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St Petersburg's splendid architecture provides a visible
means of understanding the revolution of 1917,just mentally
contrast the opulent lifestyles of the royal family and
nobility with the lives of the soldiers and workers.
The city's buildings reflect European tastes and traditions,
and were largely commissioned during the reigns of Empress
Elizabeth, Catherine the Great and Alexander I.
Neoclassical styles predominate. The Summer Palace, located
in St Petersburg's loveliest public gardens, was built for
Peter and is pretty nigh intact today. Its comparative modesty
contrasts with the Versailles-like symmetry of the gardens.
One of the city's most photographed relics of former glories
lies at the eastern end of Nevsky prospekt, the Beloselsky-Belozersky
Palace. The building is easily recognised by its dark-red
stucco and row of weight-bearing musclemen sporting crumpled
nappies. It's easy to understand why the building was utilised
by the local branch of the Communist Party until 1991. Empress
Elizabeth's favourite architect (and lover), Rastrelli,
was responsible for the green and white Stroganov Palace,
which overlooks the Moyka River. The family fortune was
based on the Siberian fur trade.
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