The most European of all Russian towns and cities celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2003. St Petersburg was founded by the most famous Russian Tsar, Peter I (the Great), and named in honor of the apostle Peter (the keeper of the keys to the gates of Paradise) under whose protection was the Emperor himself.
     Tsar Peter is one of the key figures in the history of Russia. A real reformer, a man of tremendous will and energy, extremely intelligent but at the same time cruel and merciless, he could handle oars and ship cordage, knew how to hammer iron, built shipyards, ruled the state. He managed to transform the patriarchal Moscovy into the European Russia. In his innovations, the Tsar was extremely severe: on pain of punishment, he forced the boyars (noblemen) to shave their beards and to wear European-style clothes, ordered New-Year' s fir-trees dressed up all around the country, and raised drinking coffee to the rank of a state necessity. His stature matched his other talents - the Russian Emperor stood six feet six inches tall.
     In the City Emblem of St Petersburg there are two anchors: for the sea and river. Peter the Great believed that anchors were the keys for Paradise. That is how he wanted to call his new city initially.
     The Venice of the North, Northern Palmira, Paradise, The City of White Nights, Petropolis, Petrograd - all these are different names of the largest northern city in the world. From 1924 to 1991 it was called Leningrad, after the name of the first communist leader of Russia, Vladimir Lenin.
     St. Petersburg started with the Peter & Paul Fortress. The foundation of it was laid on May 16, 1703, and this date is considered the birthday of the city. Peter I chose the location quite well. From the small island (750 by 360 meters) between the channels of the Neva river in its broadest part, the fortress commanded the waterway along the river; so the route into Russia from the Baltic sea and the city itself were safely protected against any invaders by its mighty bulwarks. At midday sharp, a cannon shoots on one of the Peter & Paul Fortress' bastions and the people check their clocks or watches by the report of the shot; this tradition has been kept since 1736.
     From the very beginning the city was destined to become the new capital of Russia. Having won from the Swedes the northern lands and gotten a way out to the Baltic sea - having "hacked a window open on Europe" in the words of the Russian poet Alexandr Pushkin - Peter I decided to build his new city in the image and likeness of Amsterdam. One of the Neva's islands, where the Admiralty shipyard used to be located, even now is still called the New Holland. Thousands and thousands of peasants and craftsmen were driven together from all over Russia to the dismal marshy terrain of the Neva delta. One hundred thousand workers died during only the first 10 years of building the fortress-city. Dozens of canals were dug, bridges and dams were built. The best architects, sculptors, artists and engineers were invited from all around Europe - Italy, France, Holland, Germany. Nevertheless, the northern capital of Russia acquired its own face, its own unique «Petersburgian» style.
     St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Even though the capital of the state returned to Moscow in 1918, "Peter" retained its status as the second capital. The city has more than 5,000,000 inhabitants, who are considered “the most intellectual Russians”, maybe because of the fact that they are lucky to live in a real city-museum.
     Like Venice, St Petersburg is spread across a lot of big and small islands. Their number has been continuously decreasing because of the work of the town-planners who fill up the river channels impeding the city life. There were about 150 islands at the beginning of 19 century, 101 – a hundred years ago, and now there are only 42.
     Today, on the territory of the city there are 93 rivers, canals or brooks, and more than a hundred lakes or ponds. But the surrounding water, so beautifying for any city, is a constant source of troubles for St Petersburg. Strong winds from the Gulf of Finland often drive the Neva water back into its mouth, flooding the residential areas. Floods of extremely dangerous extent have occurred 65 times! The most disastrous ones with lots of casualties happened in 1777, 1824 and 1924. In 1955 the Neva's waves assaulted the city again, but at that time, luckily, nobody died. At the same time a daring project of hydraulics engineering arose - to build a giant dam across the Gulf to protect the city of St Petersburg from the sea. So far the project has been realized only partially - mostly due to environmentalists' objections and the lack of funds - but the floods became weaker.
     There are 342 bridges in the city now, 21 of which are raised or pulled apart at night. The longest one is Alexander Nevsky bridge (905.7 m). the broadest - Siniy (Blue) across the Moika river (97.3 m). One of the most beautiful bridges across the Neva - Troitskiy (completed in 1903) - was designed by the world famous French engineer Eiffel, the architect of the tower in Paris named in his honor. You just can't help admiring the fine structure of the Bank chain bridge decorated with gilded-winged griffins, or the horse statues by Peter Klodt on Anichkov bridge.
     A peculiar calling card of the city is also its season of white nights, when the raised bridges across the Neva are fairly visible against the background of the light sky. Those who get to St. Petersburg from the end of May to the middle of July - for more than 50 days when the sun almost doesn't set behind the skyline - can admire the wonderful panoramas of the city at night, walking along numerous stone embankments.
