Saint Petersburg (English) Санкт-Петербург (Russian)
The English Embankment with Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Location of Saint Petersburg in Europe
Coordinates 59°56′N 30°20′E / 59.933, 30.333Coordinates: 59°56′N 30°20′E / 59.933, 30.333
Coat of Arms	Flag
City Day: May 27
Political status Federal district Economic region	Federal city Northwestern Northwestern
Code	78
Area
Area	606 km² (234 sq mi)
Population (as of the 2002 Census)
Population - Rank - Density	4,662,547 inhabitants 2nd 7,694/km² (19,927. The English Embankment (Англи́йская на́бережная Angliyskaya Naberezhnaya) or English Quay is a street along the Neva River in Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (Исаа́киевский Собо́р in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest Cathedral A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Russia is a Federation which consists of 83  subjects. These subjects are of equal federal rights in the sense that they have equal This article is about an administrative division of the federal government of Russia Russia is divided into twelve economic regions (экономи́ческие райо́ны ekonomicheskiye rayony, sing The Russian Federation is divided into 83  federal subjects, two of which are federal cities. Northwestern Federal District (Се́веро-За́падный федера́льный о́круг tr Northwestern economic region (Се́веро-За́падный экономи́ческий райо́н tr Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Russia 's area is about 17 million square kilometers (65 million sq Russian Census of 2002 (Всеросси́йская пе́репись населе́ния 2002 го́да was the first Census of the Russian Federation carried This is a list of cities and towns in Russia with population over 50000 grouped by federal subject and sorted by population Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 4/sq mi)
Government
Head	Valentina Matviyenko (UR)
Legislative body	Legislative Assembly
Charter	Charter of Saint Petersburg
Events
Founded	May 27, 1703
Became the capital of Russia	May 8, 1713
Renamed Petrograd	August 31, 1914
Capital moved back to Moscow	1918
Renamed Leningrad	January 26, 1924
Renamed St. Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko (Валенти́на Ива́новна Матвие́нко b United Russia (Единая Россия Yedinaya Rossiya) is a major Political party in the Russian Federation. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg (Законода́тельное собра́ние Санкт-Петербу́рга ЗакС is the legislative power body A charter is the grant of authority or rights stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 1703 ( MDCCIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1713 ( MDCCXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.  Petersburg	September 6, 1991
Other information
Postal code	190000–199406
Dialing code	+7 812
Official website
http://eng.gov.spb.ru/ http://www.st-petersburg.ru/en/

Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг (help·info), tr.: Sankt-Peterburg, Russian pronunciation: [sankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk]) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a All Country calling codes for the European Union countries start with +3x or +4x A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages The Romanization of the Russian alphabet is the process of transliterating the Russian language from the Cyrillic alphabet and The classification system of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states has certain peculiarities compared Russia is a Federation which consists of 83  subjects. These subjects are of equal federal rights in the sense that they have equal Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Gulf of Finland ( Finnish: Suomenlahti, Russian: Финский залив, Finskiy zaliv, Swedish: Finska viken The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The city's other names were Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924) and Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991). It is informally known as Piter (Пи́тер).

Founded by Emperor Peter the Great on May 27, 1703, it was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1713-1728, 1732-1918). An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 1703 ( MDCCIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Saint Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917. See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them ^[1] It is Russia's second largest and Europe's fourth largest city (by city limit) after Moscow, London and Paris. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city 4. 6 million people live in the city, and over 6 million people live in the city's vicinity. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. This table lists statistics ( 2002) ( Gdańsk, Świnoujście, Szczecin and Helsinki - 2004)( Klaipėda, Lübeck

Saint Petersburg is often described as the most Western European styled city of Russia. ^[2] Among cities of the world with over one million people, Saint Petersburg is the northernmost. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Central Saint Petersburg Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments is the name used by UNESCO when it collectively designated the historic core of the A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Russia's political and cultural center for 200 years, the city is sometimes referred to in Russia as the northern capital. A large number of foreign consulates, international corporations, banks and other businesses are located in Saint Petersburg.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 3 Demographics 4 Government 5 Crime 6 Economy 7 Transportation 8 Built environment and landmarks 8.1 Canals and bridges 8.2 Palaces of the Tsars 8.3 Cathedrals and temples 8.4 Museums and popular sites 8.5 Monuments and sculptures 8.6 Suburban parks and palaces 9 Culture 9.1 Music 9.2 Movies 9.3 Literature 9.4 Sports 9.5 Notable people 9.6 Honors 10 Education and science 11 Sister cities 12 Gallery 13 See also 14 References 15 Further reading 16 External links

