tjP t ®'*u D^k; 1. Church of the Transfiguration. 5. Rostral Columns. 9. Trinity Bridge. 13. Marble Palace. I 17. Military Church. 21. Imperial Stables. 2. Custom House. 6. Citadel. 10. Neva. 14. Smolenskoi Monastery. | 18. Church of Our Lady of Kazan. 22. Church in the Hay Market. 3. Little Neva. 7. Medical School. 11. Summer Garden. 15. Theatre of Hermitage. j 19. Winter Palace. 23. Admiralty and Dockyard. 4. Exchange. 8. Military Hospital. 12. The Suwaroff Monument. 16. The Hermitage. | 20. Monument of Alexander I. 24. Church of the Assumption. 25. "War Office. 26. St. Isaac's Church. 27. Prison. 28. Church of St. Nicholas. 32. Monument of Peter the Great. 36. English Quay. 40. Academy of Arts. 29. Great Theatre. 33. Senate House. 37* Academy of Sciences. 41. Building for the care of Cadets. 30. Riding School. 34. English Church. 38. Iron Bridge. 42. Peterhoff. 31. The Emperor Steam Yacht. 35. Isaac Bridge. 39. Romanzoff Obelisk. 43. Oranienbaum. 44. Cronstadt. 45. Archives of the Assembly of Directors. Printed by W, J. Golbourw, 6, Prinees Street. Leicester Sqt DESCRIPTION OF A ‘ftf T? T$ TcSti? V & ® W ST. PETERSBURG, AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY. if- to? w *$?* T?5? re 1 iQ£ it it oci) It It it It .. ftot it «v!r THE PANORAMA, LEICESTER SQUARE. & PAINTED BY THE PROPllIETOK, ROBERT BURFORD, AND HENKY C. SELOUS AND ASSISTANTS. •vi itoitliou : It PRINTED BY W. J. OOLBOURN, 6, PRINCES STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE PRINCE SIXPENCE. 1856. ' . : m ; V:^ ■ (kJi I • ' t * H & : *J < » ' v, 9 • * "tint , •' • ■ ST. PETERSBURG St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian empire, is situated on the river Neva, near the Gulf of Finland, and is built partly on the continent, on the left or southern shore of the principal stream, partly on several small islands, and partly on the right shore. There can be but one opinion as regards the beauty of this fine city, it is, indeed, most splendid and in- teresting, and may rank amongst the finest of the cities of Europe ; not, however, either from the beauty of its site, nor from the grandeur of the surrounding scenery, for it stands in one of the most desolate portions of the globe, a modern Palmyra in the midst of a desert ; neither for its antiquity, nor for its historical associations as the theatre of any remark- able events ; but from its vast extent, its fine river and many canals, the immense number and the magnificence of its noble buildings, the absence of high walls, and general exemption from irregular and offensive suburbs, mean buildings, and tall smoking shafts of large manufactories. St. Petersburg stands in a marsh, on a perfectly fiat surface, without the slightest undulation, and raised but a very few inches above the level of the water ; the squares are vast, the streets generally long, broad, and straight, and the buildings are of a most imposing style of architecture, resembling palaces. The roofs are asually painted blue or green, the monotony of which is pleasingly relieved by the form and variety of the multitude of richly gilt domes, azure star spangled turrets, and re- splendent gilt spires, that rise in every direction. The noble stream of the Neva, in several branches, intersects and borders the whole, serving as a mirror to reflect its beauties, whilst numerous canals, with substantial quays, subdivide it into several parts, giving life and animation to the scene, from the number of picturesque boats of all sizes that crowd the pelucid waters ; whilst the rich green of the luxuriant foliage of the woods and gardens of the more distant islands, affords relief to the eye, and closes a scene that embraced at one view, especially when lighted by the summer sun, which here shines with most glorious brilliancy, must, in spite of the flatness of the site, and the vast marshes that sur- round it, be acknowledged to be grand, picturesque, and beautiful. The Panorama is taken from the observatory of the Academy of Science, on the Island of V asiliefskoi, immediately opposite the 4 Admiralty, at an elevation that, from the flat nature of the ground, embraces nearly the whole of the city, especially the Court side, and secures the sight of every building of importance, as well as most of the leading objects of interest. > . The immediate foreground of the picture, looking towards the south, is occupied by the main branch of the Neva, which divides the city into two nearly equal parts, the communication between which is by four bridges, three built on pontoons, removed in winter, and the fourth a permanent bridge of stone and iron recently erected. Numerous boats of all sizes crowd the river, large trading vessels, the steamers used by tjie Imperial family, the court, and officials, as well as those evo e to the public service, plying to Peterslioff, Cronstadt, &c., as well as ferry and pleasure boats of fantastic shape, and the most gaudy decorations Directly across the river is the very extensive yard of the Admiralty, an immense quadrangle enclosed by lofty buildings of handsome archi- tecture, the golden dome and tapering spire crowning, the central portion , standing conspicuously prominent. The yard contains whole forests of timber in vast piles, and several first-rate ships on the stocks, progressing towards completion, under the busy hands of thousands of workmen. Through open spaces on each side of the Admiralty are visible some of the magnificent buildings of the great square; on the left the vast and splendid mass named the