02. What does the name of this blog mean (part 1)?

Why did I decide to name this blog "White Nights in Tolstoy House"? I will explain the second part of the name in this first of a two-part post.

My housing situation is surprisingly awesome - probably the best "corporate housing" I've ever heard of. Everyone is St. Petersburg lives in apartments, and my company works with a relocation service to find suitable furnished apartments available from private landlords or apartment companies. So, I'm living in the same housing that locals might choose.

I let the relocation company know my preferences for neighborhood, size, etc. and they gave me a list of seven options. Three right in the heart of the city, two a little bit further out but still in the city center (Tsentralny District), one to the north on Aptekarsky Island, and one in the northern suburbs. My office is located north of the city so I wanted to be somewhere between the city center and the office. The commute from any of these apartments is straightforward but not quick - walk to the closest Metro station, ride the subway north, walk to the company bus pickup location, and then ride a bus to the facility which is basically in the middle of nowhere (although still technically within the city limits of St. Petersburg). Although I dislike a long commute (after spending several hours a day for seven or eight years commuting in Colorado), I decided that I'd rather live in the middle of the city and have easy access to all the museums, restaurants, and cultural opportunities. Might as well truly experience St. Petersburg while I am here!

I ended up choosing one of the apartments that is centrally located. It's a large building with one side facing the Fontanka River and the other Rubinshteyna Street, which is well known for the numerous restaurants and bars. The location could not be better - short walking distance to dozens of restaurants, a supermarket, three different Metro lines, museums, and parks. Plus, the building is historic and quite picturesque. It was constructed in 1910-1912 by Major-General Count Mikhail Pavlovich Tolstoy, nephew of Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy, a Russian statesman from the early 18th century and an ancestor of Leo Tolstoy.  

I won't put too much of the history of this building here, because there's already a Wikipedia page for Tolstoy House. Just some of the highlights:
1) The Tolstoy House appears as a setting in several Russian films.
2) One famous resident who was a member of Rasputin's inner circle was evicted from the Tolstoy House in 1916 by court decision following a lawsuit by the landlady (Countess Tolstoy), who did not like Rasputin and his followers visiting the building.
3) The building is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site number 540, Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.

Here are a few pictures of the inner courtyards and building exterior --



Comments

  1. That looks beautiful. I'd love to see pictures of the inside of your apartment, too. What an exciting experience!

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  2. Yes, please post inside pics! Love this!

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