A tombstone tourist will find plenty to get fascinated about in St Petersburg. Historical Tikhvin Cemetery and Volkovo Cemetery's "Writers' footways" were turned into museums.
Bogoslovskoye Cemetery's more remote, and more obscure, but pretty interesting nonetheless. Its main attraction are the graves of some of Russia's biggest rock stars. New-wave band Kino's singer Viktor Tsoi's car-crash death in 1990 was mourned by millions of fans, many of whom camped at his gravesite in Bratskaya path for years. I was a bit scared of the area when I was a kid, as my school was across the road.
Tsoi was later joined by Alexander "Ricochet" Aksyonov of punk band Obyekt Nasmeshek</a>; hard rocker Sergey Bogayev (Oblachny Kray</a>); and Kolibri's Natalya Pivovarova. Most recently, Mikhail Gorsheniov of punk band Korol I Shut was interned. It's largely his fans who play acoustic guitars, drink cheap booze, and warn people against doing anything disrespectful, like taking selfies, at the cemetery now.
Bogoslovskoye, like most cemeteries in the city, also features mass graves of those who died during the siege of Leningrad. Some of the non-musical celebrities include submarine captain Alexander Marinesko (who has a museum dedicated to him nearby), or film director Aleksei German (whose films are shown at the neighboring Filmofond from their original reels donated by his widow). My favorite, however, was the playwright Evgeny Schwartz - his grave is tucked away on the most obscure, impassable path, the cross turned away from passers-by, and no photo attached. Now that's modesty.
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"Berthold Centre" in St. Petersburg creates cozy and historic vibes with its big umbrella yard. I always have trouble deciding between the pizza & syrniki!
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The "Chaev Mansion" in St. Petersburg is a dental clinic that's actually in an old pre-revolutionary mansion! You can't miss it...
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"The Manege" in Saint Petersburg isn't just a place for trade fairs anymore -- the art exhibitions in this historical riding hall are just stunning!
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You are likely to see sunbathers and swimmers past St Peters and Paul Fortress on Troitsky bridge on any sunny day in Saint Petersburg -- or ice fishers!
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"Mariniere by Maison de Zhirobas" is one of the best seasonal restaurants, with the best seafood in Saint Petersburg! Not pretentious at all, either...
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Getting a ride on a marshrutka in Saint Petersburg is a small taste of local life, but getting the front seat -- that's a ride to rival a rollercoaster!
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"Doroga Zhizni Memorial", or The Road of Life, is a memorial to the 900 days of the Siege of Leningrad. You should also check out the famous marathon...
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"Eat Market" is a gourmet gastro-bar dining heaven in retail mall Galeria in St. Pete -- brought to you us by the masterminds behind Vasilievsky Market!
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"Dovlatov Statue" in Saint Peterburg is in the city's unoffical nightlife center. The spirit of this rebel continues to live on this street every day...
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"AF Brew Taproom" in Saint Petersburg is a beer enthusiast's dream! It's so fashionably hip it hurts & its vaulted ceiling is reminiscent of an old church.
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"Stiglitz Drawing Academy" is probably one of Saint Petersburg's most underrated gems. It really makes me feel I've been transported to 19th-century Paris.
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