You're Only 300 Once!

With its tercentenary less than a year away, the city of St. Petersburg is at last ready to reveal what’s in store for 2003.

Not simply a salute to its founder, Peter the Great, and not just another holiday, St. Petersburg’s 300^th birthday party promises to be a year-long festival of cultural and social events not to be missed. This distinctive city plans to make it clear to the world that, in the words of Andrei Zonin, director of the Institute for Cultural Programs, “Peter the Great may have intended to create a window to the West, but St. Petersburg is more than that, it is a gateway, and when we speak about the Jubilee, we mean the entire year 2003.” “St. Petersburg’s tercentenary is a reason to remember the greatness of Russia and the source of that greatness,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin. It’s a celebration that begins in January and lasts all year.

The anniversary year begins with “White Days.” Wrapped in a blanket of snow and boasting temperatures well below freezing, during the winter months St. Petersburg may seem to many an unlikely destination. To the contrary, this could well be the most under-appreciated time for visiting the “Northern Palmyra.” It offers the best opportunity to experience the heart and soul of this acknowledged cultural and artistic center and Saint Petersburgers are eager to help others experience this magical Russian season. For who better than Russians know that winter is not a time to stay indoors, but to participate in the numerous winter events and festivals around town.

Winter is considerably less crowded in St. Petersburg—which means lower hotel rates and less crowds at popular venues. You can stroll leisurely through the Hermitage, the State Russian Museum or any of the other 125 museums and galleries within the city, without competing with loads of other tourists. It’s a perfect time to visit the imperial parks and palaces of Pavlovsk, Tsarskoe Selo, Peterhof and Gatchina without crowds and never-ending admission lines more common in warmer months. And, since winter is the peak theatrical season, it is the only time you will see performances by the top Russian masters of ballet, opera and music. Valery Gergiev, Maestro of the Mariinsky Theatre, publishes the Mariinsky’s schedule well in advance (see the theater’s website).

Go for a troika ride, walk across the frozen Neva River, take a Finnish sled through the great park at Pavlovsk, cross-country ski on the grounds of the Catherine and Alexander Palaces. Most importantly, begin celebrating Saint Petersburg’s Jubilee as a real Russian, during the White Days of winter.

“Our city’s anniversary will be a period of happiness, much like going to a friend’s birthday party, it will be something special,” said Snezhana Zamalieva, Public Relations Manager of the Grand Hotel Europe. So special that, “a magnificent show has been prepared, something which will be remembered for a lifetime,” said Yevgeny  Lukin, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for the Preparation of the Celebration of the 300th Anniversary of St. Petersburg. In fact, every single month of the 2003 year will be celebrated in some fashion.

The city will also have a new face, a splash of color: yellow, blue, red, pink, green and orange, as most buildings in the historical center will have been renovated and freshly painted especially for this celebratory year. St. Petersburg will be the city Peter himself imagined, “the most European city in Russia and the most Russian city in Europe,” said  Zonin. Visitors new and returning will become instantly aware of a deluge of new cafes, restaurants and shops. More services for travelers are also available, such as internet cafes and business centers. In general, visitors will recognize a noticeable movement toward a better way of life in St. Petersburg, a willingness to adopt an ideology that works while maintaining the city’s uniqueness and individuality.

Planning for the year’s numerous events, from local block parties to citywide events, can be expected to remain in flux for much of the rest of this year. For persons traveling to the city next year, the best way to find out what is going on during the time of your visit is to check out the city’s 300th anniversary website (see page 54). For now, it is only in Russian.

It would be impossible to list all of the events going on next year. But what follows is a review of some of the things which will be absolutely new, special and exciting in 2003 at some of the city’s most significant places.

The Hermitage

Anatoly V. Soldatenko, Head of the Development Department, reveals what’s in store:

“History of St. Petersburg” a new exhibition focusing on Peter I, revealing for the first time never before displayed personal effects of the city’s founder.

There will be a grand opening of the Guggenheim–Hermitage Gallery—a permanent part of the museum, with changing exhibitions of works devoted to the 20th century and beyond. It will be located in the General Staff Building.

For the first time since the 1917 Revolution, the Hermitage will open the Large Courtyard. Once the official entrance to the palace, this area will be an additional entrance to the museum and an information center. It will include cafés open in the summer months.

“Of course,” Soldatenko added, “there will also be special tour programs offered by our American Friends of the State Hermitage Museum and others, the completed restoration of the Alexander Column in Palace Square and, most importantly, during this celebratory year, we will do our best to make sure visitors are not hindered by closed rooms!”