History

Main article: History of Saint Petersburg

On May 1, 1703, during the Great Northern War, Peter the Great captured the Swedish fortress of Nyenskans on the Neva river in Ingria. See also Saint Petersburg Founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27, 1703, Saint Petersburg was capital of the Russian Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1703 ( MDCCIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Great Northern War (1700-21 was fought between Russia and Sweden for supremacy in the Baltic Sea. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Nyenschantz (Nyenskans Nevanlinna Ниенша́нц although generally known in the 17th century as Канцы) was a Swedish fortress built in 1611 For the Italian municipality see Ingria Italy. For the Brachiopod Genus, see Ingria (brachiopod. A few weeks later, on May 27, 1703 (May 16, Old Style), lower on the river, on Zayachy (Hare) Island, three miles (5 km) inland from the gulf, he laid down the Peter and Paul Fortress, which became the first brick and stone building of the new city. Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 1703 ( MDCCIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita The Gulf of Finland ( Finnish: Suomenlahti, Russian: Финский залив, Finskiy zaliv, Swedish: Finska viken The Peter and Paul Fortress (Петропа́вловская кре́пость Petropavlovskaya Krepost) is the original Citadel of St He named the city after his patron saint, the apostle Peter. The original name was meant to sound like Dutch due to Peter's obsession with the Dutch culture. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Dutch culture or culture of the Netherlands is diverse reflecting regional differences as well as the foreign influences thanks to the merchant and exploring spirit ^[3] The city was built by conscripted serfs from all over Russia under the supervision of Alexander Menshikov and later became the center of Saint Petersburg Governorate. Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov (Александр Данилович Меншиков (1673 &ndash 1729 was a Russian statesman whose official titles included Generalissimo The Saint Petersburg Governorate (Санкт-Петербургская губерния or Sankt-Peterburgskaya guberniya) or Government of Saint Petersburg was a Peter moved the capital from Moscow to Saint Petersburg in 1712, before the Treaty of Nystad of 1721 ended the war and annexed the territory to Russia. The Treaty of Nystad (Ништадтский мир Uudenkaupungin rauha was signed in 1721 in the then Swedish town of Nystad (which is called Uusikaupunki

During the first few years of its existence the city grew spontaneously around Trinity Square on the right bank of Neva, near the Peter and Paul Fortress. Palace Square or Dvortsovaya Ploshchad, connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central City However, Saint Petersburg soon started to develop according to a plan. By 1716 Domenico Trezzini had elaborated a project whereby the city center would be located on Vasilievsky Island and shaped by a rectangular grid of canals. Domenico Trezzini (ca 1670-1734 was a Swiss-Italian Architect who elaborated the Petrine Baroque style of Russian architecture. Vasilievsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva (in the delta of Neva) from The project was not completed, but is still evident in the layout of the streets. In 1716 Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond was appointed chief architect of Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great. Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond (1679- 10 March 1719) was a French architect and garden designer who became the chief architect of Saint Petersburg in 1716 The style of Petrine Baroque, developed by Trezzini and other architects and exemplified by such buildings as the Menshikov Palace, Kunstkamera, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Twelve Collegia, became prominent in the city architecture of the early 18th century. Petrine Baroque is a name applied by art historians to a style of Baroque architecture and decoration favoured by Peter the Great and employed to design buildings The Menshikov Palace (Меншиковский дворец is a Petrine Baroque edifice in Saint Petersburg, situated on Universitetskaya Embankment The Kunstkammer or Kunstkamera was the first museum in Russia. The Peter and Paul Cathedral is located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St The Twelve Collegia, or Twelve Colleges (Двeнaдцaть Коллегий is the largest edifice from the Petrine era still extant in Saint Petersburg. In 1724 the Academy of Sciences, University and Academic Gymnasium were established in Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great. The Russian Academy of Sciences (Российская Академия Наук Rossi'iskaya Akade'miya Nau'k, shortened to PAH RAN) consists of the National Saint Petersburg State University ( Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a Russian federal state-owned higher

However, in 1725 Peter died. His efforts to push for modernization were completely misunderstood by the old-fashioned Russian nobility. This resulted in considerable opposition, including several attempts on his life and a treason case involving his own son. ^[4] In 1728 Peter II of Russia moved his seat back to Moscow. Pyotr (Peter II Alekseyevich ( Russian: Пётр II Алексеевич or Pyotr II Alekseyevich) ( October 23, 1715 &ndash January But four years later, in 1732, during the reign of Anna of Russia, Saint Petersburg again became the capital of the Russian Empire and had remained the seat of the government for 186 years since then. Anna Ivanovna (Анна Иоанновна Anna Ioannovna) ( Moscow –) reigned as Duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and as Empress of Russia The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya

In 1736-1737 the city suffered from catastrophic fires. In order to rebuild the damaged boroughs, in 1737 a new plan was commissioned by a committee under Burkhard Christoph von Munnich. The city was divided into five boroughs, and the city center was moved to the Admiralty borough, situated on the left bank between the Neva and Fontanka. Fontanka (Фонтанка is a left branch of the river Neva, which flows through the whole of Central Saint Petersburg, Russia. It developed along three radial streets, which meet at the Admiralty and are now known as Nevsky Prospekt (which is now perceived as the main street of the city), Gorokhovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospekt. Admiralty Board (Адмиралтейств-коллегия was a supreme body for the administration of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Russian Empire, established Nevsky Prospekt (Не́вский проспе́кт or the Nevsky Avenue, is the main street in the city of St Petersburg. Gorokhovaya Street (Горо́ховая у́лица is a north-south thoroughfare in the Central Business District of Saint Petersburg. The style of Baroque dominated the city architecture during the first sixty years, culminating in the Elizabethan Baroque, represented most notably by Bartolomeo Rastrelli with such buildings as the Winter Palace. Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (Russian Франче́ско Бартоломе́о Растре́лли ( See also The movie Russian Ark, an innovative single shot walkthrough with period reenactments spanning three hundred years of court meetings In the 1760s the Baroque architecture was succeeded by the neoclassical architecture. Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century both as a reaction against the Rococo

