Saint Petersburg at 300, 2003, by Richard Wesley Pointer
From MemoryArchive
Who: Richard Wesley Pointer What: 300th anniversary When: 2003 May Where: Saint Petersburg Russia
Great crowds gathered on the banks of the Neva river. Late at night, with a warm wind blowing from the water, people waited as the 'lazernoye show' was to be put on. I remember looking at the Winter Palace standing across from me and the artifical clouds of smoke rising from the bank. The laser show was really a flop as the wind was too strong and you could not see the complete images the lazers were supposed to make. This event was sponsered by the city government to commerate the 300 year of Saint Petersburg's founding.
A few days later, a repeating of the 200th anniversary's flotila was sailed up the neva from the Gulf of Finland. It repeated what the Romanovs had done in 1903. I remember a picture of this event as a guide to why the Russians were doing it in 2003.
Around the 27th of May, a special event was held overnight. The Hermitage was open and the gates leading on to Dvortsaya Ploshad were used for the public, I think for the first time ever. Some portions of the museum were closed off but it was amazing none the less. I exited in the early hours of the morning through the gates again but by this time the crowd standing on the square had become very drunk and started to push and scream at the gate. I had to wait for some time before I could exit. But being familiar with White Night celebrations I was not surprised or frightened.
Generally, the city got its makeover almost imediately before the big celebrations took place. As with most Russian State projects, rumors of funds going missing circulated and projects were started and finished shortly before they had to be. I remember the pavement of many sidewalks on Nevsky Prospect were replaced with granite. Palaces, such as Stroganov's, were painted new colors from their traditional ones. People complained of this of course. A concert of Valori Grigoriev was held on the newly repaved Dvortsaya Ploshad. A chapel monument was placed near his hut.
Russians complained that Putin had Potemkin fences setup on the roads leading out of Petersburg to the circle palaces. Nevsky was often blocked for leaders' motorcades. Bush and 40 other world leaders came to Saint Petersburg to commemorate the event. The Amber room at Catherine Palace was not yet openned again after restoration and when it did open it was completely impossible to go see it because of the crowds in Pushkin.
Generally, this time after a harsh winter was very pleasant. People showed great love for Saint Petersburg. Crowds on certain days were so dense that getting to the banks of the Neva was impossible.
