Centennial of A Revolution: The Important Places Now

On November 7th, 1917 (Julian calendar October 25th, 1917), as a blank shot was fired from Pallada- class cruiser Aurora, revolutionary forces consisted of mostly workers and sailors rushed into the Winter Palace. After a violent struggle inside the magnificent building that was once the home of Russian Tsars since Peter the Great, the revolutionaries emerged victorious. From that moment on, Petrograd, then capital of Russia fell under the control of the Petrograd Soviet - a spontaneous political entity which the workers and sailors were members of. From that moment on, the very first regime that claimed its main objective was to achieve Communism and eliminate oppression of the working class was born.

From that moment on, Soviet Russia was born.

Despite all that oppression - probably worse than anyone at the time could ever imagine that took place during the life span of the regime founded by Vladimir Lenin, the revolution changed the history of the world. Many say it was a social experiment, with both good and bad results. 100 years later, some famous landmarks in the city of Petrograd (which, by the way, is called Saint Petersburg today) still tell the story of how that epic revolution happened. Let's first start with the one that fired the signal........

Russian Cruiser Aurora / Крейсер «Аврора»

OK, it's not quite a place. To the strictest definition Russian Cruiser Aurora is a ship that permanently docks at the confluence of the Neva River and Bolshaya Nevka River. Like mentioned before, Aurora played a very significant role in the October Revolution: firing a blank shot to signal the beginning of the revolution. Originally the ship served in the Russo-Japanese War - and was almost sunk. It escaped its way to the Philippines and returned to Russia after the conclusion of the war. This experience - to this day, is still the ship's only involvement with anything related to war as a battleship. When World War One broke out, Aurora served as a patrol ship sailing around the harbours and canals of Petrograd. That's exactly how it became handy when the rebelling sailors were looking for something to signal the attack of Winter Palace - there was a giant ship with a cannon right out there. 

Nice view from where Aurora is permanently docked

After the revolution, Aurora didn't really retire because of its significance. It became a training ship for the Baltic Fleet until World War Two broke out. During the Siege of Leningrad (Saint Petersburg's name during the Soviet era), ground forces dissembled the giant cannons of the ship and used them for land defense. Finally after the Great War, Aurora was permanently retired into a museum we know today. 

Winter Palace / Зимний дворец

It is possibly the most well-known building in Saint Petersburg today. Once the main residence of the Russian Tsars, it housed the Provisional Government after the fall of the Romanovs. On November 7th, revolutionary forces rushed into the Winter Palace and ended with the founding of Soviet Russia. The Winter Palace is also part of the Hermitage Museum, which was first established by Catherine the Great. As the Tsars are gone, it means that visitors of the Hermitage Museum have the opportunities to see more of the magnificent complex - including the Winter Palace itself.

Palace Square / Дворцовая площадь

This place is like the Tian'anmen Square of the Russian Empire. Back in 1905, a massive demonstration led by Father Gapon took place here. Just like its Chinese counterpart, it didn't go well - that's why today we know that event as the "Bloody Sunday". 

When the Russian people decided that they were dissatisfied with the Provisional Government's decision of still not pulling Russia out of World War One, many once again gathered at the Palace Square - hoping that their voices could be heard. Among those people were the Bolsheviks, who were simply there looking for opportunities to show the Provisional government who's the daddy (and of course seizing the power if everything goes well). The people were wrong: the Provisional Government didn't care about them. They sent the troops to the ground, and you know what happened next.  

Meanwhile, a man named Vladimir Lenin escaped to neighboring Finland. 

Helsinki Central Station / Helsingin päärautatieasema

However, it was not Lenin's first time in Finland. Back in April of 1917 he was sponsored by the German Kaiser to return from his exile in Switzerland. The current station, which was built in 1919, is absolutely stunning. Too bad Lenin never got the chance to see the glorious building - that is, if he waited for another two years.


Finland Station / Финляндский вокзал

Alright, if you name a station "Finland", it's pretty obvious that the main service destination of that station is also Finland.....

