Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mainly between 1710 and 1714, was the city's smartest residence at the time (com-
pare it to Peter the Great's tiny Summer Palace). Peter used the palace for official
functions and its interiors are some of the oldest and best preserved in the city.
It is now a branch of the Hermitage and while only a relatively small part of the
palace is open to visitors, it's well worth coming here to see the impressively restored
interiors. The 1st floor displays some stunning Dutch tile work, intended to fortify the
rooms against humidity to help ease Menshikov's tuberculosis. Original furniture and
the personal effects of Menshikov are on display. Each room has a fact sheet in Eng-
lish explaining its history, which you can borrow. Vavara's Chamber is particularly
evocative of how the aristocracy lived during Peter's time. The main room in the
palace is the magnificent Grand Hall, where balls and banquets were held.
MMUSSEUUM
MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY
free last Thu each month; 11am-6pm Wed-Mon; Admiralteyskaya; )
One of the
biggest and best of its kind in the world, the Museum of Zoology was founded in
1832 and has some amazing exhibits, including a vast blue whale skeleton that greets
you in the first hall. The highlight is unquestionably the 44,000-year-old woolly mam-
moth thawed out of the Siberian ice in 1902, although there are a further three mam-
moths, including a baby one - all incredible finds. On top of the extraordinarily com-
prehensive collection of beasts from around the globe, upstairs you'll also find thou-
sands of categorised insects, as well as a live
insect zoo
(adult/student R100/50)
, a
favourite with kids.
MMUSSEUUM
ICEBREAKER KRASIN
OFFLINE MAP
11am-6pm Wed-Sun; Vasileostrovskaya)
The
Krasin,
built in 1917, has a history almost
as volatile as the 20th century: she was captured by the British in 1918, returned to the
Soviet Union two years later and took part in a large number of Arctic missions and
rescues in her long career. The
Krasin
is also the last surviving ship of the infamous
PQ-15 convoy that sent aid from Britain to the USSR during WWII. She was finally
decommissioned in 1971, and now you can visit the icebreaker's floating museum on
