alive. It is
estimated that around one hundred thousand workers died between 1703 and 1713 (Hamel).
Peter, however, had no regard for human life in his determination to create the new capital
(Cavendish). To Peter building the city was like war. He said, The city could not be built
without losing workers, just like as a battle could not be won without losing soldiers (Hamel).
In the end no one wanted to live in the new city of St. Petersburg so Peter forced nobles,
merchants, and craftsmen to move with their families to the city (Cavendish). Peter the Great
ordered hundreds of nobles to move to St. Petersburg and required them each to build a house for
themselves according to a plan he designed. Over time the nobles really fixed up the city
(Hamel). It became the first Russian city to have a proper police force and had an efficient
firefighting service and street lighting as well. The new city was a symbol of the new Russia, and
under Peters successors it became one of the most magical cities in Europe (Cavendish). During
World War II over a million people died in St. Petersburg. The city became known as Petrograd
from 1914 to 1924 and then Leningrad until 1991 when it then became St. Petersburg once again
(Murrell 28). Now known for its culture, the city built on tears and corpses is now called the
Venice of the North (Hamel).
One of the most beautiful buildings in St. Petersburg is the Church of Savior on Spilled
Blood, and it is one of the signature sites of the city. The Church of Savior on Spilled Blood is
also known as the Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Church of Savior on the Spilled
Blood.). The church marks the spot where the Tsar Alexander II was killed by assassination on
March 1, 1881(Church of Savior on the Spilled Blood.). Seven assassination attempts were
made on Alexander II. He was shot and killed on the spot where the church stands today

(Haggins). After his death his son Alexander III declared a church to be built on the site (Church
of Savior on the Spilled Blood.). The construction of the church began in 1883, and it was
estimated to cost 3.6 million rubles but ended up costing near 4.6 million (Church of Savior on
the Spilled Blood.). One of the most impressive elements in the church is the shrine built on the
exact spot where Alexander II died; it was completed in July of 1907 (Church of Savior on the
Spilled Blood.). The shrine still contains the intact cobblestone road where Alexander II died.
The Winter Palace is perhaps the most elegant and beautiful building inside the main city
limits of St. Petersburg. The palace attracts hundreds of tourists every year and is one of the
crown jewels of St. Petersburg, next to Peterhof. The light blue, white, and gold palace is truly
breathtaking in the day and even at night. The Winter Palaces construction started in 1754, and
was completed in 1762 (Murrell 28). The palace is about 200 meters long, 160 meters wide, and
22 meters high (Winter Palace). At the time of the palaces construction, it was the largest
building in the city (Richardson and Humphreys 74). The palace is a huge building that is almost
overwhelmingly big on the outside and seemingly even bigger once a person ventures inside. The
palace contains 1057 rooms, 117 staircases, 1786 doors and 1945 windows (Winter Palace).
From the 1760s onwards the Winter Palace was the main residence of the Russian Tsars (The
State Hermitage Museum). In December, 1837, a fire broke out in the Winter Palace, destroying
almost the entire interior of the palace, but the Tsar Nicholas ordered the reconstruction of the
palace (The Winter Palace). It was rebuilt within a fifteen months to almost exactly the way it
was before (Richardson and Humphreys 75). Alexander II was the last Tsar to genuinely use the
Winter Palace as a main residence, although the palace was still used for official ceremonies and
receptions (The Winter Palace). Today the Winter Palace, along with four other buildings,
make up and houses the collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art

gallery in Russia and is one of the largest in the world. It was founded in 1764, and today houses
nearly 2.7 million exhibits from around the world (The State Hermitage Museum). The
Winter Palace was declared a part of the State Hermitage Museum on October 17, 1917 (the
Winter Palace). The Hermitage includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael,
Rembrandt, and Van Gogh. It is said that if someone spent a minute looking at each exhibit it
would take 11 years to go through them all (The State Hermitage Museum).
One of the most popular and visited attractions in St. Petersburg is Peterhof. With the
array of grand buildings, parks, and beautiful fountains that the land of Peterhof offers, there is
plenty to marvel at. The name Peterhof in German means Peters court, named after Peter the
Great who was inspired to build Peterhof after seeing Versailles in France (Peterhof
(Petrodvorets)). The Great Palace of Peterhof is one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe as
well as one of the greatest of the 18th century. It is protected by the UNESCO, United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (The Great Peterhof Palace). The first
architect of Peterhof is considered to be Peter the Great himself since the land was his vision and
mostly built in that vision. Peterhof became Peters favorite summer home (History of
Peterhof). The existing palace, however, was not built until the reign of Empress Elizabeth
(Richardson and Humphreys 301). The length of the Great Palace is about 300 meters and faces
the Gulf of Finland (The Great Peterhof Palace). The Palace is the centerpiece of Peterhof or
Peter the Greats Russian Versailles, which was started in 1714 and finished in 1721 (Grand
Palace). However improvements to the Palace and Parks continued throughout the 18th and 19th
centuries (Peterhof (Petrodvorets)). The Great Palace is made up of several rooms that each
have their own unique uses. There is the main staircase, which is a hymn to Empress Elizabeth,
the Blue Reception room which served as a secretarys room, the Chesme, Dance Hall, Throne

