 St.Petersburg
(known as Petrograd in 1914-1924 and as Leningrad in 1924-1991), the northern
capital of Russian Federation, the seaport, the administrative centre of
Leningrad region, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, was founded by
Russian tsar Peter the Great on the small Zayachy island in the mouth of the
Neva river as a fortress on May 27, 1703. The city became the capital of Russia
in 1712 up to 1918 when the capital was transfered back to Moscow. The northern
geografical location of St.Petersburg (the same latitude as Greenland, Alaska
and Chukotka) explains the white nights from June 11 up to July 2 when the sun
sets only 9 degrees below the horizon and the faint twilight gradually turns
into the dawn. The city was built by the most famous Russian and European
architects and nicknamed "the Babylon of the Snows" and "the Venice of the
North". The present city is a large industrial, transport, scientific and
cultural centre of Russia with a territory of 620 sq.km and a population of 5
million. The Petropavlovskaya Fortress is a remarkable , historical and
architectural memorial in St.Petersburg. The Winter Palace, designed by
Rastrelli in the 18th century, the former residence of Russian tsars, located on
the Palace Square, is one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the
world. The Hermitage with its collection of over 2,5 million exhibits is one of
the very finest world art museums. The Russian Museum contains 3 thousand
paintings (10th-20th centuries) of Russian artists. The St.Isaac`s Cathedral
(1818-1858) is an outstanding monument of the late Russian Classicism. The
majestic architectural ensembles in the suburbs are well-known all over the
world. Peterhof or Petrodvorets - the former Russian imperial residence,
Pavlovsk (18-19th centuries), Pushkino (18-19th centuries) - the former country
residence of the Russian tsars, are among them.
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