Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mission free; 8am-8pm Sun-Fri, service 10am Sat; Sadovaya)
Designed by Vasily
Stasov, the striking Grand Choral Synagogue opened in 1893 to provide a central
place of worship for St Petersburg's growing Jewish community. Its lavishness (par-
ticularly notable in the 47m-high cupola and the decorative wedding chapel) indicates
the pivotal role that Jews played in imperial St Petersburg. The synagogue was fully
revamped in 2003 with money donated by an American benefactor. Visitors are wel-
come except on the Sabbath and other holy days. Men and married women should
cover their heads upon entering.
formances with a Jewish cantor and other musicians performing
chaaznut
and
klezmer
music. The synagogue organises English-language tours of the building, as well as
longer tours of 'Jewish St Petersburg', all of which need to be organised in advance -
see the website.
MMUSSEUUM
NABOKOV MUSEUM
free; 11am-6pm Tue-Fri, noon-5pm Sat & Sun; Admiralteyskaya)
This lovely 19th-cen-
tury town house was the suitably grand childhood home of Vladimir Nabokov, infam-
ous author of
Lolita
and arguably the most versatile and least classifiable of modern
Russian writers. Here Nabokov lived with his wealthy family from his birth in 1899
until the revolution in 1917, when they very sensibly left the country. The house fea-
tures heavily in Nabokov's autobiography
Speak, Memory,
in which he refers to it as a
'paradise lost'. Indeed, he never returned, dying abroad in 1977. There's actually rel-
atively little to see in the museum itself, save for some charming interiors (don't miss
the gorgeous stained-glass windows in the stairwell, which are not technically part of
the museum, but staff will often allow you to take a peek). Nabokov artefacts on dis-
play include family photographs, first editions of his books and parts of his extensive
butterfly collection, as well as a couple of rooms given over to temporary art exhibits.
MMUSSEUUM
RUMYANTSEV MANSION
