Travel Notes

Fuss Over Primus 

Momument to Bulgakov

causes uproar

Work continues at Patriarshiye Prudy, one of Muscovites’ favorite city parks. The location was central to the plot of Mikhail Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita, and tensions are rising about the new monument to the novel and author which will rise out of the reconstruction. Some 160 million rubles ($5.3 million) have been allocated by the Moscow government for renovation of the historical ponds. Architect Alexander Rukavishnikov designed the monument to consist of Mikhail Bulgakov modestly sitting on a bench by the ponds, the Master and Margarita standing behind their creator, Yeshua walking away from Bulgakov across the waters of the pond, and a 12 meter high primus stove floating in the air, while doubling as a fountain. Inside the primus stove would reside Voland and his retinue. 

Yet some Muscovites who live near Patriarshiye Prudy, along with famous writers, actors and architects, have rallied repeatedly against the project. Some even predicted that supernatural forces from the novel would take revenge on the architect, should the project be completed.

Rukavishnikov has, according to some media sources, succumbed to the pressure and said he would not include the primus stove in his composition, although this has yet to be confirmed by the city. 

Time Machine

The electric wiring, light switches and fuses in the attics of the Hermitage are over a century old … and are still in working condition, according to museum officials. The first electric lights in Russia were lit here on the eve of 1898, when 98 lamps were turned on in the museum. Soon visitors to the museum will be taken on excursions to the attic, to see the 19th century light fixtures.

Meanwhile, nine state-of-the art restrooms have been constructed for the museum by the Swedish company Gustavsberg. The restrooms will be one of the few in a public building in Russia to have facilities for handicapped visitors. The restrooms have also been equipped to be protected against vandalism. 

The Two Towers

Russian town seeks ties

based on shared fate

A small Urals town of Nevyansk may soon become a sister-city of Pisa, Italy. The pretext would be Nevyansk’s own Leaning Tower. Built in 1725 by the Demidov family — one of the famous “oligarchs” under Peter the Great — the sixty-meter high tower tilts 1.86 meters from the vertical. Experts do not know why the tower is leaning. One theory is that the Demidovs invited an Italian architect to oversee the work, and he decided to build his own “Tower of Pisa” in the Urals. Another more prosaic version suggests that the tilt is simply due to careless construction.

The idea to propose sisterhood with the city of Pisa came from Nevyansk’s enterprising mayor, Stepan Nazarov, who wrote to Pisan authorities, inviting them to the city’s tercentenary celebrations last year. Although the mayor of Pisa could not make it to the Urals in time for the celebrations, the idea was received enthusiastically by Italian authorities and the transnational sisterhood may yet be realized.

Brodsky Museum

Nobel laureate to be 

honored in his homeland

A Joseph Brodsky Museum will be opened in the St. Petersburg communal apartment where the poet lived: Muruzi House, at Liteiny prospect, 24/27, apartment 28. One of the rooms of the kommunalka has already been bought from its owner, but three more apartment residents have yet to be found new homes. The museum will become a center for Brodsky studies, housing his books, Brodsky-related research, and furniture from the poet’s home in Massachusetts. 

Last year, a competition was held for construction of a monument to Brodsky. Of the 112 projects presented, 24 made it through the first stage of the competition. Among the remaining candidates is the prolific president of the Russian Academy of Arts, Zurab Tsereteli. 

Peter’s New Station

Construction of Ladozhsky Train Station, St. Petersburg’s newest, is nearing completion. The Railways Ministry has announced that the station will be opened on May 25, at the height of tercentenary festivities. Passenger and freight trains coming from the north of Russia and from the Urals will be transferred to the new railway station. 

Mariinsky online

Tickets to performances at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg can now be purchased online from anywhere in the world via: www.mariinsky.spb.ru. To purchase a ticket you need merely to register on the theatre’s website, choose the ballet or opera you would like to attend, select your seats and then book them. Tickets can be paid for in cash (through the theater’s box-office within three days of your booking) or by credit card (in which case tickets can be picked up right before the show). Tickets should be booked at least 15 days before a performance. The project was implemented through cooperation with Alfa-Bank.

Higher Money Limits

On February 7, the State Duma amended existing currency regulations, allowing both residents and non-residents to carry out of Russia up to $3,000 in cash without any supporting documents or a customs declration. Amounts from $3-10,000 will have to be declared, but bank documents will no longer be required. Amounts over $10,000 can be taken out only with special permission from the Central Bank. The amendment is expected to come into effect in March this year, after  approval by the Federation Council and the President.