The Weird and Wonderful of Saint Petersburg

Ah St Petersburg, the so-called “Cultural Capital” of Russia, home to countless palaces, art galleries, museums, shops… the city has been held as the benchmark of what it meant to be “cultured”. Whilst this is true, like everywhere else, St P also possesses its own weird little quirks that will leave you bemused. From seeing people getting from A to B on scooters, to Soviet Ladas still whizzing about the streets, albeit just held together by duck-tape, St Petersburg is also a weird and wonderful city, and there are a few sights that you have to visit that will leave you bamboozled.

The weird display cabinets in the Kunstkamera (Кунсткамера)

The Kunstkamera has to come at the top of the list. It truly is a Russian real-life answer to American Horror Story. Originally founded as Peter the Great’s cabinet of curiosity, the Kunstkamera swiftly became a museum devoted to natural history. As such, one particular hall houses some of the more disturbing objects of the museum’s collections; the preserved remains of deformed animals and human foetuses. Yep, very weird and very, very creepy. As squeamish as they are, recording and preserving these objects were integral to advance our scientific and medical knowledge. In this sense, the Kunstkamera is not only a museum of natural history itself, but also a museum of the early methods to research the world around us. Admission is ₽300 for adults, ₽100 concessions. The building is located at 3., University Embankment.

The Upside-Down House (Дом вверх дном)

Located at the very top of Nevsky Prospekt (No.5), the Upside-down House is a five-minute walk away from Admiralteiskaya Metro Station. As the name suggests, literally everything is upside down. Weird.  The floor is the ceiling, and the ceiling is the floor. For ₽350, this quirky little “museum” won’t really take you long to get around, but it does give you the chance to take fun photos…are you really doing that handstand over the toilet??

Russia’s answer to ‘Inside-Out’: The Museum of Emotions (Музей эмоций)

Entrance to the Museum of Emotion just off Italyanskaya Street.

Just down from The Church on Spilled Blood (Спас на крови) and five minutes from our school (mid-class break, anyone??), the Museum of Emotions is super fun and super weird. For ₽500 (or ₽300 concession), a guide takes you on a 40-minute, interactive tour of the museum’s various rooms (so maybe that mid-class break is pushing it a bit…). Each room is dedicated to a different emotion. Think Disney’s ‘Inside-Out’. From love, to fear, you learn about what triggers our emotional responses, and with the challenges that each room provides (fancy being shut in a coffin? Or would you prefer dressing up as a King?), this museum really does provide a quirky option to pass an hour.

Udelnaya Flee Market (Большой рынок на Удельной)

Struggling to find that obscure piece of Soviet memorabilia that your relatives asked you to get? – This market may be the place to look. Literally anything and everything can be found and bought here for considerably cheaper prices, from fur coats to nostalgic Soviet toy lorries. Udelnaya Flee Market is bustling and teaming with life, especially at the weekends. The atmosphere is incredible, and you literally do bump into people from all walks of life. Another plus, it challenges your Russian to a new level!

The Monument to the Victims of Political Repression (Памятник жертвам политических репрессий)

Monument to the Victims of Political Repression

Although very unusual, this monument is very sombre, if not chilling. The monument stands across the Neva from Kresty Prison. The prison became notorious for processing thousands of people on their way to the Gulag. Drawing inspiration from the Sphinxes at University Embankment, the Monument comprises two, emaciated sphinxes. The face of either sphinx is haunting. One half supposedly bears the sad expression of Anna Akhmatova, whose husband died in a gulag. The other half of the face is a bare skull, which is on the side facing the Kresty Prison. The location is somewhat removed from other attractions, so you have to go on a really long walk along the Neva to find it, and it is quite deserted. This gives you an opportunity to reflect on a side of Russian history that only now is coming to the fore of public knowledge.

These are only just a few of the many unusual sights this city can boast of… more often than not you’ll stumble across many by accident. So, what places will you come across?

Posted by Thomas Reid

A passionate Russian and history student, I'm here in bonny St P. to build on my knowledge of Russian and learn more about the shared history between Scotland and Russia.