Published:  12:05 AM, 15 January 2025

Russia's St. Petersburg: The Other Side of The Window

Russia's St. Petersburg: The Other Side of The Window

Built by Peter the Great in 1703, St. Petersburg in northern Russia represents the finest examples of Russian history, architecture, art and music. St. Petersburg is the type of city that can only be explored by moving around the metropolis for several days. Equally beautiful in both summer and winter St. Petersburg is best unfolded on a long stroll along the Neva River, down the Nevsky Prospekt, or by one of the many small cruise ships that navigate the canals and rivers intersecting the city.

One of the greatest art galleries of the world is the State Hermitage of St. Petersburg which was constructed as a palace built by Italian architect Francesco Rastrelli at the behest of Russian Empress Elizabeth during 18th century. Although collection of western artworks was commenced under directives from Peter the Great, it was another ruler-- Catherine the Great, who ascended the throne in 1762 and procured the vast assemblage of priceless paintings and sculptures from all over Europe. She not only adorned the Winter Palaces with some of Europe’s finest paintings and sculptures, but built the extended annexes that consist of the Hermitage Museum of today.

Another historic establishment, the Peter and Paul Fortress was the first structure built by Peter the Great during his combats against the Swedish army and Charles XII. In 1717 parts of the fortress were converted into prison cells that housed some of Russia’s most famous dissidents including Dostoevsky, Lenin’s brother, and Maxim Gorky. These cells are open to the visitors now. Several yards away from the fortress stands the Cruiser Aurora, renovated a few years ago. Cannon balls shot from this old battle ship intimated the beginning of the 1917 October Revolution.

St. Isaac’s Cathedral, with its spire covered in gold, contains a highly ornate interior that includes columns made of lapis lazuli. It stands near the iconic Admiralty spire and is within a stone’s throw of the Kazan Cathedral, built during the reign of Emperor Paul. The façade of the Kazan Cathedral was designed to replicate elements of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. Sadly, it is in a derelict plight now and although designated a museum, is used as a prayer hall by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Hermitage Museum has countless rooms of remarkable artistic masterpieces created by famous artists from around the world such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyke staring at which was an invaluable experience to me. With millions of pieces in hundreds of halls, one can't see even a small part of the Hermitage within a couple of days. In addition to the artwork there are displays of wonderful classical antiquities like Peter the Great's Throne Room and a large golden horse-drawn carriage.

In the late 19th century the museum was renovated and expanded, adding exquisite works by Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael. During World War I the Hermitage was used as a hospital which is how it played a humanitarian role for lots of wounded soldiers and civilians during that time.

In the 1920s and 1930s the new socialist government nationalized many extensive private collections into the Hermitage. At the beginning of World War II, Russia moved the Hermitage collections to the Ural Mountains for their protection. In 1996 the President of the Russian Federation became the patron of the Hermitage and took responsibility for its refurbishment and maintenance.

I visited the Hermitage with a few friends from Spain and Latin America. Our guides took us around many of the most precious pieces of art and then we had free time to further explore the museum before leaving and tried not to get lost which often happens to newcomers. We only spent about half a day at the Hermitage, which is like spending the same length of time in the Louvre or the Vatican Museum—not at all long enough to view all the spectacular galleries.

I was excited to think I was walking on the streets of the great city that once raised Fyodor Dostoyevsky whose immortal novels like Crime and Punishment, The Gambler, The Idiot, Notes from Underground once held me enthralled during my tender boyhood days and these timeless literary creations still glimmer in my memory forever. It further thrilled me to envision myself as a part of history looking around the city that had witnessed unforgettable events like the communist upheaval and the defeat of the German forces in World War II.

The mitigating effect of the Atlantic Ocean provides St. Petersburg with a milder climate than might be expected for its far northern site. Nevertheless, winters are rather cold, with a mean January temperature of about 21 °F (-6 °C), a few degrees warmer than that for Moscow. Winter temperatures can drop below -40 °F (-40 °C), however. Snow cover lasts on the average about 132 days. The Neva begins to freeze normally about mid-November, and the ice is solid by the start of December; breakup begins in mid-April and usually is completed by the end of the month. Icebreakers prolong the navigation season. Summers are moderately warm, with an average temperature of 65 °F (18 °C) in July. Mean annual precipitation amounts to about 25 inches (634 mm), with the summer being the wettest period.

St. Petersburg is known as the’ Window of Europe’ for the dazzling possession of some of the continent’s most extraordinary specimens of architecture and artistry as a whole. Most of my known people in Russia always told me that the best time to visit St. Petersburg is summer with plenty of sunlight which allows a most welcome break from the long, freezing winter. But I happened to go there in winter with a little suspicion in my mind that perhaps I would miss the resplendent city’s glamour. I was wrong. St. Petersburg seemed to have put on a far more eye-catching look with intermittent snowfalls, short blizzards and the entire river Neva covered by an endless blanket of snow intersecting Russia’s magnificent, former capital. Moreover, with less number of tourists, winter offers a jostling-free time to visit the attractive spots. My enthusiastic, joyous feelings made me disbelieve those who had earlier commented on St. Petersburg’s beauty only to be enjoyed in summer. In fact an average eye can’t view or an average mind can’t sketch what is there on the other side of the window.


Mahfuz Ul Hasib Chowdhury
is a contributor to different
English newspapers and magazines.



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