Saturday, November 2, 2013

Autumn in the amber city: Saint Petersburg

Autumn in the amber city: Photographs capture Russia's imperial capital Saint Petersburg bathed in orange, gold and red


By Ted Thornhill
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When photographer Amos Chapple sent a small drone helicopter up into the skies above Saint Petersburg to take pictures, he had no idea how they would turn out.
But as you'll see from the results, New Zealand-born Mr Chapple needn't have worried.
His airborne cameras have captured stunning images of the Russian city, bathed in an orange, gold and red autumnal glow.
Awesome autumn: A picture of the Smolny Convent at sunset, taken by a camera mounted on a small drone helicopter
Awesome autumn: A picture of the Smolny Convent at sunset, taken by a camera mounted on a small drone helicopter
The Church on Spilled blood lit by morning sunlight on a squally dayThe Church on Spilled blood lit by morning sunlight on a squally day
Mesmerising: Hermitage Pavilion, in the grounds of the Catherine Palace, at sunrise Mesmerising: Hermitage Pavilion, in the grounds of the Catherine Palace, at sunrise 

Landmarks that he captured include Mikhailovsky Castle, the Church of Spilled Blood, Hermitage Pavilion in the grounds of the Catherine Palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Saint Petersburg was founded by the Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 and was the Imperial capital of Russia until 1924, when the communist government that emerged from the revolutions of 1917 established its headquarters in Moscow.
The city was renamed Leningrad, but reverted to Saint Petersburg in 1991.
Up, up and away: An overview of central Saint Petersburg with the Church of Spilled Blood in foreground
Up, up and away: An overview of central Saint Petersburg with the Church of Spilled Blood in foreground
Picturesque: The cathedral within the Peter and Paul Fortress
Picturesque: The cathedral within the Peter and Paul Fortress
Eye-catching: Mikhailovsky Castle, surrounded by trees covered in red and brown autumnal leaves
Eye-catching: Mikhailovsky Castle, surrounded by trees covered in red and brown autumnal leaves

It is often said to be the most western of Russian's cities and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city has a total of 8,000 architectural monuments and over five million tourists visit it every year.
In September the Baltic city hosted the G20 summit, with world leaders enjoying a magnificent banquet at the Peterhof Palace during their stay.

 

THE AMBER ROOM: ST PETERSBURG'S LEGENDARY TREASURE CHAMBER

A replica of the Amber Room in the Catherine Palace, St Petersburg
A replica of the Amber Room in the Catherine Palace, St Petersburg

The Amber Room of the Tsars was one of the greatest missing treasures of WWII that was looted by the Nazis during their invasion of the Soviet Union.
Crafted entirely out of amber, gold and precious stones, the room - made of numerous panels - was a masterpiece of baroque art and widely regarded as the world's most important art treasure.
When its 565 candles were lit, the Amber Room was said to 'glow a fiery gold'.  It is estimated to be worth around £150million, but many consider it priceless.
It was presented to Peter the Great in 1716 by the King of Prussia.
Later, Catherine the Great commissioned a new generation of craftsmen to embellish the room and moved it from the Winter Palace in St Petersburg to her new summer abode in Tsarskoye Selo, outside the city.
The room was seized by the marauding Germans during their onslaught on Russia in 1941. 
Prussian count Sommes Laubach, the Germans' 'art protection officer' and holder of a degree in art history, supervised the room's transport to Koenigsberg Castle in what was then East Prussia.
In January 1945, after air raids and a savage ground assault on the city, the room was lost. 
Ever since, the Amber Room has become the new El Dorado, a quest that has enthralled the wealthy and the poor alike.

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