The Commission of Stone Buildings of Moscow and Saint Petersburg established in 1762 ruled that no structure in the city be higher than the Winter Palace and prohibited spacing between buildings. During the reign of Catherine the Great in the 1760s-1780s the banks of the Neva were lined with granite embankments. Catherine II, called Catherine the Great (Екатерина II Великая Yekaterina II Velikaya;) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. However, it wasn't until 1850 that it was allowed to open the first permanent bridge across the Neva, Blagoveshchensky Bridge. The Blagoveshchensky Bridge (Благовещенский мост in 1855-1918 Nikolaevsky Bridge - Николаевский мост in 1918-2007 Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge - Мост Before that, only pontoon bridges were allowed. A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a Bridge that floats on water supported by barge-or-boat-like pontoons to support the bridge deck and its dynamic Obvodny Canal (dug in 1769-1833) became the southern limit of the city. Some of the most important neoclassical architects in Saint Petersburg (including those working within the Empire style) were Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe (Imperial Academy of Arts, Small Hermitage, Gostiny Dvor, New Holland Arch, Catholic Church of St. Catherine), Antonio Rinaldi (Marble Palace), Yury Felten (Old Hermitage, Chesme Church), Giacomo Quarenghi (Academy of Sciences, Hermitage Theatre, Yusupov Palace), Andrey Voronikhin (Mining Institute, Kazan Cathedral), Andreyan Zakharov (Admiralty building), Jean-François Thomas de Thomon (Spit of Vasilievsky Island), Carlo Rossi (Yelagin Palace, Mikhailovsky Palace, Alexandrine Theatre, Senate and Synod Buildings, General Staff Building, design of many streets and squares), Vasily Stasov (Moscow Triumphal Gate, Trinity Cathedral), Auguste de Montferrand (Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Alexander Column). The Empire Style, sometimes considered the second phase of Neoclassicism, is an early-19th-century Design movement in Architecture, Furniture Jean-Baptiste Michel Vallin de la Mothe (born 1729 in Angoulême, died May 7, 1800, also in Angoulême was a French architect whose major career was spent The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St Petersburg Academy of Arts, was opened by Count Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy Gostinyi dvor (Гостиный двор is a historic Russian term for an indoor Market, or Shopping centre. New Holland Island (Но́вая Голла́ндия in Saint Petersburg was created in 1720 when the newly-built Kryukov Canal and Admiralty Canal connected The Catholic Church of St Catherine ( Russian: Католическая церковь Святой Екатерины in St Antonio Rinaldi ( 1710 - April 10 1794) was an Italian Architect, trained by Luigi Vanvitelli, who worked mainly in Marble Palace or Mramornyi Dvorets was one of the first Neoclassical Palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Yury Matveyevich Felten (Ю́рий Матве́евич Фе́льтен German name Georg Friedrich Veldten) (1730 &mdash 1801 was a court Architect to Catherine The Chesme Church (Чесменская церковь full name Church of Saint John the Baptist at Chesme Palace, це́рковь Рождества́ Иоа́нна Предте́чи Giacomo Quarenghi (Джа́комо Кваре́нги 20 September or 21 1744 &ndash 1 March 1817) was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of The Hermitage Theatre ( Эрмитажный театр, Ermitazhnïy teatr) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of five Hermitage Moika Palace or Yusupov Palace ( Russian: Дворец Юсуповых на Мойке literally the Palace of the Yusupovs on the Moika was once the primary residence Andrey (Andrei Nikoforovich Voronikhin (Андрей Никифорович Воронихин ( October 17 1759, Novoa Usolye, Perm Oblast The G V Plekhanov Saint Petersburg State Mining Institute and Technical University is Russia 's oldest higher education institute devoted to engineering Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor (Каза́нский кафедра́льный собо́р is a name of several Russian churches Andreyan Zakharov ( Russian: Андрея́н Дми́триевич Заха́ров August 19 1761 in Saint Petersburg — September 8 1811 in Saint Petersburg Admiralty Board (Адмиралтейств-коллегия was a supreme body for the administration of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Russian Empire, established For the active stock exchange in Saint Petersburg see Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange. Carlo di Giovanni Rossi, ( Карл Иванович Росси) ( 18 December, 1775 - 18 April, 1849) was a Russian architect of Yelagin Palace (Yelaginskii or Yelaginoostrovsky Dvorets completed in 1822 is a palace on Saint Petersburg, Russia which is situated on Yelagin Island Vasily Petrovich Stasov (Russian Василий Петрович Стасов (1769&ndash1848 Russian Architect, extensively travelled in France The Moscow Triumphal Gate (Моско́вские Триумфа́льные воро́та Moskovskiye Triumfalnye vorota) is a Neoclassical Triumphal arch The Trinity Cathedral (Троицкий собор Troitsky sobor) sometimes called the Troitsky Cathedral, in Saint Petersburg, Russia Auguste de Montferrand ( January 23, 1786 &ndash July 10, 1858) was a French Neoclassical Architect who worked primarily Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (Исаа́киевский Собо́р in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest Cathedral The Alexander Column (Алекса́ндровская коло́нна Aleksandrovskaya Kolonna) also known as Alexandrian Column (Александри́йская The victory over Napoleonic France in the Patriotic War of 1812 was commemorated with many monuments, including Alexander Column by Montferrand, erected in 1834, and Narva Triumphal Gate. The Empire of the French (1804-1814 also known as the Empire of France, Greater French Empire, First French Empire, French Empire, or The French invasion of Russia in 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. The Narva Triumphal Gate (На́рвские триумфа́льные воро́та was erected in the vast Narva Square (known as the Stachek Square in Soviet years

