Before she dies, Empress Anna had appointed Ivan Vi as her successor to the throne, but since he was a few months old, her mother Anna Leopoldovna acted as her regent. However, Empress Anna appointed her favorite, Ernst Johann von Biron, as Ivan VI's regent. It only lasted three weeks for the court to bring down Biron and give the power to Anna Leopoldovna, the emperor's mother. The Ivan Vi's reign didn't last long; the future Empress Elizabeth, with the back of military support, sized the power. She also exiled Anna Leopoldovna and imprisoned Ivan Vi in secrecy for the rest of his life. Ivan Vi's reign was so short that he couldn't leave any trace in St. Petersburg's history for tourists of St. Petersburg tour to visit. Still, if you want to learn about St. Petersburg's history before him, especially during the Empress Anna era, you can check our weblog.
Empress Elizabeth was Peter the Great's daughter, who was able to fulfill her father's dream to make St. Petersburg a grand European capital. During her reign, St. Petersburg developed in many different sections; its population was doubled the time of Peter the Great. The last wooden buildings were replaced by stone ones in St. Petersburg main street (Nevsky Prospect), and the quality of life of people of Petersburg had increased a lot. For example, Empress Elizabeth cared a lot about public safety and civic order; since St. Petersburg had seen many fires broke out in the city, she ordered all the merchants to be equipped with fire suppression supplies and retained fire guardsmen. She also banned carriages from speeding, and people were not allowed to hang their laundry on trees and bushes. The first stone bridge of St. Petersburg also appeared in the city during Empress Elizabeth's reign. The center of the town was already laid out during Peter the Great's reign, and the St. Petersburg Construction Committee developed it during the Empress Anna era. Empress Elizabeth was able to keep her focus on constructing grandiose buildings, which most of them have survived today, and become part of the main attractions of St. Petersburg tour. Because of that, Empress Elizabeth's reign marked the heyday of Baroque architecture in St. Petersburg. There were many structures that Empress Elizabeth ordered herself, and many nobles of St. Petersburg had constructed their palaces all over the city. Some of the palaces in St. Petersburg and its suburbs area were also expanded, such as Peterhof, which has turned out as one of the top attractions of St. Petersburg during the tour to Russia. People who visit St. Petersburg during their travel to Russia owe most of the St. Petersburg architectural attractions of Russia tour to Empress Elizabeth's reign, especially in the suburban area, where you can find magnificent palaces, such as Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin). Although her health started to decline in the late 1750s, Empress Elizabeth refused to take the prescribed medicines. She died on 25 December 1761 at the age of 52 and buried in Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Among the traces that Empress Elizabeth has left in St. Petersburg, Tsarskoe Selo, or as it's known today, Pushkin is probably the most significant one in Russia tour. This imperial estate, which belonged to her mother, Empress Cathrine I, is one of the places that you should not miss the chance to visit during your tour to Russia. Among the attractions inside it, The Catherine Palace, with its famous Amber Room, is the most exciting one. We at the Star Travel Group recommend visiting this palace and this room during your St. Petersburg tour.
Although Bartolomeo Rastrelli designed the first Winter Palace for Empress Anna, it was during the reign of Empress Elizabeth when Rastrelli was once again commissioned to expand the Winter Palace. However, after proposing several plans, he eventually decided to rebuild the palace entirely. Today, the Winter Palace is one of the main symbols of culture and politics in St. Petersburg's history and consider as one of the main attractions of the St. Petersburg tour.
There are many structures built in the Empress Elizabeth era that consider as an excellent example of Baroque architecture. However, one of the most famous ones, which unfortunately left unfinished, is the Smolny Cathedral. The Smolny Cathedral was part of an architectural complex, which was planned by the Empress herself, to include a school for girls and a nunnery. This cathedral was designed by Empress Elizabeth's favorite architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli as well. However, he didn't get the chance to finish it, and Vasily Stasov had completed it during the Nicholas I's reign. You can visit this beautiful cathedral during your tour to Russia and enjoy its magnificent architecture.
The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral, the Russian fleet's main church, was how Empress Elizabeth thanked the military regiment that backed her during her coup against Ivan Vi. The Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas was one of the few churches that continued working during the Soviet Union. Today, because of its architecture, its iconostasis, and its beautiful bell tower, is one of the famous cathedrals in Russia tour. We also recommend our tourists to visit this cathedral during their travel to Russia.
Besides these buildings that were constructed in St. Petersburg by the orders of Empress Elizabeth herself, many noble families built their palaces in St. Petersburg during that era, including the famous Sheremetev Palace, also known as the Fountain House. The Shuvalov Palace, which today is the home of Faberge Museum, and Anichkov Palace, that you can visit for a performance of Russian Ballet during your tour to St. Petersburg. Each one of these palaces is considered as one of the main attractions of St. Petersburg tour. If you want to learn more about them, you can always check our weblog. We also give useful advice about how to visit each of them and introduce new places and top attractive places in Russia Tour. Above all of that, if you want to have a nice trip to St. Petersburg, we give tips about how to travel to Russia most easily and enjoyably.
