About St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is world-renowned for its spectacular splendour and often referred to as the Venice of the North for its palace-lined waterways and granite embankments.
The former capital of Russian empire, Saint-Petersburg was built in 1703 on the barren marshlands of the Neva River as Russia's "Window to the West". Forcibly constructed under the power and direction of Peter the Great, St.Petersburg is in many ways equal to Europe's great cities. For over 200 years it has been Russia's political, economical and cultural centre of the country.
Widely preserved, the historic architecture of the city center is home to more than two hundred museums; it mostly consists of baroque and neoclassical buildings created by world-famous architects such as Domenico Trezzini, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Giacomo Quarenghi, Carlo Rossi, Auguste de Montferrand.
The dominant Peter and Paul Fortress and Palace Bridge drawn at night are considered among the city's unique attributes and most recognizable symbols. The Alexander Nevsky Monastery (Lavra), intended to house the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky, is an important center of Christian education in Russia. The Hermitage Museum facing Palace Square preserves interiors of the Winter Palace of Russian Emperors and a vast collection of artwork.St. Isaac's Cathedral, Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church, St Michael's Castle, Yusupov Palace and many other architectonic chef-d'oeuvres had been constructed during XVIII-XIX centuries, which are spoken to be the golden era of Russian architecture.
The Historic Centre of St. Petersburg and related groups of monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Southern suburbs of the city feature former summer residences of Russian Tzars, including Peterhof (Petrodvorets), with majestic fountain cascades and parks, Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin), with Catherine and Alexander Palaces, and Pavlovsk, which contains a domed palace of Emperor Paul and one of the largest 240-ha English-style parks in Europe.
Nowadays Saint-Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia with total population of 4.7 mln; it's the northernmost among cities of the world with over one million people. It's not only a major trade gateway, financial and industrial center of Russia - St. Petersburg is restoring back to its splendor, sprucing up mansions and palaces, polishing monuments and offering a vibrant cultural life full of festivals and celebrations to feast eyes and ears of numerous tourists and visitors.
