You want to study Russian in Russia, but can’t decide between St. Petersburg and Moscow? Both Russian metropoles have their own soul and culture and cannot really compare. Famous for being the cultural capital of Russia, St. Petersburg is a perfect study destination for an art-hungry bohemian or just anyone who appreciates fine arts, beautiful architecture, world-class museums and the European vibe.
1. The very height of culture.
Put your knowledge of the Russian language to the test and read the classics of Russian literature in their birthplace. Walk the very streets of Crime and Punishment and stand beneath the Bronze Horseman himself. You can even find a monument to Gogol’s Nos at 36 Voznesensky prospect.
St. Petersburg is also a city of theatres and home to over a hundred different theatre companies. What better way to consolidate what you’ve learnt in class, than to practice it with some cognac in the evening? Yet more than this, as the seat of Imperial power, St. Petersburg was also the seat of Imperial culture. Home to the world-renowned Imperial Russian Ballet, now called the Mariinsky Ballet, you can still see the company perform today at the Mariinsky Theatre.
2. Live the bohemian lifestyle.
St. Petersburg has a very artsy, student vibe. It’s a great city to explore between classes. Cheaper than Moscow, full of students and a bar on every corner. St. Petersburg is home to a whole range of interesting restaurants and bars. Two areas in particular, the streets Жуковского (Zhukovskogo) and Рубинштейн (Rubinshtein) are full of trendy places to spend the evening. Why not hop from bar to bar? Just be careful, make sure you’ve got rid of that headache before classes the next day!
3. The jewel of Imperial Russia.
As a student of Russian language, you’ll doubtless be fascinated by Russian history too. Well, in St. Petersburg you’ll be studying where it all happened. Whether mesmerized by the allegory of the Czars, or stunned by the force of the revolution, you can’t help but feel the weight of history on every street corner. With an ISIC card entry to the vast majority of museums is reduced and entry to the Hermitage is free. If you spent one minute at each exhibit in the Hermitage, you would spend eleven years walking round. Hopefully it won’t take you that long to learn Russian.
4. Learn Russian proper.
A small positive factor, making the many complexities of the Russian language that much easier, is that vast swathes of the country is pretty much dialect-less. If you locate a small tribe of three in the Siberian forest you may experience some issues with dialect, but otherwise not. That said, there are some differences in accent. Of course each area is proud and loyal to their own way of speaking and people from Petersburg are no different!
5. Liden and Denz
If you’re convinced by St. Petersburg, then Liden & Denz is the place for you to learn Russian. The language institute is centrally located on Italyanskaya ulitsa, just a stone’s throw away from Nevsky Prospekt. The school’s facilities are all geared towards the perfect language learning experience. The atmosphere is incredibly professional, with students from all over the world and from all walks of life. The teaching is first-rate and small class-sizes really engage students of all levels. They also run incredibly informative and entertaining excursions, so you can really learn what it means to be Russian, not just how to speak it.
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