RUSSIA – The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg // Goldeneye (1995)
On his visit in St. Petersburg, Bond encounters the Russian defense minister. He resides in a place with Imperial history.
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.
He is not the only one after Janus. The Russian Defense Ministry also wants to find out, who blew up their base. They meet in a conference room inside the Winter Palace – not knowing, that one of their own, General Ourumov (Gottfried John), is part of Janus.
The Winter Palace as seen in the movie
How you gonna get there
The Winter Palace is situated between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square in the heart of old St. Petersburg. Closest metro station is Admiralteyskaya.
Horse carriages circle the building, vendors sell hot potatoes on wheeled stalls. When you close your eyes for a second, you can almost imagine the time, when the Russian monarchs resided here. The Czars lived in the Winter Palace from 1732 to 1917, making it a royal residence of its own.
Good to know
Today, the Winter Palace is part of a complex of buildings housing the Hermitage Museum. And that is a museum, you shouldn’t miss. The Winter Palace itself is a place to explore, from golden staircases to baroque imperial halls pillared by marble columns. The whole Winter Palace is said to contain 1,500 rooms, 1,786 doors and 1,945 windows.
But there is more than just the beauty of the Imperial residence – that is to say the painting, statues and artifacts the Hermitage Museum now hosts. You find paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo, artwork from Jan Steen, Paul Gauguin and Rembrandt or interior masterpieces like the giant mechanical Peacock Clock. We really enjoyed the Egyptian and Japanese collection – and the beautiful “Lute Player” by Caravaggio.
Entry tickets to one of the Hermitage sites only is 300 Rubels, in a combined ticket with other museums between 400 and 700 Rubels. Check the homepage for the latest ticket prizes.
Visiting the Winter Palace can be tricky – as the Hermitage is the number one tourist attraction in St. Petersburg. The museum is crowded all day except for friday late afternoon. When most people care about dinner, you can wander in the long halls thinking of the old times, feeling a little bit royal yourself.
© 2018 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1995 Danjaq Inc. and United Artists Pictures Inc. (2)