AIFS in St. Petersburg: Notes from Campus
Features from the AIFS in St. Petersburg RD Newsletter!
Summer Activities in St. Petersburg
AIFS Trip to Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia
Palace and Park in Peterhof
Day Trip to Velikiy Novgorod
May 9 – Victory Day!
Opera at the Mariinsky Theater
Dostoevsky Apartment Museum
Visit to Yusopov Palace
Easter Sunday!
Concert at the Capella
Trip to Moscow
Museum of the Political History of Russia
Piskaryevskoe Memorial Cemetery
Excursion to Pavlovsk
AIFS Students Explore Hermitage Museum
Excursion: Park and Palace in Pushkin
Cultural Activities this Semester
Maslenitsa Celebration
Summer Activities in St. Petersburg
AIFS Summer in St. Petersburg students have a full schedule of cultural actvities to look forward to in the coming weeks! The list includes:
- St. Petersburg city tour
- Classical music at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theater
(The concert hall is one of the newest in St. Petersburg. The building was built in 1900 as a workshop and store for the sets of the Mariinsky Theater productions. After a fire in 2003 that destroyed nearly all of the costumes and sets stored there, the building was reconstructed into the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theater.) - Midnight White Nights tour
(Students will be taken on a private bus tour of St. Petersburg by night to watch the bridges open.) - Visit to the park and palace in Pushkin
- Tour of the State Hermitage Museum
- Siege of Leningrad Tour
- Visit to the park and palaces in Peterhof
- Ballet at the Mariinsky Theater
- Tour of St. Isaac’s Cathedral
- Day trip to Velikiy Novgorod
- Tour of the Baltika Beer Brewery
- Boat trip along St. Petersburg’s rivers and canals
- Trip to Moscow, including a city tour, Lenin’s Mausoleum, tour of the Kremlin Cathedrals and Armory, performance of the Moscow State Circus
AIFS Trip to Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia
Thursday April 15
Morning train from St. Petersburg to Helsinki.
City tour of Helsinki by private bus. Students will see the most prominent places in Helsinki including Senate Square, Presidential Palace and Residence, Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church), Parliament House, and the Sibelius Monument and Park.
Check in to accommodation and free time.
Friday April 16
Free day to explore Helsinki. Students often enjoy going to Suomenlinna sea fortress. The ferry to the island is free with the 3-day travel ticket that AIFS provides.
Saturday April 17
Day trip to Tallinn.
Morning ferry from Helsinki.
Walking tour of Tallinn old town including the Danish Garden, the Parliament building, St, Olaf’s Church, viewing platforms and the main square.
Free afternoon to explore Tallinn before catching the evening ferry back to Helsinki.
Sunday April 18
Afternoon train back to St. Petersburg.
Included in the fee: return train ticket St. Petersburg-Helsinki-St. Petersburg, return ferry ticket Helsinki-Tallinn-Helsinki, accommodation, breakfasts, 3-day Helsinki travel ticket, guided tours of Helsinki and Tallinn.
Palace and Park in Peterhof
Often referred to as the “Russian Versailles” and located on the Gulf of Finland, Peterhof (or Petrodvorets) was the summer residence of the Tsars.
Famous for its fountains, magnificent palaces and gardens, Peterhof is one of the most treasured of St. Petersburg’s environs.
You will be taken on a tour of one of the smaller palaces and then have an opportunity to explore the gardens independently.
Day Trip to Velikiy Novgorod
Novgorod is the oldest city on the territory of the Russian Federation, founded in 859 by Prince Rurik. In September 2009, Novgorod celebrated its 1150th birthday! By the end of the tenth century Novgorod had become an important trading town thanks to its position on the river Volkhov.
You will visit Novgorod’s Kremlin with St. Sofia’s Cathedral and Yaroslav’s Court on the other side of the river Volkhov. This is where the palace of Yaroslav the Wise once stood and many medieval buildings can still be seen here.
You will then have some free time for lunch before going to the Museum of Wooden Architecture.
May 9 – Victory Day!
May 9 - Victory Day - commemorates the end the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and this year marks the 65th anniversary. It is one of the most important public holidays in Russia.
Military parades are held in every major Russian city in honor of those who gave their lives. The first parade was held in Moscow on Red Square on June 24, 1945, led by Marshal Zhukov on horse-back and watched by Stalin from Lenin’s Mausoleum. The St. Petersburg parade usually goes along Nevsky Prospekt to Palace Square.