In 1825 the suppressed Decembrist revolt against Nicholas I of Russia took place on the Senate Square in the city, a day after he assumed the throne. Decembrists Square or Ploshchad Dekabristov (Площадь Декабристов is a historic City square in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

By the 1840s the neoclassical architecture had given place to various romanticist styles, which were dominant until the 1890s, represented by such architects as Andrei Stackenschneider (Mariinsky Palace, Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace, Nicholas Palace, New Michael Palace) and Konstantin Thon (Moskovsky Rail Terminal). Andrei Ivanovich Stackenschneider (Андрей Иванович Штакеншнейдер (1802-1865 also spelled Stuckenschneider, was a Russian architect Mariinsky Palace, also known as Marie Palace (Мариинcкий дворец was the last Neoclassical imperial Palace to be constructed Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace (also known before the Revolution as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, the Sergei Palace, and the DvorecTruda 29622jpg|thumb|225px|Nicholas Palace today]] Nicholas Palace (Russian Николаевский дворец Nikolayevsky dvorets) was one of several St Petersburg Thon links here For other uses see Thon (disambiguation Konstantin Andreyevich Thon, also spelled Ton (Russian Константин Moskovsky Rail Terminal (Моско́вский вокза́л Moskovsky vokzal) also called Moscow Rail Terminal, with an easily recognizable Neo-Renaissance The Church of the Savior on Blood designed in the Russian revival style commemorated the place where Alexander II of Russia was assassinated in 1881. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Храм Спаса на Крови is one of the main sights of St Alexander (Aleksandr II Nikolaevich (Александр II Николаевич ( Moscow, 29 April 1818 – 13 March 1881 in St

With the emancipation of the serfs undertaken by Alexander II in 1861 and the industrial revolution the influx of former peasants into the capital increased greatly. The Emancipation Reform of 1861 in Russia was the first and most important of liberal reforms affected during the reign of Alexander II of Russia. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the Poor boroughs spontaneously emerged on the outskirts of the city. Saint Petersburg surpassed Moscow in population and industrial growth and grew into one of the largest industrial hubs and cities in Europe.

The Revolution of 1905 initiated here and spread rapidly into the provinces. See also Russian Revolution (1917 The 1905 Russian Revolution also known as the Failed Russian Revolution of 1905 was an empire-wide struggle of With the start of World War I, the name Saint Petersburg was perceived to be too German, so in 1914 the city was renamed Petrograd. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All ^[5] In 1917 the February Revolution, which put an end to the Russian monarchy, and the October Revolution, which ultimately brought Vladimir Lenin to power, broke out in Petrograd. The February Revolution (Февральская революция in 1917 in Russia was the first stage of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution ^[6] The city's proximity to the border and anti-Soviet armies forced the Bolsheviks under Lenin to transfer the capital to Moscow on March 5, 1918. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In 1919 during the ensuing Russian Civil War Nikolay Yudenich advancing from Estonia was about to capture the city from the Bolsheviks, but Leon Trotsky ultimately managed to mobilize the population and make him retreat. The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Leon Trotsky ( Russian:, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, also transliterated Leo, Lyev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij Many people fled the city in 1917-1920 or were repressed in the Red Terror^[7], so its population decreased dramatically. The Red Terror in Soviet Russia was the campaign of mass arrests and Executions conducted by the Bolshevik government On January 24, 1924, three days after Lenin's death, Petrograd was renamed Leningrad. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For decades Leningrad was glorified by the Soviet propaganda as "the cradle of the revolution" and "the city of three revolutions", many spots related to Lenin and the revolutions, such as the cruiser Aurora, were carefully preserved. Russian-Japanese War She was one of three Pallada -class Cruisers built in St Many streets and other toponyms were renamed accordingly.

