St. Petersburg. A city built at the direction of Peter the Great in the 18th century to the greater glory of….. himself. And at what a price. Many thousands of serfs died under wretched conditions while draining the marsh on which it sits and building its foundation. As locals blithely say, St. Petersburg was built on blood and bones.
There are no apologies, no recognition of this sacrifice. It seems as if every feature of the place – palace, stable, church, museum, theater, park, road – was devoted to the sole use and enjoyment of the tiny minority of nobles, while millions were mere human chattel, living in misery.
It is revolting to view room after room and museum after museum of baubles – snuff boxes, watches, gowns, carriages, Easter eggs, thrones, clocks, furnishings… even horse blankets and bridles – constructed of gold, silk, silver and loaded with gems and precious stones, all created for the exclusive use of the Romanov line of rulers…. few if any of whom appear to have had much in the way of redeeming qualities.
Catherine the Great created a private collection of art housed in a place she named the Hermitage; so called as to make it clear that these items, funded from the treasury of the Russian empire, were to be for her viewing alone. Empress Elizabeth had 15,000 ball gowns in her closet by the end of her realm, while the serfs froze to death.
The last tsar – Nicholas II – along with his wife Alexandra and five children – have been elevated to the status of martyrs in the orthodox church. People stand in line to kiss the feet of their statues and burn candles to icons in their names. Pilgrimages are made to the site in Yekaterinaberg where they were executed in 1918 by the Bolshevik government. Nobody talks about their callous indifference to the plight of the common people, or even of the murder of innocents in the tsar’s name who dared to speak out because they and their families were sick, starving and hopeless.
The visitor asks….. is there no museum or monument to the common people or the serfs, to show how they lived and to honor the sacrifices they made? Can we see where the servants and artisans who maintained the imperial lifestyle were housed? Of course not. Why would anybody want to see that? Well, if the tsar/emperor liked the bejeweled treasures he was acquiring from France and Italy so much, did he ever attempt to stimulate or encourage the growth of similar industry in Russia? Don’t be silly – why would he do that when he can use the wealth of the empire to buy it elsewhere?
No wonder this country was the starting point for a violent revolution dedicated to economic reform and the redistribution of property, however misguided it ultimately turned out.
Arrrggh, we’ve become clueless American bleeding hearts! Can’t we just admire the beauty of these creations for their own sake and get over this sick feeling of waste?
No, not really…….
Okay – rant over. Now you know why there will not be a lot of photos of imperial goodies here.
The room at the hotel was really great, with a Currier & Ives view of the snowy park beyond our windows….
Pigeons in the park were well fed….. not that interested in crumbs from a well-fed East Texas forester…..
Insisted the guide – a peek at the (over-glorified) final resting place of the last tsar…
To give the tour operator credit for a good idea, a meal at the home of a local artist and his retired etymologist wife was a pleasure.
And a ballet performance of The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky at the Mariinsky Theater provided a glimpse of Russian culture…..
The only market purchase of note – local honey from the beekeepers’ daughter….
And just a few shots of modern Russian art…..
March 26 – we have returned to the USA. Thanks again to those who have followed our journey. We appreciate your attention and comments, and wish you all a wonderful spring wherever you may be…..
Happy trails!
Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands 