Photo exhibition at the Moscow Headquarters of the RGS. Photo: RGS press service / Anna Yurgenson
On New Year’s Eve, the Russian Geographical Society presents two walking tours with audio guides along the central streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The main points of attraction are the headquarters of the RGS in the historical buildings of the two capitals: next to Lubyanka and a step away from St. Isaac’s Square. You can go for a two-hour walk/immersive story narrated by a professional cast right now. The St. Petersburg and Moscow routes are posted on the TravelAsk travel community platform.
The routes in Moscow and St. Petersburg, accompanied by audio guides, are circular — they begin and end at the doors of the RGS Headquarters. These buildings of the turn of the 19th century are actually separate city blocks. You can get inside by appointment, but the effect of presence and immersion in the world of geographical discoveries is also provided by looking at the exterior during a walk. The routes are designed so that guests can see the historical center outside the patterns of a sightseeing tour, and Muscovites and Petersburgers can rediscover familiar places.
Specialists from the RGS and professional guides participated in the development of the architecture and composition of the routes. For example, the curator of the Moscow route is Andrey Klyuyev, head of the Moscow Museum’s tour bureau and a member of the Commission for the Certification of Guides under the Moscow Tourism Committee.
The route through Moscow. Illustration: TravelAsk
The audio tour of the Russian capital includes 15 locations and largely repeats the contour of the barely preserved Kitay-gorod Wall. The circular walking route starts and finishes at the red brick Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society. The voices of the route belong to the actress of theater and cinema (the same female voice from the program «Galileo») Irina Kireeva and actor Stanislav Kontsevich. Residents and guests of the capital will visit Lubyanka Square, discover the secrets of the ancient Moscow walls, study the history of the Russian press, and see the city from the Floating Bridge.
The route through St. Petersburg. Illustration: TravelAsk
The audio tour of the Northern Capital connects 17 locations of the Admiralteysky District of the city. The start and finish point is the historical Headquarters of the RGS at Pereulok Grivtsova, which was specially built for the Society. The voice of the route is Ilya Isaev, a theater and film actor, announcer and dubbing actor. The composition of the route immerses in the difficult process of creating ensembles of the Mariinsky Palace and St. Isaac’s Cathedral, mentally takes you back to the 18th century New Holland, and leads you on a historical stroll along the Fontanka embankment.
«The headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society are inextricably intertwined in the history of the two capitals. The launch of audio tours is part of a systematic effort to expand opportunities to get to the Headquarters of the RGS,» said Sergei Korlykhanov, First Deputy Executive Director of the RGS. «We started it on the eve of the 180th anniversary of the Society. This year, we have optimized the scenario of visiting the Headquarters in St. Petersburg and launched tours of the building in Moscow. Now it is convenient to book a visit with an excursion through the RussPass system. So audio tours are just the beginning of a great introduction to the RGS. After walking around the Headquarters buildings, you will definitely want to be inside and continue to discover the world of geography, accompanied by enthusiastic professionals: participants in the expeditions of the Society, its historians, and curators».
The routes «On Foot around the Headquarters of the RGS» have been created in partnership with TravelAsk, the largest travel community, and are available in two versions.: text and audio audioguide.travelask.ru.