In the 1920s-1930s the poor outskirts were reconstructed into regularly planned boroughs. The constructivist architecture flourished around that time. Constructivist architecture was a form of Modern architecture that flourished in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and early 1930s The Soviets nationalised housing and forced many residents to share communal apartments (kommunalkas). A Kommunalka or communal apartment (коммуналка коммунальная квартира is a shared Apartment in CIS countries With 68% living in shared apartments in the 1930s, Leningrad was the city with the largest number of kommunalkas. In 1935 a new general plan was outlined, whereby the city should expand to the south and its center should move there. The constructivism was rejected in favor of the pompous Stalinist architecture. Stalinist architecture (also referred to as Stalin 's Empire style Stalinist Gothic, or Socialist Classicism Stalin ordered the construction of the new city hall on Moskovsky Prospect thus making it the new main street of Leningrad during the Soviet rule.

Since December 1931 Leningrad has been administratively separate from Leningrad Oblast. Leningrad Oblast (Ленингра́дская о́бласть Leningradskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) At that time it included Leningrad Suburban District, some parts of which were transferred back to Leningrad Oblast in 1936 and turned into Vsevolozhsky District, Krasnoselsky District, Pargolovsky District and Slutsky District (renamed Pavlovsky District in 1944). Vsevolozhsky District (Все́воложский район is a district ( Raion) of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located in the southeastern ^[8]

On December 1, 1934, Sergey Kirov, popular communist leader of Leningrad, was assassinated, which was used to start the Great Purge. Sergei Mironovich Kirov (Серге́й Миро́нович Ки́ров ( &ndash December 1, 1934) was a prominent early Bolshevik leader whose assassination Great Purge (Большая чистка transliterated Bolshaya chistka) was a series of campaigns of Political repression and Persecution ^[9]. The sizeable minorities of Germans, Poles, Finns, Estonians and Latvians were almost completely expelled from Leningrad by the Soviet government during the 1930s. Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories deportations of " Anti-Soviet " categories of population often classified ^[10]

During World War II, Leningrad was besieged by Nazi Germany and co-belligerent Finland. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Co-belligerence is waging the War in Cooperation against a common enemy without the formal treaty of Military alliance. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. ^[11]. The siege lasted 872 days^[12] from September 1941 to January 1944. ^[13] The Siege of Leningrad was one of the longest, most destructive, and most lethal sieges of major cities in modern history. The Siege of Leningrad, also known as The Leningrad Blockade ( Russian: блокада Ленинграда ( transliteration: blokada Leningrada It isolated the city from most supplies except those provided through the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga, and more than a million civilians died, mainly from starvation. The Road of Life ( Russian: Доро́га жи́зни doroga zhizni) was the Ice road Transport route across the frozen Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga (Лáдожское Óзеро Ladozhskoye Ozero; Laatokka is a Freshwater Lake located in Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Many others were eventually evacuated or escaped by themselves, so the city became largely depopulated. For the heroic resistance of the city and tenacity of the survivors of the Siege, in 1945 Leningrad became the first city in the Soviet Union awarded the title Hero City. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Hero City ( Russian: город-герой gorod-geroy, Ukrainian: Місто-герой Misto-heroy) is a Soviet Honorary In October 1946 some former Finnish territories along the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland captured in the Winter War and Continuation War were transferred from Leningrad Oblast to Leningrad and divided into Sestroretsky District and Kurortny District, including the town of Terijoki (renamed Zelenogorsk in 1948). The Gulf of Finland ( Finnish: Suomenlahti, Russian: Финский залив, Finskiy zaliv, Swedish: Finska viken The Winter War (Talvisota Советско-финляндская война - official Зимняя война - unofficial Vinterkriget began when the The Continuation War (Jatkosota Fortsättningskriget Советско-финская война ( 25 June 1941 &ndash 19 September 1944) Kurortny District (Куро́ртный райо́н is a district of Saint Petersburg, Russia, located on Karelian Isthmus along the northern Zelenogorsk pljazjpg|thumb|right| Gulf of Finland coast at Zelenogorsk]] Zelenogorsk (Зеленого́рск Terijoki before 1948 is a Town under jurisdiction ^[14]

Leningrad and many of its suburbs were rebuilt over the post-war decades, partially according to the pre-war plans. The 1948 general plan of Leingrad offered radial urban development in the north as well as in the south. The Leningrad Metro, underground rapid transit system which was designed before the war in the 1930s, was opened in 1955 with its first seven stations decorated with marble and bronze. Saint Petersburg Metro (Петербу́ргский метрополите́н is an underground Rapid transit system in Saint Petersburg, Russia Meanwhile, in 1949-1951 a large number of prominent Leningrad members of the Communist Party and their families were charged with treason and intention to create an anti-Soviet organization out of their local party cell. Many were imprisoned or executed in the Leningrad Affair fabricated by the central Soviet leadership. The Leningrad Affair, or Leningrad case ( "Ленинградское дело" in Russian, or Leningradskoye delo was a series of "criminal" ^[15][16]

