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Strelka Review

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Strelka

Address: Vasilievsky Island, St. Petersburg

Category: Squares
Location: Vasilievsky Island

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Fodor's Review:

The Strelka ("arrow" or "spit") affords a dazzling view of both the Winter Palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress. This bit of land also reveals the city's triumphant rise from a watery outpost to an elegant metropolis. Seen against the backdrop of the Neva, the brightly colored houses lining the embankment seem like children's toys—the building blocks of a bygone aristocracy. They stand at the water's edge, seemingly supported not by the land beneath them but by the panorama of the city behind them. Gazing at this architectural wonder is a great way to appreciate the scope of Peter the Great's vision for his country. The view is also revealing because it makes clear how careful the city's founders were to build their city not despite the Neva but around and with it. The river's natural ebb and flow accord perfectly with the monumental architecture lining its course.