Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the window to Europe. Thousands of workmen were brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city on the swampy land at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great was in a hurry. The work was fast and hard, and workmen dropped dead by hundreds. But the work went on.

In 1712 Saint Petersburg, a city of great beauty, with palaces, cathedrals, churches, government buildings became the capital. Under later rulers the new capital of the Russian Empire grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. Architects were brought from Western Europe to lay out the city in harmonious squares. Buildings were constructed in gray and rose-colored granite. The Hermitage and the Winter Palace, the homes of the Russian czars, were equal to any in Europe.

When the First World War began in 1914, the German-sounding name Saint Petersburg was changed to Petrograd. After the October Revolution the city was renamed after Vladimir Lenin.

During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege to it in 1941, and for the next year and a half it was cut off fro the rest of the country. Daily shelling and air raids destroyed parts of the city. Thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years.

Now Saint Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural, and educational center. It is also a large transport center. The first railroad line connected Saint Petersburg with Tsarskoye Selo. Then the famous Nicholas Railroad line from Saint Petersburg to Moscow was constructed. Now there are five railroad stations, two airports, a seaport, two bus terminals, a sea passenger terminal, and a river passenger terminal.

The population of the city grew fast. At the beginning of the 20th century it was about one million, by 1941 - it was about two million people, in the seventies - it was about four million, and it is near six million people.

Diversity is one of the main features of Saint Petersburg. A lot of geographical names in the city are russified Finnish, and some are just translations from the Finnish language, for example: the Neva River, the Moika, the Karpovka, Okhta, Ulyanka, Ligovsky Prospect, Kalinkin Bridge, Zayachy Island and many others. Saint Petersburg now, as in the past, is the city of many nations and religions. Some of the streets still keep the names of ethnical communities, which were there, for instance: Italianskaya Street, Grechesky Prospect, Shvedsky Pereulok, Angliysky Prospect and Anliyskaya Embankment, and others.

In the city there are a lot of churches and temples representing different religions groups: Othodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran Churches, Moslem Mosques, Synagogues and a Buddhist Temple as well.

Saint Petersburg is a wonderful city: at every turn there is something to catch your eye. There are spacious squares and circles and the streets are wide and straight. Palace Square, Senate Square, St. Isaac`s Square, Trinrty Square and Arts Square - they all are historical places, shaped with famous buildings and have striking monuments. Alexander Column, the highest structure of this kind in the world, raises on Palace Square. Peter the Great Monument, better known as the Bronze Horseman, is on Senate Square. Nicholas 1 Monument, which is considered a masterpiece of engineering art, stands on St. Isaac`s Square. Pushkin Monument is in the center of Arts Square. The Field of Mars, with the area of twelve hectares, is the biggest square in Saint Petersburg. The main street of the city is Nevsky Prospect. It runs from the Admiralty to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery and lines famous buildings, luxurious hotels and fashionable stores. Sadovaya Street got its name from a lot of gardens once facing the street. Moskovsky Prospect is the longest street in the city and Architect Rossy Street is the shortest one. It was in Saint Petersburg that the tradition to number streets appeared. One still can find 5th Line or 27th Line on Vasilyevsky Island. Line is one side of the street.

The city is called Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers, arms and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. Eight bridges across the Neva River open every night in summer giving together with the unset sun and magnificent buildings a picturesque view. At four ends of Anichkov Bridge over the Fontanka River along Nevsky Prospect are four sculptural groups comprising a world-famous composition The Taming of a Horse. The longest bridge is Alexander Nevsky Bridge across the Neva River. Siny Bridge over the Moika River is the widest and completes the ensemble of St. Isaac`s Square.

There are lots of museums in the city. The Kunstkammer, the first Russian museum, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Smolny Cathedral, the Russian Museum, St. Isaac’s Cathedral and Savior-on-the-Spilt-Blood, the Admiralty and the Winter Palace, and many others, attract thousands of tourists from all over the world. Saint Petersburg’s many museums house some of the world’s most famous art collections. The Hermitage, for example, contains the richest collection of pictures and pieces of applied art in the world.

There are lots of theaters to suit all tastes. One can hear an opera or watch a ballet in the Mariinsky Theater or the Maly Opera House. Theatergoers can enjoy the dramatic art in the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater or in the Alexandrinsky Theater. Chamber and symphony music can be enjoyed in the Shostakovich Philharmonic Society. And, finally, those who prefer pop singers and rock stars can visit their shows at concert halls or sport palaces like the SKK or the Ledovy Palace. Two circuses are at people’s disposal as well.

Saint Petersburg is also famous for its legendary white nights. Different festivals take place at this time. It has also been a tradition for graduates of all kinds to celebrate their graduation and make marry in the night city.

People all over the world know that far north in Russia is the city of Saint Petersburg. Many of those who once visited the city liked it and want to be there again.