You will see people with orange and black ribbons tied to their bags and cars. This is the Ribbon of St. George. This ribbon has been associated with the highest military medals throughout the history of Russia and the USSR. When displayed on a bag or car, the ribbon symbolizes the people’s pride and gratitude for the victory over fascism, and the great sacrifices that were made.
Opera at the Mariinsky Theater
We will be watching and listening to some of the world’s most renowned opera singers – the Mariinsky Opera – perform Eugene Onegin.
Based on Pushkin’s poem of the same name, the opera will take us on a journey through the events and trials of the main characters, brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s ravishing score.
The performance starts at 7pm and finishes at approximately 10:45pm, including two intervals. It is sung in Russian with English surtitles.
There are copies of Pushkin’s book in the AIFS library if you would like to read it beforehand. There is also a synopsis in English on the Mariinsky Theater website.
Interesting facts:
- The Mariinsky Theater is named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Tsar Alexander II.
- The Mariinsky Theater can trace its origins to 1783; however the present theater is not the first building of this great company. The original ones were destroyed by fires.
- After the revolutions of 1917, the Mariinsky Theater was renamed the Academic Theater. It was renamed again in 1935 when the politician Sergei Kirov was assassinated and became the Kirov Theater. Along with perestroika and the vast changes within Russia during the years that followed, the theater reverted to its original name of the Mariinsky Theater.
- The Mariinsky Theater consists of the soloists and chorus of the Mariinsky Opera, the soloists and corps de ballet of the Mariinsky Ballet, the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater, the Academy of Young Singers, as well as hundreds of technical, medical and administrative staff.
Dostoevsky Apartment Museum
About the museum:
Dostoevsky moved to this apartment with his family in the beginning of October 1878 and was to reside there until the day of his death, January 28, 1881.
It was in this house that many of Dostoevsky's contemporaries were to visit him, and his last novel, The Brothers Karamazov, was written.
The museum is in two parts. The first is an exhibition dedicated to Dostoevsky’s works, and the second to his life and a chance to see how he lived in this apartment.
Other interesting places nearby:
Also situated in this area is Vladimirsky Cathedral and the Kuznechny food market. The market sells a whole range of food stuffs but is relatively expensive. If you decide to take a look, please look after your belongings and check your change if you buy anything!
Visit to Yusopov Palace
About the palace:
The wealthy Yusupov family purchased the palace in 1830 – one of the most beautiful and surprising in St. Petersburg. The Yusupov’s were great patrons of the arts and they exhibited their impressive collection and hosted concerts in this palace.
The palace was also the scene of the murder of the infamous Rasputin. You will be shown the scene of the crime where Felix Yusupov and his entourage tried to poison and shoot Rasputin in the cellar in 1916, before throwing him into the river, where he finally died.
This is one of my favorite palaces in St. Petersburg – it is rich and astonishing, but somehow still retains the feel of a family home.
Easter Sunday!
Happy Easter! Today is Easter Sunday in both the Western Christian Church calendar and the Russian Orthodox Church calendar.
St. Catherine’s Catholic Church at 32-34 Nevsky Prospekt will have mass in English at 9:30am.
If you want to see how Russian Orthodoxes celebrate Easter, there are services at Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt and at Trinity Cathedral in Alexander Nevsky Monastery (metro station Alexander Nevsky). Both cathedrals have a midnight service on Saturday, April 3, and a service at 10am on Sunday, April 4.
Please be aware that in a Russian Orthodox church, woman should cover their heads with a scarf (or hat) and not have their shoulders exposed. Men should remove their hats.
Some of the most famous people in Russia’s history are buried in the cemetery at the side of Alexander Nevsky Monastery, including the composers Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Glinka; the ballet choreographer Petipa; and the author Dostoevsky. Please note that there is an entrance fee for the cemetery.
Concert at the Capella
The State Academic Capella is one of the oldest and most prominent concert halls in Russia. We will be listening to works by unquestionably the most famous of all Russian composers, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Trip to Moscow
AIFS in St. Petersburg students recently returned from their 5-day trip to Moscow. Here is an abbreviated version of their itinerary:
Friday, March 12
Meet in the dorm to travel by metro to the Moscow train station. Depart St. Petersburg on the overnight train to Moscow.
Saturday March 13
Morning arrival in Moscow. We will be met by our guide and taken to have breakfast at a café. We will then enjoy a city tour by private bus taking in the major sites of Russia’s capital. We will have several stops including Red Square and Novodevichy Cemetery.
Our tour ends at the hotel where you will be staying in twin rooms. You will then have time to relax and have lunch.
Meet in the hotel lobby to go to the evening performance at the Moscow State Circus.
