Chapter 1
Relics of the tsars and swamp-built cities
Chapter 2
Cosmic pioneers and secret Soviet science
Chapter 3
Deep lakes, cold frontiers, and quirky geography
Chapter 4
Folklore, tea rituals, and the Russian soul
Ch 1 · Relics of the tsars and swamp-built cities
schopenhauer Saint Petersburg's Swamp Foundation
Pay your tax in heavy stones to build this city on the swamp.
schopenhauer The legendary Amber Room, an entire chamber lined with precious amber panels, vanished during World War II and remains missing.
Fun Fact
Hermitage cats: The Hermitage Museum employs fifty cats who have their own press secretary, basement kitchen, and staff.
schopenhauer In 1745, Empress Elizabeth ordered cats to the Winter Palace to hunt mice, starting a tradition that continues today.
Glossary
saint petersburg (noun)
A major Russian port city located on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great founded the imperial capital on marshland in 1703 as a window to Europe.
A major Russian port city located on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great founded the imperial capital on marshland in 1703 as a window to Europe.
Quiz
What did Russian men have to carry to prove they paid Peter the Great's facial hair tax?
BETA
schopenhauer Match the tsars to their strangest scandals to discover the secrets of Russian history.
Quiz
St. Petersburg was temporarily renamed during World War I to what less German-sounding name?
Quiz
What was the name of the dynasty that ruled Russia from 1613 until the 1917 revolution?
Quiz
What precious material lined the walls of the famous 'lost' room in the Catherine Palace?
Quiz
What unique geological challenge did builders face when constructing St. Petersburg?
Quiz
Which Russian Empress officially established the Hermitage art collection in 1764?