Etat Major, having in le cen re o 1 semi-circular facade, a fine triumphal arch, directly in ron o w ici stands the noble column dedicated to the late Emperor Alexander. On the right of the Admiralty is a very fine building used as the senate House, having, in its front, the well-known equestrian statue of Peter the Great on a rock, by Falconet, above which towers the magnificent church of St. Isaac, a vast building of dark granite, ornamented with pillars of porphyry and jasper, surmounted by a dome and xour cupo as nc y g • Towards the east, or left from the Admiralty, extends the Court Quay, on which is a line of noble structures facing the wa er, rs y co stupendous mass of buildings, surmounted by s a ues, ca ec Palace, the residence of the Imperial family, a little town . * to it, and connected with it by covered corridors, stands the beautiful Hermitage, the favourite retreat of the Empress Catherine ;t lien the Theatre attached to it, followed by the celebrate ar 5 e a *i. P Barracks foot of the Troitzkoi Bridge is the vast Champ de Mars, and Ahe 'Barrapk of the Pauloffskoi regiment, then the beautiful 1 summer ^ns vnth th ^ sumptuous palisades of iron tipped with gold ; an * Jb , , • cernible in the far east, is the famous Taurida Palace ; the wl g an unparalleled line of fine and interesting buildings. On the west of the Admiralty extends, to nei irl L a * S'K* fine English Quay, presenting a long line of palace-Uke structures, chiefly inhabited by merchants, bankers, and rich civilians, ‘ S distance with the new Admiralty dockyards and storehouses The background is formed by the vast masses of bu ‘ 1 .f'^., 0 v v tible as division of the city, many of the larger edifices being y ’ . well as the domes, turrets, and spires of innumerable churches, amongst the finest and most conspicuous of which, arc the Kazan and St. Alexander Newski. Towards the north, the immediate foreground is occupied by the great square, in the centre of which stands the Observatory from which the view was taken ; on the right hand side of which stands in bright relief the noble Exchange, with its classic porch, flanked by two high light towers, built with rostra in imitation of those on Pharos isle, the whole occupying Strelka point, the termination of the island towards the east. On the left of the square is a long range of fine buildings devoted to the reception of the Archives of the Assembly of Directors. The remaining two sides have on the one hand the Custom house, and some other public structures, and on the other stands the Academy of Science. Stretching along the quays towards the west are seen the elegant fa theatres, and swings thousands of wooden erections fovouritenastime of the Russian mountains. During innumerable, not omitting the kind of nancake resembling a crumpet ; the rich the Carnival all classes eat binmes a day long in the streets, have them served at every meal the 1 ‘ ig celebrated in a similar manner, In February, the annual fes . . everything being cooked in butter, and an immense amount of feul Mg » indulged iuh * d £ ncep ° tion . A few years rV^.^oflhece to wooden theatre, capable of holding 5000 persons, caught fire, ^nVnwmy^hundred persons were burnt or suffocated. No. 26 .—- St. Isaac's Church. r/uppm 6 Single stones » ^et ‘n ‘rniglu. The noTest Ihdri^ed^is^a'cornple^tejrhn^rw^eahh^the^wahsare^enc^rusted with mosaics, elabm^fii^nd. expensive g^^y^^g^yg^^^ufactured^'ff ^t'hat^beaut^jl rnmeru if" artloj this church, formed the cargo of a Catherine II. laid the nrst stone oi r . Thp * naratorv labours consumed so after the designs file foundaS hav^l cost a million of much time and money ^the piles a o twenty-seven years in became so app^ent^ that the a French^architect^who fompl"w E ork P d »ring the reign of the late Emperor. 18 No. 28.— Church of St. Nicholas. The Nicholai church was erected by the Empress Catherine, and like several others built in her time, presents no architectural feature externally or internally to recommend it, excepting that it forms, by being divided into two stories, one church for winter and another for summer. No. 29 . — Great Theatre . St. Petersburg has three large public theatres. The Michaels, where French and German plays are performed: the Alexander, for Russian performances; and the Camino, or stone theatre, the great theatre in which most of the leading artistes of Europe, in Opera and Ballet, have appeared. This house is extremely large, elegant, and well appointed, both before and behind the curtain. In winter, large fires are lighted m vast grates near the theatres, to prevent the coachmen and servants in attendance being frozen to death. No. 82. — Statue of Peter the Great . A statue to Peter, in a city the work of his creation, indeed of his very hands; where at every step, some vast work of beauty or utility meets the eye and tells of his talent and genius, was unnecessary, but Catherine"wished to raise a monument to his memory ; and certainly she could not have devised a more appropriate one, nor have placed it in a situation more worthy its reception. This fine statue, the work of Falconet, a French sculptor, is familiar to all by the thousands of copies that have been made of it. The Emperor is represented on horseback, in the old costume which he so arbitrarily compelled his subjects to abandon ; his face is towards the Neva, and his hand is stretched out, as if invoking a blessing on his new city, and on the fleets that, at his bidding, rode her waters. The base is formed of a single block of granite 35 feet long and 14 high, representing a rock, from the summit of which the horse appears to be springing, the fore-feet being raised high in the air, whilst [the hind 'legs, on which (together with the tail) the whole of the immense weight of the statue rests, appear to be crushing a coiled serpent. 