Statue of Lenin in front of Finland Station

For at least twice, comrade Lenin got off trains here. You can find a plaque permanently embedded into the wall of the station commemorating Lenin's epic return in April 1917. Right after his arrival, Lenin gave a speech at Finland Station to Bolsheviks and was calling for a proletariat revolution. 

Inside the station, you are expecting to find a dynamo from the same era. The dynamo, which towed a compartment Lenin was on,  helped  Lenin to escape Russia and return to Russia after the July Days demonstration mentioned earlier. When "Comrade Lenin" got off the train at Finland Station for the last time, the history of the world changed.

Smolny Institute / Смольный институт

The magnificent cathedral on the left is the Smolny Convent

The real significance of Smolny Institute does not lie inside its gorgeous cathedral, but rather inside a neo-classical building which houses today's Municipal government of Saint Petersburg. During the Bolshevik Revolution, it served as Lenin's office and the headquarters of the revolution. The Smolny is somewhat far from the Winter Palace - where the main actions of the revolution took place, yet it is also close enough that people can still walk to Winter Palace (especially when you are soldiers or workers). Maybe Communists hate everything about capitalism, but in terms of real estate, they certainly know that location matters a lot.

Kronstadt / Кроншта́дт

As one of the main supporters of the revolution, sailors of Russia's might Baltic Fleet played a pivotal role in the revolution. Before the U.S.S.R carved out Königsberg (modern day Kaliningrad) out of Germany after the Second World War, Kronstadt had been the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet since its first inception. The "Crown City" was Peter the Great's dream of domination in the Baltic Region. The conquest of this island 60 kilometers away from Saint Petersburg off the Bay of Finland itself was a manifestation of such dream as it was taken from a very mighty European superpower at the time - Sweden.

The island today hosts a sizable community - mostly military men and their families despite losing the status as the headquarters to Kaliningrad. The Naval Cathedral of Kronstadt - an enduring symbol of the island, was able to return to its original function as a place of worship after made into first a cinema, then a museum during the Soviet era. Today, there are still naval facilities on the island. That means..........

Yes, you can still find giant warships in Kronstadt.

Peter and Paul Fortress / Петропавловская крепость

This place was the where the city of Saint Petersburg started. The star -shaped former defense complex witnessed the rise and fall of Europe's once grandest city. The chapel inside the fortress serves as the resting place for Russia's imperial family. During the October revolution, the soldiers inside the fortress refused to surrender to the Bolsheviks. After the revolution, the complex became a prison where heavyweight opponents of the revolution were imprisoned during the course of the Russian Civil War. Since 1924, it has become a museum open to visitors. 

In 1998, Tsar Nicholas II's remains, which were found in the outskirts of Yekaterinburg, were interred together with other Russian Tsars inside the chapel.

Mariinsky Palace / Мариинский дворец  

Originally a prime private real estate of someone, the gorgeous palace was converted into the State Council of Imperial Russia in 1884. After the revolution in early March (late February in the Julian calendar), the palace continued to serve the new Provisional Government as the Council of the Russian Republic. After the October Revolution, the building was seized by the Bolsheviks, together with the power and means of productions. 

Monument of Tsar Nicholas I

After World War Two, the building housed the Leningrad Soviet and was renamed Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly after the fall of the U.S.S.R.

Mariinsky Palace from Saint Issac's Cathedral

I guess the morale of Mariinsky Palace's life story is: if you are gold, your value remains the same regardless whose hands you are on............

The Skyline of Saint Petersburg / Небоскреб Санкт-Петербурга

OK, What is that thing on the left of this picture called again?

Comrade Lenin, Vladimir Ilych / Товарищ Ленин, Владимир Ильич

Where is the man who was responsible for all this 100 years ago? (Hint: Not in Saint Petersburg)

A Russian Policeman in front of Lenin's Mausoleum

After his death in 1924 due to health complications caused by an assassination attempt in 1918, the body of comrade Lenin has been preserved in that famous Mausoleum in the middle of Red Square ever since. There were multiple proposals (literally, hundreds of them) to remove the body from the heart of the modern Russian nation, but......

The lineup to see Lenin's body is still awfully long today

Gave proof through the night, that his body was still there............