Many tourist attractions come to mind that tourists can enjoy during their travel to St. Petersburg. Among these attractions, we can mention the architecture used in the construction of St. Petersburg. Various architectural styles have been used in St. Petersburg over the years, many examples of which still exist in St. Petersburg and have become part of the Russia tour in St. Petersburg. Each of the architectural styles used in St. Petersburg belongs to a different period of St. Petersburg history, and visiting them can be of special interest to tourists. One of the styles used in St. Petersburg, which was widely used during the reign of Alexander I of Russia, is the Empire-style architecture.
Empire-Style was the second wave of neoclassical architecture, favored by the Russian emperor Alexander I and used extensively during his reign in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Empire-Style is mostly used to commemorate the victory of the Russian Imperial Army in the Napoleonic Wars. Almost all neoclassical architects who worked in Russia between 1801 and 1825, during Alexander I's reign, used this style of architecture in their designs. This architecture style is an excellent representation of the Russian Empire's glory in a modern format, which is why the imperial court has highly regarded it.
One of the best examples of Empire-style architecture in St. Petersburg is the Kazan Cathedral. This famous building, which has been considered the central church of St. Petersburg for many years, is one of the best examples that tourists of Russia tour can see of the Empire-Style architecture during their trip to St. Petersburg. This famous building on the St. Petersburg tour is located on one of the main and busiest streets in St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospect. It was designed by one of the leading Russian architects of this style of architecture, Andrey Voronikhin. The Kazan Cathedral is somehow introduced as a neoclassical example of the Helsinki Cathedral in Finland. This church is one of the main tourist attractions of St. Petersburg, which most tourists visit during a tour on Nevsky Prospect. The cathedral and Nevsky Prospect view is one of the advantages of the cafes and restaurants around the cathedral on Nevsky Prospect, which attracts many tourists. You can visit our blog to learn about this cathedral's history and the restaurants and cafes that are located around this cathedral.
Another example of Empire-Style architecture in St. Petersburg is the Admiralty Building, which locates at the intersection of the three main streets of St. Petersburg: Nevsky Prospect, Gorokhovaya Street, and Voznesensky Prospect. That has given rise to local legends about the building and its spire, which can be seen from all three streets. Although the building was built many years before the emergence of the Empire-Style in St. Petersburg, we own the Empire-Style architecture's appearance to the Russian architect Andreyan Zakharov, who worked on it between 1806 and 1823 and restored the building to its present form. Although the inside of the building is not accessible and is not part of the St. Petersburg tour, the building's architecture attracts tourists, especially since it is located at the beginning of Nevsky Prospekt, one of the busiest streets in St. Petersburg. It is introduced as a starting point for one of the main St. Petersburg tour.
One example of Empire-Style architecture in St. Petersburg is located in the central city square, the Palace Square. The General Staff Building in front of the Winter Palace is one of the buildings designed and built by the famous Italian architect Carlo Rossi in St. Petersburg. This beautiful building, which perfectly matches the atmosphere of Palace Square, is one of the few examples of buildings designed by Carlo Rossi in the style of neoclassical architecture in St. Petersburg. Although this building individually does not have a major tourist attraction, such as the Winter Palace, this building's architecture completely attracts the attention of tourists on tour to Russia. You can visit our blog to get acquainted with other works by Carlo Rossi in St. Petersburg.
Another example of Empire-Style design in Palace Square is the Alexander Column. This magnificent pillar, dedicated to one of the most prominent Russian emperors, commemorates the Russian Imperial Army's victory in the Napoleonic Wars. This column designer was the famous French architect Auguste de Montferrand, who had a close relationship with Emperor Alexander I and introduced him as one of his role models. With a height of 47.5 meters, this column has been the tallest of its kind for a while. Of course, this is not the only famous structure on the St. Petersburg tour that belongs to Auguste de Montferrand; the Saint Isaac's Cathedral is also one of the famous designs of Auguste de Montferrand, which you can see during your tour to St. Petersburg.
The Alexander Column is not the only St. Petersburg war memorial designed in the Empire-Style. The Narva Triumphal Arch, located on Navra Square, is another monument to the Imperial Russian Army's victory in Napoleon's Wars. Of course, the Narva Triumphal Arch was originally made of a material that was not expected to survive. It was only an answer to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris commemorating Napoleon's army's victory in the Battle of Austerlitz. The original designer of Narva Triumphal Arch was Giacomo Quarenghi, but Vasily Stasov rebuilt it with a stone so tourists can visit it during their trip to St. Petersburg. Although due to this building's geographical location, the probability of visiting it during the tour to Russia program is quite low; nevertheless, if you are interested in visiting this monument during your tour to St. Petersburg, you can read the ways to get to Navra Square on our blog.
Of course, the Empire-Style was not only used in St. Petersburg but also in Moscow. Today, during a trip to Russia, tourists can see many buildings in Moscow designed in the Empire-style. Undoubtedly, one of those is the Bolshoi Theater, which uses this architectural style in its design. The architects of this beautiful building were Peter Ouroussoff and Michael Maddox. The Bolshoi Theater is also one of the best places to visit in Russia, where tourists can get acquainted with Russian culture while watching art performances.
Empire-Style is one of several common architectural styles in St. Petersburg that has been considered by architects and the imperial court during the Russian Empire. You can visit our blog to learn about other common architectural styles in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In our blog, we have also introduced the top tourist attractions of Russia, the top restaurants, and the best shopping centers in Russia to make the best use of their time during their travel to Russia.
