Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
277
Gallery D-137
This small gallery houses works by several daring and respected local
artists, in a renovated brick basement.
90/92 Nevsky Prospect.
&
812/275-6011.
Metro: Maya-
kovskaya.
Hermitage Museum Store
While not as extensive as they could be, the various
stalls in the Hermitage sell art prints and postcards of many sizes, as well as other
museum memorabilia.
Palace Sq.
&
812/710-9079.
Metro: Nevsky Prospekt.
Pechatnaya
(Printing Press) This unusual gallery is tucked in the Peter and Paul
Fortress, offering customers a view of artists working on woodcuts, etchings, and other
works. You can also buy a finished product of a former imperial printing press. Prices
range broadly, from overinflated to some surprising deals.
Peter and Paul Fortress, Zaichy
Ostrov.
&
812/238-4742.
Metro: Gorkovskaya.
Pushkinskaya 10
One of the functions of this all-purpose arts center is to sell art,
though it doesn't seem obvious at first from its chaotic, countercultural atmosphere. Gal-
leries hold rotating exhibits featuring local artists, whose styles range from naturalism to
nihilism. See the review for Pushkinskaya on p. 258.
10 Pushkinskaya Ulitsa.
&
812/764-
5371.
www.pushkinskaja-10.spb.ru. Metro: Mayakovskaya.
BOOKS
Most hotels and museums also have books about the city in English.
Anglia British Bookshop
The Anglia has the best selection of books in English,
with an emphasis on travel guides, picture albums, and classic and modern fiction. How-
ever, it's more expensive than its Russian counterparts selling all of the above.
38 Fon-
tanka.
&
812/579-8284.
Metro: Mayakovskaya or Gostiny Dvor.
Dom Knigi
The relocated “House of Books” still has a good selection of English-
language books and is open until midnight daily.
62 Nevsky Prospekt.
&
812/570-6546.
Metro: Mayakovskaja.
DVK
(Dom Voyennykh Knig) One of the world's few 24-hour bookstores, this three-
story emporium has replaced the landmark Dom Knigi as the city's premier bookstore.
Though the name means “house of military books,” this store has every kind of reading
material imaginable, with a small selection of English-language guides and novels on the first
floor, near the main entrance.
20 Nevsky Prospekt.
&
812/312-3946.
Metro: Nevsky Prospekt.
CHINA & PORCELAIN
Lomonosov Porcelain Factory
An exceptional and recommended gift is china
from this factory, which you can buy at stores around town or at the source. The factory
was opened in 1744 by Peter the Great's daughter, Empress Elizabeth I. Its craftspeople
designed china for the royal family and nobility. After the revolution it was nationalized
and produced plates with Constructivist Soviet art and propaganda slogans. Today it's
been reprivatized, and sells both imperial and Soviet patterns. Check out the factory
museum while you're there, which is part of the Hermitage Museum's holdings.
151
Prospekt Obukhovskoi Oborony.
&
812/560-8544.
www.ipm.ru. Metro: Lomonosovskaya.
CHOCOLATE
Russian chocolate has come a long way from the waxy stuff sold in Soviet shops, though
it's still sweeter than what you'll find in Switzerland or Belgium. A few ounces of these
chocolates in their cheerful, Russian-lettered wrappings are a sure way to please any
underage friends or family back home (though you might want to sample them first,
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