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Ayn Rand In St. Petersburg

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Buy or borrow a copy of Jeff Britting's mini-biography Ayn Rand. The first chapter includes lots of such information.

Some highlights -

- Ayn Rand's family lived at what is now 40/27 Zabalkansky Blvd (old address was 47/21) when she was born.

- The Stoyunina Gymnasium was where she attended elementary school.

- Ayn Rand watched the Russian Revolution begin while standing at her family's apartment window overlooking Znamenskaya Square. Their address was 120 Nevsky Prospekt.

- She attended Lenningrad State University, buildings of which apparently are still around and in use.

- She attended operettas in theatres on Nevsky Prospekt - perhaps some of them may still be standing and, who knows, maybe even still functioning as theatres.

- She worked as a tour guide at the Peter And Paul Fortress Museum.

- The book shows a modern photograph of a building on Tchaikovsky St. where she attended the State Technicum for Screen Arts. You might be able to pick the building out based on the photograph.

- Any of the major landmarks of the city pre-dating 1926 would be buildings that she would most likely have been familiar with to at least some degree - just as you are most likely familiar with the major buildings in any city that you have spent a great deal of time in.

Another suggestion which may or may not yield results for you would be to see if you can locate an email address for Jeff Britting or the Ayn Rand Archives on the Ayn Rand Institute website and ask. Obviously, since they are very busy with various projects that donors have sent in money for them to accomplish, they may or may not have the time to reply to your inquiry. So don't be offended if your email is "blown off" (I sometimes here visitors to my website who have emailed me with questions which I never get back to due to lack of time and other reasons and are extremely irate because the lack of reply - as if one has a "duty" to answer unsolicited emails). On the other hand, sometimes one does get a reply back from such inquiries so it is at least worth a try.

At any rate, have a great trip. I envy your getting to go. I think that would be fun to do - and I would especially love to have an opportunity to go hunting for vintage 78 rpm records in the former USSR as records from that place and era don't turn up over here all that often for obvious reasons.

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