Things to see and do Leningrad Oblast

Completed in 1783, the church bears witness to the importance of a community that had its gable on the street when the former capital was courting the West. It has an attractive pastel yellow baroque facade with an arch resting on free columns, due to Vallin de la Mothe and Rinaldi. It is here that the last King of Poland, Stanislas Poniatowski, a favourite of the Great Catherine and General Moreau, who died in 1813, has been buried here since 1798. Mickiewicz, Honoré de Balzac, Dumas Sr., Liszt prayed there

Anna Akhmatova lived in this outbuilding of the Sheremetyev Palace between 1924 and 1952. It was a princely setting that she would not abandon until the Second World War. This beautiful apartment became a communal one during the Soviet era, and Akhmatova was relegated to a small room. Hunted by microphones, watched over by guards posted every morning under her windows, she nevertheless continues to write. When she receives her friends, she gives them her poems while conducting a most harmless conversation. As soon as they have learned them by heart, she burns her verses in an ashtray that you can still see, so that there is no trace of them. She lived in this apartment with two of her three husbands, the poet Shileiko and the painter Pounin.

In 1989, this museum-apartment opened, and today you can visit the poetess' bedroom and study, which have been completely reconstructed. Numerous objects from her daily life, family albums, portraits are on display, as well as a collection of rare books gathered by the bibliophile M. Lesman, and the poet Brodski's library. One room contains photographs of Russian intellectuals who were victims of the Stalinist period. Exile or death often form their tragic destiny.

Don't miss the documentary on the ground floor. Even if you don't understand Russian, you will remember the very inspired reading of her poems and the moving images of her funeral, attended by thousands of people.

The complex includes a landscaped park of almost 200 hectares near the Alexander Palace, with elegantly curved ponds, a huge forest plot (the former animal reserve where the Tsar hunted at ^{XVIIIe siècle}), the new garden, on a regular plan, the territory of the Chinese village and finally the orangeries. All of this is especially interesting for long walks, especially during "sleepless nights". The people of St. Petersburg also like to go there with their families on weekends. It was in this park that Pushkin walked during his studies and discovered romantic melancholy.

The white tower:the white fortress, which looks like a knight's castle, is surrounded by four knights: an Englishman, a Frenchman, a German and a Russian, the first three representing the Allied States of the time. It was built by Emperor Nicholas I for his children - the great princes Alexander (the future Alexander II), Constantine, Nicholas and Michael. It was here that the young heirs received their general education and practiced their physical and military exercises. From here one can reach the observation point of the tower (only for a few people at a time) with a view of Tsarskoye Selo.

Museum of the First World War: the history of this unique museum in Russia is more than 100 years old. Completely renovated in 2011, it is a modern center dedicated to the Great War. The museum was inaugurated as a "War Chamber" in 1913 to display relics, weapons and souvenirs of the great victories of the Russian armies. After the First World War and the Revolution, the place was renamed and reassigned. It was affected during the Second World War by suffering many thefts and degradations of the Nazi occupiers during the terrible siege of St. Petersburg. Its collections were gradually reconstituted and the building renovated, so it reopened its doors in 2011.

The Chinese Theatre was built in 1778 according to the project of Antonio Rinaldi in the Far Eastern style popular at the time. The first Opera Theatre built in stone in Russia is now in ruins and awaits its turn to be rebuilt.

The chapel finally reopened in 2018 after restoration work. Built in the image of a Gothic chapel, it had been degraded by time. The building consists of two square towers connected by a vault, one of the two towers remained "semi-destroyed".

The "Junost" Sports Center is a museum located in Saint Petersburg.

It was in the greenery of the small island of Yelagin, then isolated in the far north of St. Petersburg, that the imperial family liked to retreat, in this neoclassical-style palace whose construction was entrusted to Carlo Rossi, one of the great architects of St. Petersburg, in the first third of the 19th century. Both near and far from the centre of the new capital, Yelagin Island was the ideal location for imperial receptions. They were held in the luxurious halls on the ground floor where you can admire today furniture and works of art dating from the first half of the 19th century. The museum's collections are also rich in porcelain, glassware, furniture, fabrics, goldsmith's and woodwork from the late 18th to early 20th centuries. Unfortunately today the aсcès in the Palace is impossible due to renovation work, but the whole park, which is listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage site, is still worth a detour. The Glass Museum (more than 700 glass and crystal works of art) as well as temporary exhibitions in the former stable hall do welcome visitors. As for the park itself, it is impeccably maintained. It is adorned with sublime golden colours in autumn. On sunny days, it is a spot that lends itself particularly well to small family or couple picnics, as well as walks with a taste for time travel.

This palace designed by the architect Ivan Starov in 1783 was built for one of Catherine II's many lovers, Grigori Potemkin, Prince of Tauride (the name given to the Crimea). It is one of the largest palaces in the city. After Potemkin's death, the palace became state property and was transformed into barracks. Restored at the beginning of the 20th century, it hosted the Duma as well as meetings of the provisional government and the first Council of Soviets. Today, the Palace is the seat of the non-parliamentary Assembly of Independent States. The simplicity of its façades contrasts with the splendour of its adjoining salons, perpendicular to the central façade. A rotunda decorated with mouldings leads to the White Hall. This large reception hall, the first in the history of Russian architecture to have white columns, was to become a model for many palaces and properties of the nobility. In the 18th century, a winter garden, located behind the colonnade of this room, overlooked the park. Some rooms, such as the painting gallery, the Chinese salon or the Gobelins room, have retained their original decor.

The charming garden of Tauride's palace, once adorned with a statue of Venus, was the scene of grandiose celebrations in honour of Catherine II. You can still see an artificial pond, canals with footbridges, hills and exotic plants. We advise you to organize a guided tour of the site via a French-speaking agency.