Sunday March 14
After breakfast, we will meet in the hotel lobby to go to Red Square. First you will have the opportunity to see Lenin’s embalmed body in his mausoleum. Then, we will meet our guide for a tour of the Kremlin. As well as the ancient churches, you will have a chance to see the Kremlin Armory which exhibits include Monomakh’s Cap, Ivan the Terrible’s Throne and Faberge Eggs.
After lunch we will go to the Tretyakov Gallery, which houses Russian art from ancient icons to 20th century masterpieces that changed art history.
Monday March 15
Free day for further exploration of Moscow. Overnight train back to St. Petersburg and spring break begins!
Sunday March 21
Spring break ends.
Museum of the Political History of Russia
Meet at the dorm to go to the Museum of the Political History of Russia. We will go there and back by public transport.
The Museum of the Political History of Russia houses exhibits of Russia’s political life from the late 18th till the early 21st century. A large volume of unique materials reveals the activities of supreme state organs of the Russian Empire, the USSR and the Russian Federation. One part of this museum is the former home of Matilda Kshensinskaya, a famous ballerina and rumored lover of Tsar Nicolas II. The House was the Bolshevik’s headquarters for a short period in 1917, and Lenin gave speeches from its balcony.
The museum is a lot bigger than you first think, and it may seem as if the guide is rushing us as there are lots of interesting exhibits. However, the guide will point out the most important ones and then you can stay to look at things in more detail after the tour if you wish.
Piskaryevskoe Memorial Cemetery and the Monument of the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad
Meet at the dorm. We will travel by private bus which will leave at exactly 10am and return at approximately 2pm (depending on traffic!).
First we will go to the Piskaryevskoe Cemetery, not far from the university. More than a million people died during the 900 day Siege of Leningrad (1941-1944), and nearly half a million of them are buried in this memorial cemetery. The monument of Mother Russia looks over the mass graves, which are marked by the year and month that the dead were buried. Amongst the music that plays in the cemetery is Shostakovich's 7th Symphony (Leningrad Symphony), which he composed during the siege.
We will then go to the Monument of the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad on the other side of the city. The monument is an impressive sight with huge statutes honoring the citizens and defenders of Leningrad and a high needle in the center. Underneath the monument is the Blockade Museum.
Excursion to Pavlovsk
Meet at the dorm to leave for the town of Pavlovsk (approximately one and half hours' drive). We will go there and back by private bus which will leave at exactly 10am.
The area of land at Pavlovsk was a present from Catherine the Great to her son Pavel in 1777 on the birth of her grandson. Pavlovsk Park is one of the largest landscaped parks in the world and always very popular with locals and tourists alike.
We will take a tour of the palace and you will also have free time to explore the park independently.
AIFS Students Explore Hermitage Museum
AIFS students went on a tour of the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums on the planet. The building, the former Winter Palace of the Tsars which was stormed by the Bolshevik revolutionaries, is worth the visit alone, to say nothing of the works by the great masters including Leonardo da Vinci!
Excursion: Park and Palace in Pushkin
On this AIFS-arranged excursion, students traveled by private bus to the town of Pushkin and toured the Catherine Palace, including the world-famous Amber room. After the tour they had free time to explore the grounds of the palace independently.
Cultural Activities this Semester
You will have a cultural activity at least once a week. They are usually on the weekend as the academic timetable and museum opening times do not allow for many during the week. However, there may be some during the week such as a theater performance.
Activities that we hope to take you on this semester include:
City tour- State Hermitage Museum
- Park and Palace in Pushkin
- Maslenitsa celebration
- Baltika Beer Brewery
- Museum of the Political History of Russia
- Siege of Leningrad tour
- Ice hockey match
- Palace and Park in Pavlovsk
- Pushkin Apartment Museum
- Dostoevsky Apartment Museum
- Day trip to Velikiy Novgorod
- Yusupov Palace
- Palace and Park in Peterhof
- Theater performance
- End of Semester Dinner!
Maslenitsa Celebration
Meet at the dorm to travel by private bus to the town of Zelenogorsk. This activity has been organized by the Polytechnic University and lots of other students will be going. We will return at about 6pm.
Maslenitsa (or Shrovetide) is celebrated the week before Lent in the Russian Orthodox Church calendar. Its origins are both pagan and religious. Before Christianity was introduced in Russia, Maslenitsa was the holiday that celebrated the long winter coming to an end. Nowadays, Maslenitsa is followed by the great fast before Easter. Like during the Western Christian Shrove Tuesday, pancakes or “blini” are eaten. The Maslenitsa celebration ends with a giant straw doll being burnt on a bonfire.
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