This package will greatly enrich your St. Petersburg tour. You will learn about the history of Jewish Community of St. Petersburg, see places connected with the most prominent representatives the community, and you will also meet community members at a Jewish cultural center.
Jewish Heritage of St. Petersburg Tour
Duration: 3,5 hours
This tour offers a detailed look into the history and present-day life of the Jewish community in St. Petersburg. You will be taken to the Kolomna district, one of the oldest areas of St. Petersburg and the center of St. Petersburg's Jewish life in the 19th century.
You will visit the Grand Choral Synagogue which was built in Kolomna at the end of the 19th century. The building is richly decorated in the Moorish style, and is the second largest synagogue in Europe. Your guide will take you to famous sights, such as Conservatoire founded by Anton Rubinstein, the outstanding pianist, composer and conductor; The tour includes a drive along the Neva River to see palaces that belonged to the wealthiest representatives of the Jewish Community.
At the end of the tour, you will visit the Museum of Ethnography to see the permanent exhibition, 'History and Culture of the Jewish People of Russia' . This exhibition is considered the first step to the formation of an independent Jewish museum in St. Petersburg.
Visit to Jewish Cemetery and YESOD Jewish Cultural Center
Duraion: 4 hours
Preobrazhenskoye (Transfiguration) Jewish Cemetery was created in 1875. It started as a separate burial place for adherents on non-Christian religions. On the territory of the cemetery, one can see impressive tombs (many of them designed by famous architects) of prominent representatives of the St. Petersburg Jewish community as well as mass graves of Baltic Sailors killed in WWII.
YESOD (which means 'foundation' in Hebrew) occupies an impressive contemporary building which was constructed in 2005 and since has become home of many Jewish organizations in Saint Petersburg. YESOD offers a number of cultural, educational, social and community programs and also is the source of many projects aimed at the revival of Jewish self-identity, and the values and traditions of Judaism in Russia.
If you take a general St. Petersburg tour with us that includes both Pushkin and Peterhof, we will include at no extra charge the Monument to the Victims of Holocaust in Pushkin and the Anton Rubinstein monument in Peterhof.
Monument to the Victims of Holocaust and the execution grounds near the Alexander Palace in Pushkin
This monument commemorates the 10,000 Jews killed in the town of Pushkin during WWII. The Jewish ghetto was only 3 km away from the frontline and 20 km away from the besieged city of Leningrad, today St. Petersburg. The monument was designed in 1972 and erected only in 1991 because mention of the holocaust was taboo in the USSR.
Anton Rubinstein monument in Peterhof
Anton Rubinstein was a famous 19th-century Russian composer of Jewish origin. He was also an outstanding pianist, conductor, and the founder of Russia's first musical Conservatoire in St. Petersburg. The composer spent many years in Peterhof giving charity concerts here. His Peterhof dacha turned into a center of local cultural life and he was even given the title of 'Honorable Citizen of Peterhof' for his many achievements. It is only fair that the composer's statue was erected here in 2005!
Package includes:
| Number of people | 2 | 3 - 4 | 5 - 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per person | $263 | $213 | $152 |
This specialty extension package can be added on or mixed and matched with any of our standard tours or to any customized tour. You can even build your own tour around this package, adding on hotels and other services.
Prices include
Prices do not include
Package dates are flexible. It can be customized to your taste. We can include additional excursions or performances as well as hotel accommodation on your request. We can also mix and match this package with our St.Petersburg tours.
Payment policy:
To book a tour, 30% deposit is required at the moment of booking. The trip must be fully paid 31 days before departure.
Cancellation policy:
61 or more days before departure - a fee equal to 15% of the entire package will be charged.
60-15 days before departure - a fee equal to 30% of the entire package will be charged.
14 days or less before departure or no-show - a fee equal to 100% of the package will be charged.
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