In 1953 Pavlovsky District of Leningrad Oblast was abolished, and parts of its territory including Pavlovsk merged with Leningrad. Pavlovsky District may refer to Pavlovsky District Altai Krai, a district in Altai Krai, Russia Pavlovsky District Krasnodar Krai In 1954 the settlements Levashovo, Pargolovo and Pesochny merged with Leningrad. Levashovo, ru Левашово is a Dacha complex a municipal settlement under jurisdiction of Saint Petersburg in Vyborgsky District Saint Petersburg Pesochny (Песо́чный İnoniemi is a municipal settlement in Kurortny District of the federal city of Saint Petersburg, Russia ^[17]

After the death of Stalin the perceived ornamental excesses of the Stalinist architecture were abandoned. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party In the 1960s-1980s, as many new residential boroughs were built on the outskirts with few series of functionalist apartment blocks identical to each other, lots of families moved there from kommunalkas in the city center in order to live in separate apartments.

Uritsk was re-named Krasnoye Selo and merged with Leningrad in 1963, Lomonosov merged in 1978. Krasnoye Selo (Кра́сное Село́ lit beautiful village) is a municipal town in Krasnoselsky District of the federal city of Lomonosov (Ломоно́сов before 1948 Oranienbaum, ru Ораниенба́ум is a town under the jurisdiction of St ^[18]

On June 12, 1991, the day of the first Russian presidential election, in a referendum 54% of voters chose to restore the name "Saint Petersburg" (change later occurring on September 6, 1991). Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Presidential elections were held in the Russian Federation on June 12, 1991. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Many other Soviet-era toponyms in the city were also renamed back soon afterwards. In the same election Anatoly Sobchak became the first democratically elected mayor of the city. Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak (Анато́лий Алекса́ндрович Собча́к August 10, 1937 &mdash February 20, 2000) List of heads of the government of Saint Petersburg, Russia From 16 May 1703 -------------> Saint Petersburg From 19 Jul ^[19]

By the end of 1991 deteriorating planned economy of the collapsing Soviet Union had put the city on the verge of starvation. A planned economy or directed economy is an Economic system in which the Government or Workers' councils manages the Economy. For the first time since World War II food rationing was introduced, and the city received humanitarian food aid from abroad. Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services The city somewhat recovered with the market reforms in Russia. In 1995-2004 a northern section of the Metro's Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line was cut off by an underground flooding, which was a major obstacle to the city development. Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line (Кировско-Вы́боргская ли́ния is the oldest line of the Saint Petersburg Metro, opened in 1955.

In 1996, Vladimir Yakovlev was elected the head of the Saint Petersburg City Administration. Vladimir Anatolyevich Yakovlev (Владимир Анатольевич Яковлев (born November 25[[ 944]] in Olyokminsk, Yakutia, Soviet Union Saint Petersburg City Administration is the superior executive body of Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad Russian Federation. The title of the city head was changed in advance from "mayor" to "governor. " In 2003, Yakovlev resigned a year before his second term expired. Valentina Matviyenko was elected governor. Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko (Валенти́на Ива́новна Матвие́нко b In 2006 she was reapproved as governor by the city legislature. The Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg (Законода́тельное собра́ние Санкт-Петербу́рга ЗакС is the legislative power body

The residential building had intensified again and had become more architecturally diverse by the 2000s, though real estate prices inflated greatly.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Saint Petersburg

The area of Saint Petersburg city proper is 605. See also Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject located in Northwestern Federal District of Russia 8 km² (233. 9 sq mi). The area of the federal subject is 1,439 km² (556 sq mi), which contains the Saint Petersburg proper (consisting of 81 okrugs), nine suburban towns (Kolpino, Krasnoye Selo, Kronstadt, Lomonosov, Pavlovsk, Peterhof, Pushkin, Sestroretsk and Zelenogorsk) and 21 municipal settlements. Kolpino (Ко́лпино is a municipal city in Kolpinsky District of the federal city of St Krasnoye Selo (Кра́сное Село́ lit beautiful village) is a municipal town in Krasnoselsky District of the federal city of Kronstadt (Кроншта́дт also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt (Krone for Crown and Stadt for City) is a Russian Lomonosov (Ломоно́сов before 1948 Oranienbaum, ru Ораниенба́ум is a town under the jurisdiction of St Pavlovsk (Па́вловск is a town situated in Russia, 30 km from and under jurisdiction of Saint Petersburg, just to the south of Tsarskoye Selo Peterhof (Петерго́ф Petergof, originally named nl Peterhof, the Dutch for "Peter's Court" is a municipal town within Petrodvortsovy Pushkin (Пу́шкин is a town under jurisdiction of St Petersburg, Russia, that is located 24  Verst south from the center Sestroretsk (Сестроре́цк Siestarjoki Systerbäck is a municipal town under jurisdiction of Kurortny District of the federal city Zelenogorsk pljazjpg|thumb|right| Gulf of Finland coast at Zelenogorsk]] Zelenogorsk (Зеленого́рск Terijoki before 1948 is a Town under jurisdiction

