Interesting facts about Peter
May be surprised, but St. Petersburg is a relatively young city. He is only about three centuries old. However, in spite of such a small age for a city, its history is rich and full of interesting stories. There are many stories not only about the city’s history itself, but also about the monuments of St. Petersburg. It is noteworthy that all the buildings that were built in the 19th century, perfectly preserved.
Mixed Petersburg
The architecture of the city is replete with diversity. Take, for example, the Mikhailovsky Castle, which is now called the Russian Museum. All the facades of this building had to be built in a variety of styles, so that the finished structure was fully in harmony with the surrounding architecture. We note that the castle was built during the reign of Paul I, and the first sketches of the sketches of this building were made by him.
What is the sphere hiding on the Admiralty spire?
The top of the Admiralty building is crowned with a metal spire, whose height exceeds seventy meters. And on its edge is a ship. By the way, it took about two kilograms of gold on its gold-plated coating. There is a small legend that coins of all types are hidden in the ball, from the very foundation of the city. But it is not. There are reports of the restorers of the ship and the spire for the entire time that the Admiralty exists. In wartime, the spire was covered under a special case made by residents of the city.
Peter the Third and construction debris
On the majestic Palace Square stands the Winter Palace, decorated with gold plating and magnificent white columns. It was designed by an architect by the name of Rastrelli, and the construction, which lasted as much as eight years, was completed only in 1762. Naturally, after the end of all the work there were heaps of construction waste. But the emperor resolved this problem in a very non-standard and productive way – it was announced to the people that everyone who wants can take what they want from the square. Needless to say that after only a few hours there is no garbage left.
How long does it take to get around the entire Hermitage?
Recall that the Winter Palace is the main building of the Hermitage Museum. The whole museum consists of several buildings located on the banks of the river. In addition to the palace, this is also the eastern side of the General Staff building, the Vault and the Menshikov Palace. The entire collection of the museum consists of almost three million diverse monuments of world culture. Believe it or not, but to get around the whole museum, you have to spend more than one year.
What is the secret of the Alexander Column?
The column was erected in honor of the victory of the Russian State over Napoleon. At the top of the column, the height of which is 47.5 m, there is an angel holding a cross. It is worth paying attention that the column is not attached in any way and keeps balance only under the weight of its own seven hundred tons. At first, people were afraid to walk past, worrying that the column might collapse. But the author of this building – Montferrand – decided to convince them that this is a myth. Every day he walked under the column, showing that there was no danger.
Pumps without fountains
One cannot ignore Peterhof, where today there are three cascades and more than one hundred and seventy fountains. About thirty years ago, they received the status of world heritage culture. Truly, these fountains are a kind of miracle, because pumps have never been used for water supply. Water enters them independently from the Rospinsky elevations along the Shinkarka River and further along a continuous system of canals, which people call the Ropshinskiy water conduit.
Why is the Mariinsky Theater so called
The emblem of this world famous theater is the curtain. It is noteworthy that the pattern of the curtain repeats the pattern of the plume of the wife of Emperor Alexander II, Maria Alexandrovna. From him the name went.
