RUSSIA – Saint Michael’s Castle in St. Petersburg // Goldeneye (1995)
In “Goldeneye”, James Bond gets imprisoned in Saint Michael’s Castle in St. Petersburg. Don’t be afraid to visit, you might get rewarded with a surprising trace to “Octopussy”.
Why Bond was here
The terrorist organization Janus steals a stealth helicopter and blows up a Soviet base up in Siberia. Bond (Pierce Brosnan) travels to St. Petersburg, where the presumed headquarter of Janus is. After a brief quarrel, Bond can escape – but gets imprisoned at an interrogation cell in the Russian defense ministry – aka the Saint Michael’s Castle in St. Petersburg.
The defense ministry in Saint Michael’s Castle
How you gonna get there
The Saint Michael’s Castle – or Mikhailovsky Castle – is not the real home to the Russian defense ministry, but a branch of the Russian Museum.
The Castle’s address is 2 Sadovaya Ulitsa, closest metro stations are Chernyshevskaya (Line 1) and Mayakovskaya (Line 3). Check out the St. Petersburg metro map for more details.
But we advise to just walk your way from the city center. Start at the beautiful Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and then head through the Mikhailovsky Park. The Castle is the big fortress-like structure. Filming took place in front of the main gate.
Good to know
You can visit the inside of Saint Michael’s Castle as it is part of the Russian Museum. Don’t miss the other branches of the museum just around the corner and the beautiful Fields of Mars park north of the castle.
But our tipp: The Fabergé Museum at the Shuvalov Palace. The museum hosts the world’s biggest collection of the famous (and expensive) Imperial Eggs. It is just a short walk down along the banks of Fontanka river.
For fans of James Bond, the Fabergé Museum is a must – as it displays that one special egg, that played an important role in Octopussy.
It is the famous Imperial Coronation Egg by Carl Fabergé and the role model for the green Fabergé Egg in Octopussy. Both the outside and the small carriage look similar, but the green version from the movie doesn’t exist in real life. If the original yellow one also has a hidden wiretap inside, stays a secret.
If you’re around the Saint Michael’s Castle, don’t miss the other great Bond locations. The famous tank chase had been filmed in the neighboring streets: Both at the banks of Moyka Canal) and in the Sennaya neighborhood.
© 2018 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1995 Danjaq Inc. and United Artists Pictures Inc. (2)