Saint Petersburg is situated on the middle taiga lowlands along the shores of the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, and islands of the river delta. Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests The Gulf of Finland ( Finnish: Suomenlahti, Russian: Финский залив, Finskiy zaliv, Swedish: Finska viken The largest are Vasilyevsky island (besides the artificial island between Obvodny canal and Fontanka, and Kotlin in the Neva Bay), Petrogradsky, Dekabristov and Krestovsky. Vasilievsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva (in the delta of Neva) from Fontanka (Фонтанка is a left branch of the river Neva, which flows through the whole of Central Saint Petersburg, Russia. Kotlin (or Kettle Finnish Retusaari) is a Russian Island, located near the head of the Gulf of Finland, 20 miles west of Saint Petersburg The latter together with Yelagin and Kamenny island are covered mostly by parks. Yelagin Island (Yelagin Ostrov Елагин остров is an island at the mouth of the Neva River which is part of St Kamenny Ostrov, Kamenny Island, or Stony Island (Каменный остров is one of the islands in the Neva delta The Karelian Isthmus, north of the city, is a popular resort area. See Karelia (disambiguation for other meanings of the name Karelia. In the south Saint Petersburg crosses the Baltic-Ladoga Klint and meets the Izhora Plateau. Valaste jugajpg|thumb|right|Valaste Falls]]The Baltic Klint ( Clint, Glint; Balti klint Балтийско-ладожский уступ Глинт is an erosional The Izhora Plateau (Ижорская возвышенность is an elevated landform on Ordovician Limestone bedrock in the southwestern part of Leningrad

The elevation of Saint Petersburg ranges from the sea level to its highest point of 175. Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface 9 m (577 ft) at the Orekhovaya Hill in the Duderhof Heights in the south. Duderhof Heights or Duderhof Hills (Дудергофские высоты is a small highland area in the southwestern part of Saint Petersburg ( Krasnoselsky Part of the city's territory west of Liteyny Prospekt is no higher than 4 m (13 ft) above sea level, and has suffered from numerous floods. Liteyny Prospekt (Литейный проспект is a major street in the Central Business District of Saint Petersburg. Floods in Saint Petersburg are triggered by a long wave in the Baltic Sea, caused by meteorological conditions, winds and shallowness of the Neva Bay. Floods in Saint Petersburg are due to the Neva River delta and the eastern part of Neva Bay. The most disastrous floods occurred in 1824 (421 cm/13. 8 ft above sea-level^[20]), 1924 380 cm/12. 5 ft, 1777 321 cm/10. 5 ft, 1955 293 cm/9. 6 ft and 1975 281 cm/9. 2 ft. To prevent floods, the Saint Petersburg Dam has been under construction since 1979. The Saint Petersburg Flood Prevention Facility Complex (Комплекс защитных сооружений Санкт-Петербурга от наводнений unofficially ^[21]

Since the 18th century the terrain in the city has been raised artificially, at some places by more than 4 m (13 ft), making mergers of several islands, and changing the hydrology of the city. Besides Neva and its distributaries, other important rivers of the federal subject of Saint Petersburg are Sestra, Okhta and Izhora. Sestra River (Сестра Siestarjoki former also Rajajoki; Systerbäck is a River in Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, Russia Okhta River (Óхта is a River in Leningrad Oblast and the eastern part of the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Izhora (Ижóра Inkereenjoki also known as Inger River, is a left Tributary of the Neva River on its run through Ingria in northwestern The largest lake is Sestroretsky Razliv in the north, followed by Lakhtinsky Razliv, Suzdal Lakes and other smaller lakes.

Saint Petersburg's position on the latitude of ca. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi ( Φ) gives the location of a place on Earth (or other planetary body north or south of the 60° N causes variation in day length across seasons, ranging from 5:53 to 18:50. Day length, or length of day, or length of daytime, refers to the temporal length of a day or 24 hours during which there is daylight Twilight may last all night in early summer, from June to mid-July, the celebrated phenomenon known as the white nights. Twilight is the time before Sunrise, called Dawn, and the time after Sunset, called Dusk. The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer Solstice in June in areas of high Latitude during which sunsets are late sunrises are early and

Climate

Saint Petersburg experiences a humid continental climate of the cool summer subtype (Köppen: Dfb), due to the distinct moderating influence of the Baltic Sea cyclones. The humid continental climate is a Climate found over large areas of land masses in the temperate regions of the mid-latitudes where there is a zone of conflict between The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems It was developed by Wladimir Köppen, a German climatologist The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Summers are typically cool, humid and quite short, while winters are long, cold, but with frequent warm spells. Thaw is the period when the Snow and Ice melt at the end of the Winter, in cold climates The average daily temperature in July is 22 °C (72 °F); summer maximum is about 34 °C (93 °F), winter minimum is about −27 °C (−17 °F). The record low temperature is −35. 9 °C (−33 °F), recorded in 1883. The average annual temperature is +4 °C (39 °F). The River Neva within the city limits usually freezes up in November-December, break-up occurs in April. From December to March there are 123 days average with snow cover, which reaches the average of 24 cm (9 in) by February. The frost-free period in the city lasts on average for about 135 days. The city has a climate slightly warmer than its suburbs. Weather conditions are quite variable all year round. ^[22]

