Messages

46

News Links / Re: Growth of tourism in St Petersburg halted

« on: August 05, 2013, 09:39:25 AM »

Returning to the title of this thread.

This spring/summer I visited St. Petersburg seven times. That is the advantage of living in Finland, St. Petersburg is close. These days even closer: the new Allegro train brings you in 3,5 hours from Helsinki to St. Petersburg. But, yes, you need a visa.
The early morning train, departure 6.12 am costs only 40 euros 2nd class, all other departures some 90 euros

St. Peter Line's Ms Princess Maria leaves every second day Helsinki for St Petersburg. The ferry takes you overnight there (and the second night back). You can take a one day cruise or even stay one or two nights in St Petersburg without the need for a visa! You pay 25 euro for the city transfer (in stead of a visa). If you stay one night you return on the ms Princess Anastasia that does the route St. Petersburg-Helsinki-Stockholm-Tallinn-St. Petersburg.
Off season the rates are very low for workday departures.

During my visits these months in St Petersburg I was surprised by the huge amount of tourists there, both foreign and Russian. Also in the new cruise terminal at the end of Vasiliostrov-island I noticed every time many big cruise ships (they visit Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn, Copenhagen as well and seem to be very popular these days).

So let's hope tourism in St. Petersburg is going through good times and the income from tourism helps to develop the city more and more.

47

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: New Book: Alexandra Feodorovna and Toni Becker

« on: August 04, 2013, 01:15:34 PM »

So far only the cover of the Russian edition here:

http://www.peterhof-biblioteka.ru/calendar/1006.html

I will try to find out more and come back to you.

Regards,
Rudy, Finland

48

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: New Book: Alexandra Feodorovna and Toni Becker

« on: August 03, 2013, 09:22:40 AM »

This book of letters from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to her youth-friend Toni Becker-Bracht has now been published in Russian, translated by Elena Alexeevna Kopylova.

49

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: August 02, 2013, 09:22:55 AM »

Talking about those injuries, some might have been inflicted by Yusupov, using a rubber truncheon, given to him by Vaslly Maklakov, "just in case". as he writes in his Memoirs. The role or participation in the murder of Vasily Maklakov, a lawyer and member of the State Duma is interesting. He is mentioned in the memoirs of Yusupov, as provider of that truncheon, and of Purishkevitch, as provider of the poison. But in 1923, in a foreword to a reprint of Purishkevitch Memoirs, he declines the suggestion of having provided Yusupov with the poison. And in 1928 in a Parisian Russian magazin he tells his own story of how Yusupov "got" the truncheon from him. Well, it is possible this truncheon was used ... (A picture of this truncheon appeared in the Parisian Russian magazine Illustrirovannaya Rossiya - La Russie Illustrée in 1932)   

50

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: July 29, 2013, 02:54:16 AM »

Forum Admin, this opinion of yours implicates, that you do not support the Post Mortem as published by Cook? In this report it says: The left-hand side has a gasping wound inflicted by some sharp object or possibly a spur. The right eye has come out of its orbital cavity and fallen on the face. At the corner of the right eye the skin is torn. The right ear is torn and partially detached. The neck has a wound caused by a blunt object. The vicitim's face and body bear the signs of blows inflicted by some flexible but hard object. The genitals have been crushed due to the effect of a similar object.
These wounds point to some kind of torture.
But, as said before, this PM is most likely a fake.
I go for the information by Kosorotov that was published in Russkaya Volya and that does not mention these wounds.

51

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: July 28, 2013, 01:13:38 PM »

Again, here too: it is hard to imagine Felix playing his guitar and singing songs for Rasputin, he is about to murder......

52

Rasputin / Re: Another myth?

« on: July 28, 2013, 12:45:49 PM »

Another myth?

In all books on the murder of Rasputin there is one detail all writers seem to agree upon: the record played in the Yusupov palace the moment Rasputin arrived there: Yankee Doodle. Yusupov writes in his memoirs about an American song, Purishkevitch mentions the Yankee Doodle march. Many writers go on to mention that this was the only record there and was being played on and on. This sounds at least suspicious, as we are talking about one of the richest men in Russia of the time!

53

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: July 27, 2013, 12:21:39 PM »

Some more about Cook, about which Forum Admin writes: "The original report was researched heavily by Andrew Cook in 2005 for his book on Rasputin". After reading footnote nr 13 as source for his PM report I am not impressed and not sure about that "heavy research": Report of the Autopsy on the body of Grigori Rasputin by Professor Kossorotov, 20 December 1916 (Museum of Political History, St Petersburg). Also reproduced in Raspoutine est innocent, Alain Rouillier (France Europe Editions Livres, 1998), p.514ff.
The reason: in the Museum of Political History, St. Petersburg they do not have any Autopsy Report of Rasputin! They do have a book with the well known pictures of Rasputin when he was taken out from underneath the ice of the Malaya Nevka river. So the "heavy research" by Cook was probably the translation of the Report from French to English.

54

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: July 27, 2013, 01:37:35 AM »

Alexander Potapov already in 2006 in his book Vremya umirat (Time to die) proved the Roullier (Shishkin/Cook) report to be a fake.

55

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: July 26, 2013, 04:13:14 PM »

Today we do not have the original report of the Post Mortem. As you write, Cook produces an accurate reconstruction of the pertinent information and details. There he writes: The third (bullet) hit the victim in the forehead and penetrated the brain.
But, it seems, we will not agree on the existence or non existence of this PM. I really do hope to see it one day!

56

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: July 26, 2013, 03:10:51 PM »

Kosorotov states (in Russkaya Volya and in Kovyl-Bobyl's book), that Rasputin was shot (the third shot) in his forehead, so he would have been lying face up.

As to the quotes by Spiridovitch (in his Raspoutine 1863-1916 from 1935) and Cullen (Rasputin 2010), they do not provide us with any source. Just to say that "Kosorotov is his report says this and that" is too vague to be sure they have seen and used the original report, in my opinion.

57

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: July 26, 2013, 01:11:12 PM »

Petr, I just wonder what you mean by saying that the "autopsy reports are publically available". The official report has gone missing and we only have Kosorotov's words as were published in the newspaper Russkaya Volya on March 10, 1917. These words were later quoted in Kovyl-Bobyl's book Vsya pravda o Rasputine (1917).  A fake report has been published by Alain Roullier in 1998. This report was then again used by Oleg Shishkin in his book about the murder of Rasputin.

58

Rasputin / Re: Why the Yusupov Palace?

« on: July 18, 2013, 10:59:19 AM »

Air...hardt yes, close enough for a pilot... Amelia Earhart.

59

Films and TV shows about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: New Rasputin movie with Leonardo DiCaprio

« on: June 28, 2013, 03:43:03 PM »

In Russia a new film about Rasputin is being shot at the moment. Director Andrei Malyukov. In the role of Rasputin Vladimir Mashkov, who played Nicholas II in Depardieu's Rasputin film.

60

Servants, Friends and Retainers / Re: Mathilde Kschessinska (1872 - 1971)

« on: May 29, 2013, 02:45:52 AM »

Sorry, I was wrong here above. In the graduation performance she danced with partner Rakhmaninov a pas-de-deux from the ballet la fille mal gardee. Sorry for that mistake