LENINGRAD CITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24715, 18 September 1941, Page 13

LENINGRAD CITY

, ANCIENT CAPITAL FINE ARCHITECTURE A CENTRE OF SCIENCE Leningrad, ancient capital of the Czars (writes a special correspondent of the New Zealand Herald), is one of the finest towns in the world. Unlike Moscow, a town of slow development, the old St. Petersburg had been well thought out and built after an artistic plan. The old masters of Russia had employed the best architects of Europe from the eighteenth century to the beginning of the nineteenth century for the construction of the capital of the emperors. They built no isolated buildings, just great groups o« buildings. They marked out wide boulevards and imposing avenues with much care. To-day Leningrad is the most important scientific and cultural centre of Russia. It is the seat, of more than 150 institutes and scientific societies. The celebrated academy of sciences, the .theatre, the opera and the ballet are equally as celebrated and artistically unrivalled. Great Industrial Importance

From the industrial point of view, Leningrad is as important as Moscow. Its heavy and light industries and.its workshops are developing rapidly, lne factory "Krasnig Pontilovetz" manufactures the celebrated locomotives wagons and other heavy machines. It also makes some of the finest automobiles. The bus-y port of Leningrad through which passes the greatest ot the Soviet exportation and importation, presents a particular interest, for in this port arrive direct from London, Hamburg, and Stettin comfortable passenger steamers of over 5000 tons. The monuments of old St. Petersburg and the places of the new Socialist Leningrad are most interesting, bo, too, is the avenue 25 October, the longest street in the world. In the suburb of Naroski you see the new Leningrad, with its dwellings, clubs, shops, and houses of culture, all built after the revolution. The Museum Evmitags, situated in one of the wings of the Winter Palace, contains large rooms, housing some treasures of art illustrating the development of humanity during a period of more than 6000 years. There are treasures from Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Syria, and a remarkable collection of pictures comparable to those of the Louvre in Pans. In the numerous parks and public gardens are fine openair theatres. New System of Education Adjoining the factories are annexes, where the new system of education is carried out—combining theory with practice. There is also a workers' residential club, with a clinic attached to attend to the workers' health. Rastrelli and Tuarenghi. two celebrated architects of the eighteenth century, constructed the palaces of Catherine and Alexander. One will always remember (he splendour of the palace of Catherine. Behind it is the palace of Alexander—residence of the last Czar, Nicolas 11. Most of the rooms have been left just as they were on the eve of the revolution—the bedroom, the workroom, library, and the swimming pool. The manner in which these rooms are decorated with objects of great value is unique. There are documents concerning Rasputin. Fortress of Petep and Paul Situated on the banks of the Neva is the fortress of Peter and Paul. This fortress, built in 1703, is one of the oldest buildings of St. Petersburg. For more than two centuries it served as a political prison, where were sent the enemies of the Czarist system, who could not be exiled in Siberia. Preserved intact to-day. this museum of the revolution gives the visitor an

exact idea of the conditions which existed in Russia in nrc-revolutionary days. Also of interest is another museum of the revolution, situated in one of the wings of the Winter Palace. The objects which are shown illustrate the history of the revolutionist movements of Western Europe during the last 300 years; the events of the Civil War after 1917, and the life of the political prisoners, exiled by the Czarist Government. Then there is the immense park of culture and of repose on the island of Elagnine. where the workers of Leningrad pass their leisure. Richly Ornamented Cathedral The interior of the Cathedral St. Isaac is richly ornamented with precious stones of jasper porphyry and of malachite. From the gallerv of the immense dome of this cathedra] one has a magnificent view of the city. Thousands of slaves worked for 40 years lo build the cathedral, the second largest in the world. In winter, the season of the "white nights." one should take a stroll through the town at night. The Neva, the canals and all the buildings are enveloped in a bluish glimmer—an unforgettable sight.