Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The concentration of historical sights at Vasilyevsky Island's eastern edge was origin-
ally set to be the administrative heart of the city under Peter the Great, but the plan
was never carried out and today the island is largely residential, with a uniform grid
system and several busy shopping streets. The western edge of the island is more
empty and industrial, but houses the fantastic new Erarta Museum of Contemporary
Art, the main reason to come out here.
The Petrograd Side is a fascinating place that includes everything from the Peter and
Paul Fortress to an impressive clutch of Style Moderne buildings lining its main drag.
The Petrograd Side also hosts St Petersburg's beautiful mosque, many interesting mu-
seums and huge swathes of parkland on the Kirov Islands, the city's largest green
lung. The Vyborg Side, home to the Finland Station, is famous for its role in Soviet
history and can be a little bleak. That said, a walk around the ugly but fascinating
postindustrial landscape here will appeal to anyone with palace fatigue, and a few in-
teresting sights make coming out here worthwhile.
