Alte Pracht und neuer Glanz (ZDF/arte)

Writer and Director: Dagmar Wittmers

Producer: Anna Grün

Production: Christine Lachmann, Anja Kownatzki

Line producer: Anke Meyer

Executive Producer: Hartmut Klenke

Location: Russia - St. Petersburg

Broadcast:
23.12.2009

Length: ca. 43 Minuten

 

Content:

This avenue has everything: Baroque splendor and Socialist gray, classy boutiques and old Babuschkas selling hats on the street corners, new openness and old mistrust. Nevsky Prospekt, which stretches almost five kilometers through St. Petersburg, has been the city’s most prestigious avenue since the days of Peter the Great. Like no other place in the city, it is surrounded by an aura of legend and history. This avenue was and is the scene not only of the country’s glorious ascent but also its tragic fall. Today, the lively hustle and bustle make this street more than a traffic artery. We learn the stories of residents, and the atmosphere, land and people but especially their personal experiences come to life. Once again in this episode of our series, the exceptional character of a boulevard gives us insight into everyday life so that we don’t just see the glittering facades. This documentary spans an arc of development from the boulevard’s origins to changes it has been through to everyday life here and now.