Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
Домик Пётра Великого
; Petrov-skaya nab 6; adult/student R200/70; 10am-5pm Wed-
Mon; Gorkovskaya)
In a patch of trees east of the fortress is a stone building protect-
ing a charming log cottage known as Peter's Cabin, St Petersburg's oldest surviving
structure. The log cabin itself was supposedly built in three days in May 1703 for
Peter to live in while he supervised the construction of the fortress and city.
The cabin has always been a sentimental site for St Petersburg. During WWII,
Soviet soldiers would take an oath of allegiance to the city here, vowing to protect it
from the Germans, before disappearing to the front. After the Siege of Leningrad, this
was the first museum to reopen to the public.
The little cabin feels more like a shrine than a museum, but confirms Peter's love
for the simple life with its unpretentious, homely feel, visibly influenced by the time
he spent in Holland. Look out for the bronze bust of Peter by Parmen Zabello in the
garden.
MMUSSEUUM
MUSEUM OF POLITICAL HISTORY
Kuybysheva 4; adult/student R200/100, English guide R700 (max 5 people); 10am-6pm Fri-
Wed; Gorkovskaya)
The Kshesinskaya Palace (built 1904) contains the Museum of
Political History. Indeed, the building
is
political history - it was briefly the headquar-
ters of the Bolsheviks and Lenin often gave speeches from the balcony. The elegant
Style Moderne palace had previously belonged to Mathilda Kshesinskaya, famous
ballet dancer and one-time lover of Nicholas II in his pre-tsar days.
Of special note are the rare satirical caricatures of Lenin that were published in
magazines between the 1917 revolutions (the same drawings a few months later
would have got the artist imprisoned or worse). By contrast, the Lenin memorial room
is unchanged since Soviet days, with an almost religious atmosphere. You can visit
Lenin's one-time office where he worked between the February and October Revolu-
tions.
The main exhibition tackles Russian politics from the Brezhnev era to the present
day. It's excellently curated, with explanations in English. Elsewhere, both the pre-
and post-revolutionary period are covered in scrupulous (almost forensic) detail.
MMOSSQUUE
MOSQUE