In 1971, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth, this museum dedicated to the great Russian writer was opened in the last of the many apartments where he lived in St. Petersburg. From 1878 until his death in 1881, Fedor Dostoyevsky lived at No. 5 of this alleyway, not far from the beautiful Church of the Icon of Vladimir, in the heart of a district where he set the scene for many of his novels. It was here that he wrote his Diary of a Writer and finished The Brothers Karamazov, amidst the few personal objects, books, manuscripts, trinkets collected in part by his descendants, which made it possible to reconstruct the modest and austere environment of the brilliant writer. The museum exhibits the writer's complete works, published during his lifetime, as well as books and photos bearing his dedications. It organizes international symposia and seminars dedicated to Dostoyevsky's work.

Yet it is not in this apartment that you will be able to find the most revealing clues to Dostoyevsky's personality; the author could not allow himself to be locked up in a museum, just as he could not allow himself to be locked up in the walls of an apartment during his lifetime. It is true that it is at this address that he ended his days, but isn't the only Dostoyevskian place, his real museum, rather the city of Saint Petersburg itself, whose hidden side he has worked hard to explore, far from the carelessness and splendour of the palaces?

The zoological garden of St. Petersburg has been installed since 1865 in this small portion of Alexandrovski Park along the Kronwerski River. Its occupants are 1,500, with giraffes being the great pride of this zoo and polar bears. Indeed, they rarely reproduce in captivity, but the St. Petersburg Zoo managed to give birth to 16 small (December 1, 2015). It became such a brand that a beautiful polar bear now adorns the zoo logo. The institution is constantly seeking sponsors and patrons to ensure infrastructure development and improve animal welfare. To do this, the Guardianship Program allows donations and sponsorship of an animal. An excellent opportunity to do a good job for one or other of these animals, such as a small raccoon or a Steller Pygargue (majestic bird of prey from the Bering Sea, living up to 50 years old and whose couples remain faithful all their lives), depending on your means and your desires!

Set in 1830 on two natural terraces, it features a centuries-old promenade of oak trees, to which the Pierre fir competes. In the spring, the Rossignol song competes with the children's cries, which engage in echoes under the stone arch of the park.

A beautiful park, located on this northern island of St. Petersburg, with rides for children, boats and catamarans, mini zoo, tennis and badminton courts. Costumed balls are organised frequently for tourist groups and individual visitors. You can rent ski in winter for a small dip in its aisles. Also in this park, the palace (s.) offers a beautiful collection of decorative and applied art.

Created in 1945 on 115 ha of Krestovskiy Island, it is one of the largest green spaces in St. Petersburg. It is situated on a historically heavy site as it was used as a gigantic crematory furnace to burn the bodies of thousands of victims of the Leningrad blockade. It contains 4 bridges and the brand new Gazprom Arena, which was inaugurated for the 2018 World Cup. Today it is one of the most high-tech stadiums in the world and its construction will have cost more than a billion dollars.

The magnificent Orangery transported from Tsarskoye Selo was installed in the Tauride Garden in 1935. This lush island, as if in an eternal summer, is today one of the favourite cultural places of the locals. Equipped with numerous artistic spaces, the Orangery organizes concerts, a festival of ambient electronic music, Abstrasentsia (abstrasension.ru), as well as conferences. During the day, you can enjoy the peace and quiet of its charming Orangery café and flower shop.

These offices, which can be found in several places in the city, have long been the showcase of the total lack of consideration for foreign tourists. This has changed since the city's tercentenary and the World Cup. Now polyglot hostesses are handing out maps, leaflets and information. Other addresses: Sadovaya 37, Milionnaya 25, Ploshchad' Rastrelli 1A, Dvortsovaya ploshchad' 1A, Ligovskiy prospekt 1-k1, Peter and Paul Fortress, Pulkovo Airport.

Welcome to the paradise of grown-ups, geeks and nostalgic for the USSR! This playful museum is an Ali Baba's cave dedicated to Soviet arcade games created between 1974 and 1991. Some 50 different games are gathered together and made available to the visitors-players. The idea is that the visitor becomes a gamer and can therefore switch from one machine to another as in a large games room. Love at first sight guaranteed!

One of the city's most mystical buildings is located a stone's throw from the Chernishevskaya metro station. It is called "Yegipetskiy dom", or the "Egyptian House", by the people of St. Petersburg. Built in modern Russian style between 1911 and 1913, it is richly decorated with Masonic and Egyptian signs, symbols of the god Ra, multiple faces of the goddess of love Hathor, as well as two statues of Ra himself who guard the main entrance of the building. Despite its mysterious appearance, the story of the creation of this building is more prosaic. The wife of State Councillor Nezhinsky placed an order for an apartment building with the Polish architect Mikhail Sogailo, with the aim that its aesthetics should be totally unusual and never seen before. Sogailo certainly took this brief to the letter and probably went beyond the expectations of his extremely wealthy and eccentric client. Being deeply versed in mysticism, occultism and Freemasonry, his inclinations for these fields marked his creation with an unexpected impact. Rich in many details, frescoes of Egyptian pastoral and agrarian life, impassive gods, discs covered with hieroglyphs and strange signs, pilasters and columns carved on the facade where the Art Nouveau motifs join those of Ancient Egypt ... The result astonished the whole city. Perfectly preserved since its creation, it continues today to intrigue both locals and passing tourists.

Russia's first museum of architectural ceramics opened in October 2018 inside the famous Peter and Paul Fortress. It contains some 300 objects used for construction and interior decoration, from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century. There will be beautiful fragments of facades of St. Petersburg buildings, rare Dutch tiles, old chimneys and other pieces of the city's history and architectural heritage.