Architecture sights in St Petersburg
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A
Yeliseyevsky
On the corner of Malaya Sadovaya ul is Yeliseyevsky, another Style Moderne beauty built between 1901 and 1903 that once housed the city’s most elegant grocery store. At the time of research the building was closed but its grand exterior is well worth a look.
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B
Singer Building
Opposite the cathedral is the Singer Building, a Style Moderne beauty recently restored to the splendour of its past as the headquarters of the sewing machine company. Since Soviet times it’s been the home of Dom Knigi; a branch of the coffee shop Shokoladnitsa is on the first floor with a great view over Nevsky pr.
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C
Grand Choral Synagogue
Restored to its full Byzantine-styled glory, the Grand Choral Synagogue was designed by Vasily Stasov and opened in 1893. Its lavishness (particularly notable in the highly unusual and decorative wedding chapel to the left as you enter) indicates the pivotal role Jews played in imperial St Petersburg. All men and married women should cover their head on entering the building. There’s a good kosher restaurant, Lechaim, in the basement.
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D
Smolny Cathedral
The sky-blue Smolny Cathedral, one of the most fabulous of Rastrelli’s buildings, is the centrepiece of a convent built mostly to the Italian architect’s designs from 1748 to 1757. His inspiration was to combine baroque details with the forest of towers and onion domes typical of an old Russian monastery. There’s special genius in the proportions of the cathedral (it gives the impression of soaring upward), for which the convent buildings are a perfect foil.
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E
Admiralty
The gilded spire of the old Admiralty, at the western edge of Dvortsovaya pl, is an unmistakable city landmark. It was here that the Russian navy had their headquarters from 1711 to 1917, and today the building houses the city’s largest naval college. Constructed from 1806 to 1823 to the designs of Andreyan Zakharov, it’s a prime example of the Russian Empire style of classical architecture, with its rows of white columns and plentiful reliefs and statuary. Check out the nymphs holding giant globes flanking the main gate. The gardens and fountain here are particularly lovely in summer.
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