St Petersburg through Nabokov’s Eyes
The University holds weekly guided tours of its museums.
During the tour, residents and visitors will immerse themselves in the atmosphere of early 20th-century imperial St Petersburg. They will discover how the young Vladimir Nabokov saw the city and which places remained in his memory as reflections of Russia, later woven into his literary works.
The tour begins on Bolshaya Morskaya Street—a thoroughfare as old as St Petersburg itself and one of its most prestigious. The route passes through the grand St Isaac’s Square, where visitors will learn about the role of the Mariinsky Palace and the Astoria Hotel in the Nabokov family’s life. The walk continues to Pochtamtskaya Street, where a church once stood—reportedly the site of Nabokov’s baptism. The tour concludes back on Bolshaya Morskaya Street at the Nabokov family mansion, the only home the writer ever truly knew.
Tour schedule
- 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28 June at 5 pm
Duration: 1 hour