Now on air
02:30
The Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
Kronshtadt, a small island city on the Finnish Gulf, was initially built as a fortress however is now known all over Russia for its naval cathedral. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century with a wide variety of specialists from all over taking part in its construction. The tall building was meant to be a monument to fallen sailors and to serve as a landmark to those returning from sea. Evgenia Altfeld set off to check out the history of the cathedral’s construction, also learning about the life of Father John Sergiev, later canonized under the name of John of Kronshtadt. It was much due to this preacher that the cathedral was built. In the late 19th-early 20th century Kronshtadt became one of Russia’s spiritual centres.
Artist and engraver Vladimir Nuzhdin
From a hobby to a craft to an art — this is the typical path an artist takes in pursuit of perfection. We call the things which give us esthetic pleasure masterpieces and admire the talent of their creators by calling them masters of their craft. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago Nuremberg flat pewter miniatures came from Germany to Russia, where they found both their craftsmen and collectors. This type of small figure was extremely popular among people from all social classes. During the Soviet Union these flat Nuremberg miniatures were preserved thanks to the tin soldiers which were cast by hand for schoolchildren to play with. Artist and engraver Vladimir Nuzhdin once did this. He tells the Russian Travel Guide some of the tricks of the trade and he and his friends share stories about the difficult path to international recognition.
Now on air
02:15
Artist and engraver Vladimir Nuzhdin
The Mikhailovsky theatre
There is probably no other theatre in St. Petersburg that has changed names as many times as the Mikhailovsky. It has been called the Theatre of Comic Opera, the Maly Petrogradsky Theatre, the Maly Opera Theatre and, for a long time, the Modest Mussorgsky Theatre. It finally regained its former name as the Mikhailovsky Theatre, which was named after Mikhail Pavlovich, the brother of Nikolai I. The history of this beautiful theatre has always been quite bright and active, even during the times when it seemed not to be putting on any shows. This fact becomes clear as soon as you step backstage. Host Olga Degtyareva attended an opera and ballet rehearsal where she discovered just what happens in the secret and mysterious backstage world.
Now on air
02:15