Preparations are under way to mark the 300th anniversary of the Sheremetyev Palace (Fountain House) on the Fontanka in St. Petersburg.

Restoration work is now underway on the palace, including the iron-grille fence. It is interesting to note that this is the first time that such work has been carried out on the unique fence. Restorers have had to work hard to regain lost fragments of iron rods and the beautiful detail of the palace gate which includes the Sheremetyev coat-of-arms.

© Royal Russia. 13 October, 2011

St. Petersburg has unveiled a memorial plaque at the site of an historic church built to commemorate the Russian sailors who died in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05.

The memorial plaque is a metal outline of the church placed against a white limstone flag of St. Andrew. The flag is flown by the Russian Navy.

The Church of Our Saviour on the Water was sanctified 100 years ago today in the presence of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II. In 1932, the white-stone church was demolished by the Soviets.

Supporters formed a committee with the hope of reconstructing the church. A small chapel was consecrated on 24 May, 2003. Many items were donated to the chapel which had been kept in the families of the descendants of Russian naval officers who died in the Russo-Japanese War. Regular services are held in the chapel for the dead sailors.

© Royal Russia. 13  August, 2011

View of New Holland Island in St. Petersburg. Development of the island will cost 12 billion rubles over the next 7 years. Note the 2 artists views of what the island will look like once the project is complete.

New Holland Island in St. Petersburg has opened to visitors for the first time in 300 years.

Visitors are welcome to a park for the rest of this summer offering exhibition space for modern-day painters, a playground, a café and the city’s first public vegetable garden.

Two key goals for the developers of the New Holland Island project are to restore and renovate the historic architectural ensemble on the island, as well as to create a unique mixed-use facility that will become a central part of the lives of city residents. 

At estimated 12 billion rubles will be spent over the next 7 years that will include a collection of cultural spaces, theaters, exhibition halls, educational centers, and science labs, specializing in the advancement of information technologies. Alongside them would be a vital array of commercial infrastructure, from office space to residences, hotels and more.

A unique complex of architectural monuments was built on the island back in 1719, while in 1721, Peter the Great opened Russia’s first naval base there.

The island dates back to the birth of St. Petersburg itself and has been the domain of the military ever since it began to be developed.  As a result, the island has been off limits to the general public for nearly 300 years.

© The Voice of Russia. 16 July, 2011