The State Russian Museum

As early as November of this year, visitors will be able to see some exciting new exhibitions devoted to three hundred years of Russian artists.

The Engineer Castle, under major reconstruction for some time, will be beautifully restored and opened for visitors. The Castle will also be the sight of special events during the Jubilee week, specifically, May 27th and 30th.

The Marble Palace will unveil new exhibitions during the months of March and May.

After many years of reconstruction, the Stroganoff Palace will in April open the Gallery of Russian Porcelain and numerous rooms throughout the palace.

There will be a series of musical and theatrical concerts performed in the Summer Garden and elsewhere, plus numerous specific events tied in directly to the Jubilee week in May.

Peter & Paul Fortress

There is a lot going on here during the Jubilee year, which visitors will notice and enjoy straight away, including a completely restored façade and bridges, new permanent exhibitions, new publications and numerous special musical programs.

The Peter & Paul Fortress, said Elena Kononenko, Public Relations Officer for The State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, remains “the historical center of the city and should be one of the first places people visit. It’s the heart of the city, where it all began. Come and enjoy!”

Tsarskoe Selo

Just fifteen kilometers from St. Petersburg, the State Museums at Tsarskoe Selo will present some outstanding gifts to the city in 2003.

The Antechamber Rooms within the Catherine Palace will be restored and open to the public for the first time. The reconstruction of these rooms is considered to be one of the most ambitious undertaken here, including woodcarvings, tiles, and Delft-tiled stoves. After the Kremlin, these rooms have the greatest amount of gilding anywhere in Russia.

Then there is the long awaited and much anticipated official opening of the Amber Room, which will be 100% restored. “I have been involved with the recreation of the Amber Room since 1979, said Director of the State Museum at Tsarskoe Selo, Ivan Petrovich Sautov. “I can honestly say that, from its modest beginning until now, we must admire the work of the original masters, for today there are hardly any examples of the type of work they performed anywhere in the world.” Sautov added that the museum is also expecting “two extraordinary albums” to be published by Aurora Press and the Ministry of Culture, devoted to the Amber Room’s secrets, history, mystery and present day. Both will be available for purchase in 2003.

Last but not least, the reconstruction of the Grotto Pavilion will be completed. This was Catherine the Great’s favorite place of refuge during the 34 summers she spent in Tsarskoe Selo.

Pavlovsk

There is a lot happening at the Palace built by Paul I, and it begins in May.

There will be a new exhibition devoted to over one hundred objects collected by the museum during the course of the last year.

The Rossi Library, which was completely destroyed in WWII, will be re-opened.

A new dictionary of Pavlovsk, a complete A-Z volume of the palace’s Tsars, Tsaritsas, Grand Dukes and Duchesses will be published, including a special CD of the Palace containing approximately fifty panoramic views.

There will also be musical concerts and surprises of all kinds.

Of course the city’s largest party will take place during the Jubilee Days: May 24-June 1, 2003. During this time, there will be something available to every age group and every member of society, including a twenty-four hour rock concert, musical performances by some of Russia’s most popular singers, a children’s celebration, a street carnival and more. Each day during the jubilee week will have its own special theme:

May 24 Grateful Descendants: “Remembering the origins…”

May 25 Celebrations all Around the City

May 26 City of Prospects, “Science Day”

May 27 City Day

May 28  Sports Day

May 29  Theatrical Performances

May 30 City of Open Museums

May 31 “Flags are Paying a Visit.” This will be the official city birthday celebration and will include a parade of countries on the Neva River Embankment, a theatrical show where visitors will see Peter the Great sailing by, the historic firing of the cannon from Peter & Paul Fortress, actors retelling the story of the history of St. Petersburg on a floating stage, a celebratory parade on Nevsky Prospekt which includes a grand procession of military brass bands from Russia and abroad, and of course, in the evening, a spectacular fireworks show.

June 1 “We are only 300!” A focus on the celebrations as the beginning of a new era. The official opening of the Amber Room.

Needless to say, obtaining accommodations in St. Petersburg during this week of festivities will be very difficult. The city now hosts about 2.5 million tourists a year and expects to up to double that number in 2003, with the bulk visiting in the summer months. This with a deluxe hotel accommodation base of just 15,000 rooms. So, whether it’s simply to take in the ballet or philharmonic, watch the bridges go up, experience the Imperial palaces, or go for a troika ride, you’ll want to make your reservations early and plan for all contingencies.  RL

Linda Predovsky is a writer and TV/film producer who lives in St. Petersburg. This is her first article for Russian Life.