The Mikhailovsky Castle, (known in English as St Michael’s Castle,) St Petersburg. The Tsar Paul I, Catherine the Great’s son, apparently didn’t like the Winter Palace so had this one built instead. It was built surrounded by water, for defensive purposes, to be entered only by drawbridges. Not that that did Paul much good. He was assassinated in the Palace 40 nights after moving in.

Note eagle finials on the gate posts of the Summer Gardens:-

Moyka River. St Michael’s Castle in background. Field of Mars to left. This looked more like a canal to me:-

Crossing the river you head to the Griboyedov Embankment and towards the Church on Spilled Blood. We noticed how ornate the lampposts were:-

The stunning and very Russian in style Church on the Spilled Blood and Griboyedov Canal:-

From the canal:-

From Griboyedov Embankment:-

Upper portion. It’s a pity the top was swathed in scaffolding:-

From across the canal:-

Green Onion Domes such as these are typically Russian:-

However, most of St Petersburg’s architecture is in the European style.

Senate and Synod building:-

Portico:-

Street to side:-

Central Exhibition Hall, St Petersburg:-

The Lion Palace is so-called because of the stone lions at its entrance. Corner (opposite St Isaac’s Cathedral):-

Facade:-

Stone lions:-

Just across the road from the Lion Palace is this rather sumptuous in appearance public convenience. A bit more elaborate than the average British effort:-

In the centre of Vosstaniya Square, St Petersburg, is the Leningrad Hero City Obelisk erected in 1985 to commemorate the fortieth Anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over German forces in the Great Patriotic War (World War 2.)

Another connection of St Petersburg to the Great Patriotic War is the old trams which still ply the city’s streets along with more modern counterparts. Despite their rattling and rolling the city’s inhabitants venerate the old models as they kept going all through the siege of the city.

One of St Petersburg’s iconic images is this equestrian statue of Peter the Great:-

The inscription is Peter I, Catherine II, 1782:-

The statue has obviously suffered damage at one time as there’s a large repaired crack in it. Possibly in war-time?

When I first saw this (from a distance) in the Field of Mars, St Petersburg, I thought it would be a Great Patriotic War Memorial.

It isn’t. Not exclusively. The original memorial is a Monument to the Fighters of the Revolution. The flame in the centre, however, commemorates the victims of various wars and revolutions.

From east:-

Trees in one corner:-

Eternal Flame:-

Commemoration block:-

Video of eternal flame:-

Some of the dedications. Translations of the dedications are here:-

Winter Palace stitch. Note Victory Day banners:-

Video of Winter Palace facade:-

Admiralty Building:-

The Alexander Column, a monument to Victory over Napoleon, Palace Square, St Petersburg.:-

General Staff Building:-

Portico:-

Horse-drawn carriages:-

Video of horse-drawn carriages, General Staff Building and part of Alexander Column. Again, note Victory Day banners:-

St Isaac’s Cathedral, St Petersburg, dominates St Isaac’s Square.

Cathedral from St Isaac’s Square:-

The equestrian statue of Tsar Nicholas 1 which lies in the middle of St Isaac’s Square was shrouded in panelling when we were there, undergoing refurbishment, so I have no photos of my own of that.

Cathedral from west:-

The Cathedral has a pair of massive decorated doors:-

And two decorative friezes:-

I also found this small restrained memorial to the Great Patriotic War (World War 2) by one of the Cathedral’s massive pillars, each of which is a single block:-

For some reason St Petersburg has not one, not two, but three submarine museums. (I never saw the last of those, the Submarine Fleet Museum, but passed the first two when travelling into and out of the city by coach.)

Submarine C189. (In English this is submarine S189):-

Narodovolets D-2 Submarine:-

Building, St Isaac’s Square:-

One of St Petersburg’s many palaces:-

Part of another:-

Government building:-

Street scene. Notice the number on the traffic light. This is a countdown clock to when the signals will change. All the road crossings had them. The (animated) “green man” even speeded up his walk as the time ran down. These are brilliant ideas. They should bring them in here:-

Canal with “blue bridge” near St Isaac’s Square:-

It’s amazing what you can see on rooftops:-

A touch of the new (and temporary) and the old.

Fifa 2018 World Cup fan park:-

Reverse of fan park + canal and bridge:-

Main road aspect:-

Contrast that with this typically Russian building right beside the fan park:-

But just over the road from that:-

The stunning Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood:-

The church’s peculiar name arises because it was built as a memorial over the spot where Tsar Alexander II had been assassinated. Unfortunately it was swathed in scaffolding last May.

Church on the Spilled Blood, St Petersburg, from Field of Mars:-