1 No. 88. — Senate House. A colossal and very ornamental edifice, well adapted for the purpose to which it is appropriated. In it is most carefully preserved, in a silver shrine, a copy of the laws of Russia, written by Catherine with her own hand. The large buildings seen near the Senate House, are the Palace of the Holy Synod and the War Office. No. 34. — English Church. The Protestant Church forms part of the English factory; it is a very plain structure, scarcely distinguishable from the surrounding houses. The interior is plain, but at the same time elegant and well appointed, and the endowment is rich. No. 35. — Isaac Bridge. A wooden bridge erected on pontoons, a portion of which, in the deepest part of the river, opens for the passage of large vessels. There are two other bridges of similar construction crossing the main stream of the river; one seen towards the east, called the Trinity Bridge, the other still higher up, where the river takes a considerable bend round the city, and which is not seen, called the Sunday Bridge. So soon as the frost sets in, these bridges are entirely taken to pieces and safely stowed away, so that until the erection of the iron bridge, all communication with the opposite shores was totally suspended, until the ice was of sufficient strength to bear, 19 No. 36 .— English Quay. The fine houses, or rather palaces, on this quay, ^re originally buHt by EnglUhmen, excepting by t W o or three colossal footmen. No. 37 . — Academy of Science. *S£a==!^,S^tt^s^*2 and a good library. No. 38 .—Iron Bridge. From the vast quantity and immense masses of the ice that floats down the river from the Ladoga at the commencement of a thaw, it was long considered to be impossible to construct a permanent bridge across the Neva; the difficulty has, however, been at last happily overcome, and the present handsome structure of iron, on subtantial piers of granite, recently completed, affords communication with the islands at all seasons of the year. No. 39 . — Romanxoff Obelisk. \n obelisk of black granite in a socket of red, on a base of a different colour, inter- mixed with white ; on the extreme point is a golden ball, with an eagle hovering above it. The inscription is to the Victories of the Field Marshal. No. 40 . — Academy of Arts , A splendid pile, the facade facing the Neva being 400 feet in length and 70 in height, adorned with columns and pilasters ; the portal is supported by a Farnese Hercules and a Flora, and on the centre cupola is seated a colossal Minerva. The interior con- tains some good casts from the antique, some cartoons by Rubens and Snyders, and Briiloff’s large picture of the Destruction of Pompeii, 20 feet wide and 15 high ; also some few good paintings by old masters, and some good copies. An annual exhibition of native talent takes place here. No. 41 . — Palace of the Corps of Cadets. An immense square building, each side of which is a quarter of an English mile in length. The halls, dormitories, and refectories, are all models of a well-regulated bar- racks, and, what is more remarkable, they are all kept exceedingly clean. There are two hospitals and three churches, of different denominations, within the building, and a fine military museum of models of fortifications, &c. The youthful soldiers ot the establishment number above 1000. 20 No. 42 . — Peterhoff, \ A summer residence of the Emperor’s, beautifully situated amongst. the Dudershoff hills. The castle was erected by Peter, burnt, and was restored by Alexander ; it is a perfect mine of treasures, a complete palace of the Arabian Nights, with Chinese, Persian, and Turkish saloons, adorned with amber, mother-o’-pearl, mosaics, and malachite. The gardens are extraordinary for their size and the order in which they are kept by a body of at least 500 gardeners. Amongst the hills is also another castle of the Emperor’s, named Paulovski, which has extensive and beautiful gardens. Since the establishment of a railroad from the city, these gardens have become in summer the favourite resort of the middle classes, who flock there in great numbers to drink tea, wine, &c. No. 43, — Oranienbaum , A small town on the left bank of the river, near to which is the celebrated palace and gardens of Peterhoff*, to which the Emperor invites one day in the year, in July, all classes of his subjects who choose to come, who generally avail themselves of the per- mission to the amount of 250,000 or 300,000. An endless variety of amusements are provided for the day, including the magnificent waterworks, and dancing to the many fine military bands, and the evening closes with illuminations and fireworks. No. 44. — Cronstadt. The water-gate of St. Petersburg, about thirteen miles from the city. It was partly built and fortified by Peter, wbo rightly deemed that it was the key to his new city. The harbour, protected by a mole, is the winter station of the Baltic Fleet, and all the surrounding fortifications, some of the more recent the work of a French engineer, are exremely strong. The town, with its extensive docks, basins, and magazines, very much resembles an English sea port. Printed by \Y. J. Golboubn, 6, Princes-street, Leicester-squai < I.oudou. S?ij rv £H? Era jf j£t ! •' r {