room which is the biggest, Audience Hall, White Dining room, Chinese Studies, Picture Hall,
Partridge Drawing room, Divan room, which was one of Peters chambers, Dressing room,
Empresss Study, Standard room, Cavaliers room which was the guards room, Small
Intercommunicating room, Large Blue Drawing room, Crown room Oak Study (The Great
Peterhof Palace). The other palaces that Peterhof contains besides the Great Palace include the
Monplaisir Palace, which was the first of the palaces and parks, the Marly Palace, which is
named after the royal Marly residence in Paris, the Hermitage Pavilion, which was built after the
French Hermitage, the Catherine Pavilion, which held dances, concerts, masquerades, and card
games, the Aviaries, which was also modeled after the one in Versailles, and the Bathhouse
(Peterhof Palace).
Peterhof contains an almost overwhelming number of fountains spread all over the park,
all of which are one of Russias greatest attractions. The Great Cascade is the most famous of
them all and is one of the biggest fountain ensembles in the world; containing more than 250
statues and reliefs and was constructed from 1715 to 1721 (The Great Cascade). The statue in
the middle is of Samson and the Lion, which symbolize Russias victory over Sweden in the
Northern War (Richardson and Humphreys 301). The main jet of the cascade is the highest in
Peterhof, 21 meters (The Great Cascade). Peterhof also contains trick fountains that include
ones which spray passers who step on a certain stone (The Fountains of Peterhof). Generations
of Tsars have competed with each other to add even better fountains to the park surrounding the
Great Palace (The Fountains of Peterhof). The official opening of the fountains takes place
around the end of May and is an all day festival with music, fireworks, and other performances
where each section of fountains are turned on one by one (The Fountains of Peterhof).

There are about fifteen parks stretching along the Gulf of Finland, the lower park being
the main one (Lower Park). There is also Alexandria Park, which is to the east of the main park
and is named after Alexandra Fedorovna, who was the wife of Nicholas I (Cottage Palace and
Alexandria Park). Then there is the Peterhof Hermitage, which was an informal dining room for
close associates (Peterhof Hermitage). The Marly Palace, located in the western half of the
lower park, was a retreat with in Peterhof that was inspired by the Marly residence in Paris,
France (Marly Palace). If a person happens to arrive by boat to Peterhof Monplaisir would be
one of the first sights that they would see. The residence resembles a Dutch colonial mansion
(Monplaisir). Monplaisir was completed in 123 and was Peter the Greats most favorite retreat
where he would entertain only his closest of friends and advisors (Monplaisir). Peterhofs
parks and gardens stand for nearly two hundred years of European fashion and are like an
encyclopedia on park design in the time period (Peterhof Park and Gardens).
Peterhof with all of the wonders it contains is truly a beautiful place and a true heaven on
earth. Nonetheless like almost all of St. Petersburg Peterhof was ravaged by German troops
during World War II. However it was one of the first to be rebuilt after the war thanks to the
military and volunteers, and it was mostly restored to the way it was before by 1947 (Peterhof
(Petrodvorets)). In 1944 when Peterhof was freed from Nazi occupation it was renamed to
Petrodvorets, which was the Russian equivalent of the old Germanic name, but in 1992 it was
officially changed back to Peterhof (Richardson and Humphreys 301). The grand estate of
Peterhof embodies almost three centuries of the Tsars power (Richardson and Humphreys 301).
As well as also embodying the skill of the people that built Peterhof to begin with and those who
restored it to the lands former glory. All together the masterpiece known as Peterhof is a

testament to the power, ability, and gracefulness of the human race as a whole and a statement of
our ability to reach for that little slice of heaven.

Works Cited
Cavendish, Richard. Foundation of St Petersburg. History Today 53.5 (2003): 61. MAS
Complete. Web. 9 Fed. 2015.
Church of Savior on the Spilled blood. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 11 Feb. 2015.
Cottage Palace and Alexandria Park. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 10 Feb. 2015.
Grand Palace. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 10 Feb. 2015.
Haggins, Jon. The Wonders of St. Petersburg, Russia. New York Amsterdam News. 25 Oct.
2001: 32. MAS Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Hamel, Ruth M. St. Petersburg. Calliope 7.5 (1997): 26. MAS Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
History of Peterhof. Peterhof Express. 2010. Peterhof Express. 11 Feb. 2015.
Lower Park. Peterhof Express. 2010. Peterhof Express. 11 Feb. 2015.
Marly Palace. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 10 Feb. 2015.
Monplaisir. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 10 Feb. 2015.
Murdico, Suzanne J. Russia: A Primary Source Cultural Guide. New York: The Rosen
Publishing Group, Inc., 2005. Print.
Murrell, Kathleen B. Russia. New York: Dorling Klndersley Publishing, 1998. Print.
Peterhof (Petrodvorets). Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 10 Feb. 2015.
Peterhof Fountains. Peterhof Express. 2010. Peterhof Express. 10 Feb. 2015.
Peterhof Hermitage. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 10 Feb. 2015.
Peterhof Palace. Peterhof Express. 2010. Peterhof Express. 11 Feb. 2015.
Peterhof Park and Gardens. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 10 Feb. 2015.
Richardson, Dan and Rob Humphreys. St Petersburg: The Rough Guide. London: Rough Guides
Ltd., 1998. Print.

Works Cited
The Fountains of Peterhof. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 10 Feb. 2015.
The Great Cascade. Peterhof Express. 2010. Peterhof Express. 10 Feb. 2015.
The Great Peterhof Palace. Peterhof Express. 2010. Peterhof Express. 11 Feb. 2015.
The State Hermitage Museum. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 11 Feb. 2015.
The Winter Palace. Saint-Petersburg. 2015. ZAO. 11 Feb. 2015.
Winter Palace. St. Petersburg, Russia. 10 Feb. 2015.