     What is the symbol of St Petersburg? There is no common opinion. It might be the Bronze Horseman - the monument to the founder of the city, Peter I, on the Senate Square, or the Alexander's Column, erected on the Palace Square in honor of the victory in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812-1814, or the «Needle» of the Admiralty tower with a golden ship on the top, or the Rostral Columns on Strelka (spit) Point on Vasilievsky Island, or the famous «Mariinka» ballet.
     During World War II, being blockaded by the enemy, the city of Leningrad experienced the most difficult period of its history, which lasted for 900 days. The horrible winters of 1941 and 1942 with their frosts and starvation, artillery shelling and Luftwaffe bombardment, took the lives of more than 640,000 citizens. In commemoration of that, touching and majestic memorials have been erected on Piskariovskoe and Serafimovskoe cemeteries.
     Leningrad citizens who survived the blockade recall that when the sacks with sand protecting the Bronze Horseman against the enemy's shells had been removed - somebody drew with chalk a medal "For Defence of Leningrad" on Peter the Great's chest.
     The main street of St Petersburg is the 4.5 kilometer long Nevsky Prospekt. A walk along Nevsky is a sort of life-asserting rite for many inhabitants of the city. Everything is smart, fashionable and elegant here, always.
     The Hermitage belongs to the largest museums in the world. You just can't miss visiting it; the same goes for the Russian Museum, gigantic Isaac Cathedral (101.5 m high), Letny Sad (Summer Garden) with its famous tracery iron grill, and Peter & Paul Fortress where many Russian Monarchs are buried.
     There are also some exotic museums. In the Kunstkamera (in translation from German "Rarity Chamber"), some freak babies have been kept preserved in alcohol since the Great Peter's days. The Tsar often said: I want people to see and learn. In the first years, the visitors didn't have to pay anything; on the contrary, they were given a treat, for which special funds were earmarked from the Treasury.
     Across the Neva from the Winter Palace, a real navy cruiser from the beginning of the past century has been moored for several decades. A blank shot from the prow cannon of the cruiser Avrora in November 1917 signaled the seizing of power in Russia by the communists led by Lenin. There are more than 14,000 displays at the Museum of Bread, which is situated across the street from the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic.
     Those interested in Russian literature surely know that St Petersburg is the city of Pushkin and Dostoevsky. Here started his poetic career the Nobel Prize laureate Joseph Brodsky. Composers Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich were Peterburgians as well.
     Beautiful and romantic are the suburbs of St. Petersburg, hardly inferior to those of Paris or Berlin. Try to get to the yearly Fountain Festival in Peterhof at the end of - May, walk along the shady alleys of Gatchina, Pavlovsk, Oranienbaum... And in one of the halls of the luxurious Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo (King's Village) you will hear a dramatic story about the unique Amber Room, stolen by the fascists during the War, and see the process of its minute reconstruction.
     Unlike Moscow, St. Petersburg is calm and non-fussy. Unfortunately, sunny days are not as frequent here as overcast or rainy; but Peterburgians - adoring their city - find some charm even in that. And you can see their point: it is just impossible not to fall in love with St. Petersburg!
     Peter & Paul Fortress is a symbol of St. Petersburg and the first building in the city. The date of laying the fortress – May, 16, 1703 – is considered St. Petersburg's birthday. Its first walls and bastions were made of ground and wood, in 1706 the erection of a brick fortress started (architect Domeniko Trezini) and was over only by 1740. In the center of the inner yard there is a tall Cathedral of Peter and Paul with a many-level belfry crowned with a gilded broach with a weathercock in form of a flying angel. The general height of the belfry is 122,5 m, it is the tallest architectural erection of the city. A magnificent wooden gilded iconostasis in form of triumphal entry was made in 1722-1726 in the style of Moscow baroque. Almost all Russian tsars of the Romanov dynasty beginning with Peter the Great are buried in the cathedral.
     The Spit Point («Strelka») of Vasilievsky Island is the Eastern end of the island dividing the river into the Big and the Small Neva. For a long time it had been used as the main trade port. Architect Thoma de Thomon created the architectural ensemble including the Rostral columns. The dominant of the Spit Point of Vasilievsky Island is the Stock Exchange the composition and decor of which remind of the temples of Ancient Greece and Rome. Sculptural groups symbolizing the prosperity of the Russian Navy and trade decorate the building.
     The Bronze Horseman is a memorial to Peter I, founder of St. Petersburg, created by sculptor Etienne Maurice Falkonet. Its opening on August 7, 1782 was timed to the hundredth anniversary of Peter's enthronement. The bronze horseman riding a raised horse at the peak of a rock is one of the best equestrian monuments in the world. In 1833 the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin wrote a poem "Bronze Horseman" in which the sculpture comes to life and torments the main hero. The monument is one of the symbols of the city.
     Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square is the central square of St. Petersburg, the venue of meetings and solemn parades. The architectural ensemble of the square is formed by the buildings of the General Staff and the Royal Guards General Staff, the Zimny (Winter) palace and the Alexander Column. Thanks to the symmetry of proportions and the architectural style, Dvortsovaya Square is one of the finest in the world.
     Alexander Column in Dvortsovaya Square is a monument to the victory in the Patriotic war of 1812. It was erected in 1830-1834 under the project of architect Auguste de Montferrand and was made of dark-red granite. It was called after Emperor Alexander I. On top of the column there is a bronze figure of an angel symbolizing a victory of the good over the evil. It is the highest triumphant column in the world; its height is 47,5 m.
     Zimny (Winter) palace was the residence of Russian emperors. This grand building was erected in 1754-1762 under the project of architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the style of baroque. The length of the cornice of the palace is almost 2 km, there are over 1000 halls, about 2000 windows and the same number of doors in it. The rich interior of the palace was rebuilt several times, especially after the fire of 1837. The decorations of the palace suffered badly from the vandalism of revolutionary soldiers and seamen in October, 1917. In 1922 the building of Zimny palace was granted to the Hermitage museum.
     Hermitage is one of the greatest museums in the world. The building of Zimny palace in Petersburg houses the largest part of its collection. The Hermitage collection comprises more than 3 million of memorials of culture and art of various epochs and peoples. In almost 300 halls of the museum there are departments of pristine culture, ancient culture and art, Orient, a gallery of precious jewelry, the department of numismatology etc. The collection of West-European art which features about 600 exhibits forms a special part of the depository. Works by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, El Greco, Velasquez, Rubens, Rembrandt, Renoir, Matisse, Rodent, Van Gogh, Picasso and other famous masters are displayed in 120 halls.
     St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the best cathedrals of Europe built in 1818-1858 in the style of late classicism under the project of architect Auguste de Montferrand. This grand erection is inferior in size only than cathedrals of St. Peter in Rome and St. Paul in London. Its somewhat ponderous beauty and magnificence used to strike travelers' imagination. Malachite, lapis lazuli, colored marble and 400 kg of gold were used for the decoration of the cathedral.
     Nevsky Prospect is the main street of St. Petersburg. The prospect and its environs feature best museums, theatres, libraries, hotels, shops and restaurants. Many Russian and foreign historians, travelers, writers and poets used to write about this street. Anichkov bridge across the Fontanka river with sculptural groups «Taming the Horse», a part of Nevsky prospect, is one of Petersburg's places of interest.
     The Admiralty is Russia's first shipbuilding dockyard at the Baltic Sea founded in 1704. In the first quarter of the XIX century it was rebuilt in the Russian Empire style under the project of architect Adrian Zakharov. The building with streets fanning out from it has become an architectural center on the left bank of the Neva. The front walls are decorated with statues and bas-reliefs expressing the idea of Russian Navy's glory. The top of the gilded spire of the Admiralty is decorated with a small boat-weathercock, one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.
     The Kazan' Cathedral is a memorial of architecture of classicism. It was built in 1801-1811 under the project of architect Voronikhin. A grand hemisphere colonnade (similar to that of St. Peter's cathedral in Rome) is joined with the Northern front facing Nevsky Prospect. In 1813 the glorious field marshal Mikhail Kutuzov was buried in the cathedral. Near the vault there are tens of captured banners and keys to fortresses and towns.
     The Summer Garden (Letny Sad) is the oldest garden of St. Petersburg, a memorial of parking and gardening art of the first third of the XVIII century. Here the summer palace of Peter I (now historical and domestic museum) was located. The Summer Garden used to be the venue of court celebrations and receptions of foreign ambassadors; later it became a promenade of aristocracy. In the Summer Garden there is a monument to the famous fabulist Ivan Krylov, a follower of the traditions of Aesop and Lafontaine.
     New Holland is a historical name of an artificial island in St. Petersburg, which was formed as a result of construction of two canals. In the beginning of the XVIII century the stores where timber was kept in a special “Dutch” way were called “Holland” After relocation the store got the name of New Holland. New Holland's focus of interest is an arched portal above the canal that flows to the premises of the store. It is planned to erect a cultural and recreation complex on the island.
     Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theatre is one of the oldest musical theatres of Russia. It got its name after the empress Maria Alexandrovna. In 1935-1992 it was named after one of the Soviet leaders Sergey Kirov (that is why in the West it is still often called «Kirovsky»). The first nights of performances which afterwards became classic were run at «Maninka's» stage: ballets by Chaikovsky “Sleeping Beauty” and “Nutcracker”, operas by Musorgsky «Boris Godunov» and «Khovanshina».
