Museum Night Event To Reveal City Secrets
Published: May 16, 2012 (Issue # 1708)
St. Petersburg’s annual Museum Night will give residents and visitors the chance to check out the city’s cultural hotspots until the small hours of the morning on the night of May 19.
The theme of this year’s event is “City Secrets,” because St. Petersburg museums have many secrets that are often unknown to the public, organizers said.
“Puzzling events, breathtaking stories and secrets concerning some historical pieces or even whole buildings will all become part of the Museum Night program,” the organizers said.
At the Botanical Gardens, visitors will be able to wander through the flora in search of the elusive fern blossom until 6 a.m.
Guides at the Yelagin Palace on Yelagin Island will share secrets about the imperial Romanov family, explain the puzzles of Rossi’s architecture and hidden signals that ladies and gentlemen exchanged during balls in the 19th century.
The Gatchina State Museum in the suburb of Gatchina will share secrets from the prophesy of the monk Avel and from the burnt diaries of Empress Maria Fyodorovna.
Those who visit the Leningrad Zoo will find out some of the zoo’s legends such as the story of Peter the Great’s horse, the skeleton of the blue whale and how some of the animals have starred on the silver screen.
Other museums participating in the event will have their own secrets to share.
At least 74 museums are taking part in this year’s event, 19 of them for the first time. Many museums will be open from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., some from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and others until only 11 p.m.
The local event has proven highly popular in recent years, so nocturnal museum-goers should be prepared for long lines.
For more detailed information, visit www.artnight.ru/program.