Cruiser Aurora is considered the most famous symbol of the October Revolution and the most recognizable symbol of Leningrad and present day St. Petersburg. The cruiser was launched on the 11th of May, 1900. She was constructed to bolster the Russian Navy's presence in the Pacific. At that time Russia's relations with Japan were very tenuous and a military conflict was inevitable. In September 1903 the cruiser left the St. Petersburg port (Kronshtadt) to undertake the long journey to the Far East. She only reached South Africa when the news of the capture of Port Arthur capture by the Japanese fleet came. Further voyage was pointless and Aurora returned to the Baltics. Her next voyage was both disastrous and lucky. Severely damaged in Tsushima battle of 1905 (Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905), the cruiser miraculously escaped complete destruction and reached neutral Manila in the Philippines. In 1917 the Aurora's crew took an active part in the February and October revolutions. On the 25th of October she fired a blank shot to signal the storming of The Winter Palace (headquarters of the Provisional Government) by the Bolsheviks. Since then, cruiser Aurora remains a symbol of the Russian revolution.
Address: Petrovskaya embankment