     The Russian Museum founded in 1898 features the biggest collection of Russian fine art in the world. The Russian museum is located in four magnificent palaces. The largest part of the exposition is displayed in Mikhailovsky palace (1825, architect Karl Rossi). The collection of the Russian museum numbers about 400 hundred exhibits. All the trends and genres of Russian fine art from the X to the XX centuries are presented here. In the 80s of the XX century a department of newest trends was formed in the museum highlighting installations, video art, photo and photo-based art etc.
     Alexander Nevsky Lavra is a monastery, one of the greatest architectural memorials of St. Petersburg. It was founded by Peter the Great in honor of the hero of the battle at the Neva in 1240 prince Alexander Nevsky. The prince was buried in the St. Trinity cathedral of the Lavra. The residence of Metropolitan of Petersburg and Ladoga is located here. In the burial-vaults and at the cemetery of the monastery many outstanding people of Russia are buried, among them scientist and writer Lomonosov after whom the Moscow university was named, military leader Suvorov, composer Tchaikovsky, writer Dostoevsky.
     The Neva is the greatest river of St. Petersburg. Dressed in granite, this elegant beauty of the city used to horrify the Petersburgians by its terrible floods. There are more than ten bridges across the Neva and most of them are architectural memorials. The Neva is especially beautiful during white nights when the bridges are raised and convoys of ships sail slowly along the river. The majority of travelers give up their slumber to see this sight.
     White nights is a period from the end of May to the beginning of July at the North-West of Russia when the evening nightfall and the morning dawn (come together) meet and dusk lasts the whole night. At this time lights are not on and traditionally people take walks along the embankments of Petersburg. At the time of light night dusk the city is especially beautiful and many tourists wish to visit it just at this time.
     «Aurora» is a cruiser-museum put for everlasting anchorage at Petrograd embankment in Petersburg, a “revolutionary vessel”. It is famous for its “epoch-making” shot on October 1917 - a sign for the beginning of the storm of Zimny palace by revolutionary soldiers and seamen. The storm of Zimny was the most important event of the October armed revolt as a result of which the Russian social democratic working party of Bolsheviks came to power and established a communist regime in Russia.
     Peterhof is a palace and park ensemble in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. It has been built since 1714 up to the second half of the XVIII century with the participation of architects Leblon, Brownstein, Miketti, sculptor Bartolomeo Rastrelli and other. Peterhof is often called "Russian Versailles" though Peterhof is far ahead of Versailles in terms of the number, variety and beauty of its fountains. Especially nice is the Grand cascade - a unique architectural complex of 64 fountains and about 250 sculptures.
     Tsar Village (Tsarskoye selo) is a suburb of St. Petersburg, the main summer residence of the Russian emperors in the XVIII-XIX centuries. It is famous for its palace and park ensemble and also for the Lyceum where Alexander Pushkin, the outstanding Russian poet studied in the 1810s. One of the best works of Russian baroque, the Grand Catherine Palace (1756, architect Rastrelli) is situated in Tsar Village. The walls of the Amber room of the palace were destroyed during World War II and now they have been reconstructed.
     Pavlovsk is a suburb of St. Petersburg named after emperor Pavel I who received this land as a gift from his mother Catherine II for his own residence. The architectural center of Pavlovsk is the Grand palace (1782-86) built under the project of Charles Cameron in the style of Russian classicism. In the large park of Pavlovsk there are many elegant pavilions, arbours, bridges and rotundas combining the features of rococo and early romanticism. Pavlovsk is the motherland of Russian scouts who annually celebrate their holiday there on April, 30.
     Gatchina is a palace and park ensemble in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. In the second quarter of the XVIII century it belonged to Gregory Orlov, a favorite of empress Catherine II. In 1765 Jeanne-Jacques Rousseau who was persistently invited by count Orlov almost settled in Gatchina. In 1783 future emperor Pavel I became the owner of Gatchina, because of him the palace and the suburbs gained military features. It is then that there appeared the spirit of melancholy and romanticism here.
     Oranienbaum is a city in 40 km from St. Petersburg. The creation of palace and park ensemble of Oranienbaum started in the beginning of the XVIII when emperor Peter I granted these lands to his associate Alexander Menshikov. He built a Grand palace there, whose splendor of the interior was expected to exceed Peterhof. However its earliest interior decoration has not survived. In the 50s-60s of the XVIII century the palace of Peter III and China palace were built here. Oranienbaum didn't suffer much during World War II and did not have to be reestablished. Probably for this reason it looks somewhat deserted, but there is a certain charm in it, one feels the «spirit of the time».