Dreamy Brutalism in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The World of XPILAR - CITYSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART CONTEST, WEEK #071

In January, after a week of harsh frost, I went out to try this winter's ice on the Neva River. I live quite near to the river's mouth so there was no need to travel far.

Every time, this is a special feeling: instead of an uncrossable water obstacle, you find an empty vast road covered with snow... "How?! Why?! Who constructed the road at the site of the river?!" - your deluded consciousness asks.

You cautiously step... and walk with pleasure, forgetting fear.

This is the Marine Station, a pier and a hotel, opened in 1982 when Russia was a part of a bigger country called the USSR or the Soviet Union... (Have you heard about it?)

The facade looks towards the water so a walk on the ice is a chance to see the building from the best angle.

Arches above windows are designed in the form of wind-inflated sails and made of aluminium... The building is just covered with aluminium as if it wears armour.

Many Soviet marine and train stations were topped with a star that symbolized the Soviet ideology, but not this one. The 78-metre spire, covered with titanium (!), ends with a decorative globe and a ship, both painted golden. Actually, there is a star there (below the globe) but you won't notice it without binoculars.

At the design stage in the 1970s, battles unfolded against the aluminium sails; they didn't want the tower with the spire either. Not functional!

Check a related photo story of mine:

• The river I live by. My photos and a couple of cute facts about the beautiful Neva River.

Experts consider that the building belongs to brutalist architecture. If so, this is romantic, even dreamy brutalism which contrasts with Soviet functional architecture of that time.

Neighbouring with the chimneys of a thermal power station seems to emphasize that the building, if she could choose, would prefer being born a real ship to unfold the sails and leave the dull Soviet country...

The day was great. -6 Celsius is not too low to feel uncomfortable but low enough to keep the snow dry and fresh. No wind, low humidity, the sun softened by the net of clouds - this was a dream winter weather. I went out "just to see" and lost myself on that dazzling white road for several hours.

This is a #steemexclusive story for The World of XPILAR - CITYSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART CONTEST, WEEK #071.

The photo taken on January 20, 2021, published on the web for the first time.

Camera: Nikon D750 | Lens: lovely Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G
Aperture: f/8.0 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | ISO: 400

Thank you for reading!

P.S. The article has been translated into Russian and posted in my personal blog with providing a link to the source.