Saint Petersburg

St. Petersburg is a city of magic beauty, a city of white nights, broad straight avenues, green parks, countless bridges and canals. The greatest architects of the 18-th and 19-th centuries created magnificent ensembles in our city. St.Petersburg reminds some visitors of Rome, others of Paris, Vienna or Amsterdam. But actually there is no city in the world like St. Petersburg. It s bridges, canals, granite embankments, railings, museums make our city one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

If you come to the Neva embankment you will certainly see St.Peter and Paul Fortress, which is considered to be the birthplace of the city. The city started from the small Zayachy Island. It attracted Peter's attention because of its strategic position. It was here that on the 27th of May 1703 Peter the First laid the foundation of the Fortress. The Fortress has six bastions connecting with straight walls but this fortress has never played a military role. Even in Peter's time it was used as a political prison. And among its first prisoners was Peter's own son Alexey who plotted against his father. For this reason Alexey was sentenced to death. But on the eve of the execution he was found dead in his own cell. Many famous people were prisoners in St.Peter's And Paul Fortress, among them - Dostoyevsky, Chernyshevsky, Gorky. In 1924 the Fortress was turned into museum. The cathedral inside the Fortress has also been turned into museum. The cathedral was built by the architect Domenico Trezini between 1712-1733. The Cathedral is 122.5 meters high. The spire is 40m high. It is crowned with a cross. The wings of the angel spread about 40m high. It is crowned with a weathercock in the form of an angel with a cross. The wings of the angel spread about 4m. Inside the cathedral you can see a beautiful icon stand designed by Ivan Zarubny. After the death of Peter the Great, the cathedral became the pantheon for the royal family. 42 members of Romanoff s family including 11 ruling tzars are buried there.

Another place, which is certainly worth seeing, is St. Isaak s cathedral. It took 40 years to build this cathedral. It is 101.5 m high. It is the third highest cupola cathedral in the world. The first is the St.Peter's cathedral in the world. The first is the St.Peter's cathedral in Rome and second is St.Paul's in London. The total area of the interior of the cathedral is 4000 sq m. The cathedral was named after St.Isaaks because Peter'sbirthday coincided the day of monk of Dalmatia who was canonized. The first church of St.Isaak was built on Peter'sorder soon after St.Petersburg was founded. It was a small wooden building, which was destroyed soon, and then a stone building was erected. It was built close to the river and because of the weak ground it began to sink. Then finally it was destroyed by the fire. Then it was decided to build a new church of St.Isaak father from the Neva. It was built by architect Rinaldy. But it was not impressive enough to be the main church of the capital. So a competition was announed and the French architect Monferran won it.

In St. Petersburg there are а lot of places то enjoy. Among them the Kazan Cathedral, Nevsky Avenue, the Summer Garden, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, Palace Square, the Trimpluar Arch, the Alexander Column, the Academy of Arts, the Smolny Convent, the Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Decembrist s Square the Bronze Horseman, the Field of Mars, the Church of Savior on the Spilt Blood, Alexander Pushkin Museum- Flat, the Spit of Vasiliyevsky Island, the Rostral Columns. Alexander Pushkin loved our city very much and wrote many beautiful poems, devoted them to St. Petersburg. One of then I'd like to recite. I love you, citadel of Peter's / I love your elegant austerity of line, / Your broad Neva, whose gracious waters / Mid granite-clad embankment shine. / I love your traceries iron of gate and railing, / The moonless brilliance of the light / That sheds a beauty never paling / Upon your meditative night. / When, neither lamp or candle hiding / I sit composing verse or reading, / And slumbering mansions towering high, / Stand clear against the lucid sky.

If a foreigner comes to St. Petersburg, he can't miss the Hermitage. It s a brilliant place. Nowhere in the world you can find a place like the Hermitage. The Hermitage occupies several buildings, which are all connected. The largest of them is the Winter Palace. It was designed by the architect Rostrelly for the Russian empress Elizabeth and it was completed in 1762. Elizabeth died in 1762. So the first Russian empress who lived here was Cathrin the Second. Up to revolution it was the winter residence of Russian tzars. Next to the Winter Palace is the Little Hermitage. It was designed by the architect Vallen de la Monthe. It was built on Catherine s the Second order to house her collection of pictures. At first it was her private. Very few people could see this collection, hence the name The Hermitage which means an isolated place . Next to the Little Hermitage is the old Hermitage, designed by Yuri Felton and it was specially built to house the growing collection. The light-green and white buildings is the Hermitage. Theatre which was erected by Jiacomo Quarengi. It is the former court theatre and now it is the Lecture Hall. On the outside of the old Hermitage, facing Millionnaya street there is the New Hermitage. It was a perfect museum building for that time.

I believe every citizen has his favorite place in St. Petersburg, I also have my favorite place. It is the Summer Garden. I like walking there and wanting to tell you something about history of the Summer Garden. It is the oldest in the city, it was laid out in 1704 Peter the Great planted its first trees himself. There are a lot of trees, flowers and sculptures and there is one of the oldest building in St. Petersburg It is The Palace of Peter the Great designed by the architect Domenico Trezini. It is more like a small house than a palace. In 1874 the famous railing was erected along the Neva Side. It was designed by the architect Yuri Felton. It was told that a 19-th centuries English lord, a patron of arts stopped in his boat in the Neva by the Summer Garden. He admired the black-and-golden railing (grille) and then set sail for England without going ashore. When asked the reason for this action the lord replied that the goal of this voyage had been achieved and nothing could surprise him more then the railing. But in my opinion there are more places in St. Petersburg, which are certainly worth seeing.