What to do if you want to see the whole city at once? The best way to do this is to visit the observation deck. Those are available in different cities, they are in the Northern capital. More precisely, there are several of them; they are located in various buildings of the city. But St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg has an undoubted advantage over other high-rises, the observation deck of which shows a rather large historical central part of the city.
Temple
St. Isaac's Cathedral is a symbolic building. It has a very interesting and significant historical past for Russia. In addition, it is one of the largest temples in the city.
Its value among Orthodox cathedrals takes the second place, the first is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Who designed the St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg (St. Isaac of Dalmatia)? The architect who created this temple is Auguste Montferrand.
Where is St. Isaac's Cathedral: address
They built a famous Orthodox church in the center of St. Petersburg on St. Isaac's Square. This is remarkable not only because St. Isaac's Cathedral is interesting in itself; it is located next to many other historically significant architectural structures. That is why the observation deck, which is located at St. Isaac's Cathedral, is of great success, address: St. Petersburg, St. Isaac's Square, house number 1.
Museum in the Cathedral
The temple is at the same time a church affiliation, with one thousand nine hundred and ninety-first years, services are held there daily, at the same time it has the status of a state museum. The museum prepares many interesting projects that may interest any, even the most sophisticated tourist. So, back in the already distant two thousand and second year, the employees implemented an interesting transport (bus and river) project called the Cathedral Ring.
He introduces tourists to the temple culture of the city. Such excursions subsequently became permanent. In addition, the theme of excursions varied. There were those dedicated to the besieged Leningrad, the Romanov dynasty, the literary and musical life of the city, and many others. Guided tours are provided by guides, you can order an audio guide.
Concerts
Petersburgers and city guests are offered an interesting concert program. The temples hold concerts of organ and chamber music. Performances of the choir of Smolny Cathedral are also held. For visitors sound works of spiritual and classical music performed by the best representatives of the musical world of the classics of both Russian and foreign. Many performances are recorded on disks. You can buy them at souvenir stalls in order to subsequently enjoy your favorite music at home, remember to visit the cathedral.
In the museum, visitors can purchase a large number of souvenir and printed materials about the history of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The museum pays great attention to children. To work with them, the program "Museum - School" was developed. According to it, students are told in an interesting form about the history of the cathedral, Orthodoxy, religious culture and secular ethics, and many other topics. For those who want to not only see, but also learn the history of the city, thematic tours are organized. Every year they become more interesting. This is not surprising, because museum workers conduct a lot of research work, reveal new facts, restore new exhibits, hold many scientific conferences, where experts from all over the world share their experiences.
Interior
The decoration of the cathedral is very beautiful. In its interior, various directions of monumental and decorative art are harmoniously combined. The architectural solutions of the rooms are perfectly combined with the decoration of the temple. The sculptural ensembles are unique. In addition, the cathedral presents more than one hundred and fifty paintings with biblical subjects.
Area
Those who wish can visit the museum, as well as climb to the observation deck. There you can enjoy the magnificent views of St. Petersburg. The height of the observation deck is almost fifty meters, so the view from it is very good.
You can climb to the observation deck through an old spiral stone staircase. It has two hundred and eleven steps. This is indicated by the numbers on each of them. Climbing the stairs, each tourist falls on the roof of the cathedral, and then on the platform with columns.
This colonnade is the observation deck of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
This staircase is unique in its architectural concept. Tourists who have been to the most famous viewing platforms in the world note that it is not difficult to climb stairs, despite the great height. While walking on foot, for example, to the site of the Eiffel Tower is much more tiring.
“Accessible environment”
A great achievement of recent years is the use of the Accessible Environment program. Now the observation deck of St. Isaac's Cathedral is accessible even for people with disabilities. It helped that a hundred years ago there was a lifting mechanism.
On the basis of it, it became possible to build an elevator. This has recently helped a huge number of people with disabilities to see the city from a great height, which they could not even dream of before. The observation deck management warns that the elevator will only be used for its intended purpose. That is, any visitor will not be able to use it.
Surprisingly, despite the fact that the spiral staircase, colonnade and observation deck of St. Isaac's Cathedral were built much later than the temple itself, they fit perfectly into the style of the entire architectural ensemble.
Kinds
A walk along the observation deck will introduce gorgeous views. First, visitors see St. Isaac's Square, the eponymous square, a monument to Emperor Nicholas I. Then the look stops at the Mariinsky Palace, then the historical buildings of the Astoria hotel complex are visible. Moving on, you can see the Alexander Garden.
Then tourists will see the former Senate and Synod in Senate Square. Now these buildings are occupied by the Presidential Library and the Constitutional Court. Then go the Admiralty Spire and
Palace Square, followed by the Winter Palace. In the background you can see the Neva and residential buildings, as well as the Church of the Savior on Blood and
Kazan Cathedral.Working hours
The observation deck of St. Isaac's Cathedral gives a magnificent view. The mode of operation at different times of the year is slightly different. In winter, the site can be reached daily from 11 to 18 hours. Wednesday is a day off.
You need to know that the ticket office closes an hour earlier, otherwise you may not be in time before closing. In the summer, in addition to the hours already indicated, there are additional hours when people can visit the site. This is very convenient for those who want to not only get acquainted with the views, but also enjoy the white nights, which will be helped by the observation deck of St. Isaac's Cathedral. Opening hours in white nights - from 19 to 4 in the morning.
Ticket price
Entrance to the observation deck is paid. This must be remembered to everyone who wants to visit St. Isaac's Cathedral. An observation deck, the price of which is quite low, attracts many visitors.
Tickets cost from 50 (for children and people with disabilities) to 250 rubles (for adults). For people with disabilities, the observation deck of St. Isaac's Cathedral is completely free. But they can visit it only by appointment, this is due to the fact that a few strollers are placed in the elevator.
Conclusion
The observation deck of St. Isaac's Cathedral offers a magnificent panorama of the city. Anyone who has been here will never forget these moments of contact with the history that this amazing temple gives.