Review of "Treasures of Russia: St. Petersburg and Its Environs"

Review of

Treasures of Russia: St. Petersburg and Its Environs, ISBN 978-5888100592


Five out of five stars

 Having spent a few days in St. Petersburg before the complete collapse of the Soviet Union, I can personally attest to the sheer beauty of the structures in this old imperial capital city. I was there with a delegation of American computer professionals and some of our meetings took place in palaces appearing in this book. We spent a half-day touring the Hermitage, seeing some of the most impressive and priceless artwork.

 We also went on an extensive tour of the Peterhof Palace with the many gold colored statues and fountains. Elegant and impressive, it is a tribute to the sheer will of Peter the Great to create a monument to his grand design for the Russian Empire. Those of us that understood the history of the region speculated on how many impressed workers died while creating this masterpiece of architecture.

 St. Petersburg is truly a city of wonders, with more fascinating sights that can be seen in a vacation of several days. This book of beautiful photographs captures the essence of what is there, but there is nothing that can match walking through the grounds of an imperial palace or seeing a painting by a master from less than twenty feet away. It is truly the cultural capital of Russia.