Average annual precipitation varies across the city, averaging 600 mm (24 in) per year and reaching maximum in late summer. In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric Soil moisture is almost always high because of lower evapotranspiration due to the cool climate. Evapotranspiration (ET is a term used to describe the sum of Evaporation and Plant Transpiration from the earth's land surface to Atmosphere Air humidity is 78% on average, while overcast is 165 days a year on average. Relative humidity is a measurement of the amount of Water vapor that exists in a gaseous mixture of air and water Overcast or overcast weather is the meteorological condition in which Clouds obscure 95% or more of the sky

Weather averages for Saint Petersburg
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	8. 6 (47)	10. 2 (50)	14. 9 (59)	25. 3 (78)	30. 9 (88)	34. 6 (94)	34. 3 (94)	33. 5 (92)	30. 4 (87)	21. 0 (70)	12. 3 (54)	10. 9 (52)	34. 6 (94)
Average high °C (°F)	-4. 8 (23)	-4. 6 (24)	0. 0 (32)	7. 4 (45)	14. 7 (58)	19. 4 (67)	22. 0 (72)	20. 1 (68)	14. 5 (58)	7. 7 (46)	1. 6 (35)	-2. 5 (28)	8. 1 (47)
Average low °C (°F)	-10. 5 (13)	-10. 6 (13)	-6. 9 (20)	-0. 2 (32)	5. 7 (42)	10. 8 (51)	13. 9 (57)	12. 5 (55)	7. 9 (46)	2. 8 (37)	-2. 4 (28)	-7. 3 (19)	1. 4 (35)
Record low °C (°F)	-35. 9 (-33)	-35. 2 (-31)	-29. 9 (-22)	-21. 8 (-7)	-6. 6 (20)	0. 1 (32)	4. 9 (41)	1. 3 (34)	-3. 1 (26)	-12. 9 (9)	-22. 2 (-8)	-34. 4 (-30)	-35. 9 (-33)
Precipitation mm (inches)	37 (1. In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric 5)	30 (1. 2)	34 (1. 3)	33 (1. 3)	37 (1. 5)	57 (2. 2)	77 (3)	80 (3. 1)	69 (2. 7)	66 (2. 6)	55 (2. 2)	50 (2)	625 (24. 6)
Source: Pogoda. ru. net[23] 2007-07-29

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia. Petersburg]] is the second largest city in Russia, after Moscow. The 2002 census recorded a population of the federal subject of 4,661,219, or 3. Russian Census of 2002 (Всеросси́йская пе́репись населе́ния 2002 го́да was the first Census of the Russian Federation carried 21% of the total population of Russia. The 2002 census recorded twenty-two ethnic groups of more than two thousand persons each. The ethnic composition was: Russian 84. The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries 72%, Ukrainian 1. Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens 87%, Belarusians 1. Belarusians or Belorussians (Беларусы Biełarusy previously also spelled Belarussians, Byelorussians and Belorusians, also 17%, Jewish 0. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ 78%, Tatar 0. Tatars ( Tatar: Tatarlar/Татарлар sometimes spelled Tartars, are a Turkic -speaking ethnic group or multiple ethnic groups 76%, Armenian 0. The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large 41%, Azeri 0. This article is about Azeris in Russia For Azeris in general see the respective article 36%, Georgian 0. The Georgians (ქართველები kartvelebi) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus, the oldest group of the 22%, Chuvash 0. 13%, Polish 0. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. 10%, and many other smaller ethnic groups, while 7. 89% of the inhabitants declined to state their ethnicity. ^[26]

The 20th century saw hectic ups and downs in population. From 2. 4 million in 1916 it had dropped to less than 740,000 by 1920 during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and Russian Civil War. See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed The sizeable minorities of Germans, Poles, Finns, Estonians and Latvians were almost completely expelled from Leningrad by the Soviet government during the 1930s. Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories deportations of " Anti-Soviet " categories of population often classified ^[10] From 1941 to the end of 1943, population dropped from 3 million to less than 700,000, as people died in battles, starved to death during the Siege of Leningrad, or were evacuated. The Siege of Leningrad, also known as The Leningrad Blockade ( Russian: блокада Ленинграда ( transliteration: blokada Leningrada After the siege, some of the evacuees returned, but most influx was due to migration from other parts of the Soviet Union. The city absorbed about 3 million people in the 1950s and grew to over 5 million in the 1980s. From 1991 to 2006 the city's population decreased to the current 4. 6 million, while the suburban population increased due to privatization of land and massive move to suburbs. ^[24][27] The birth rate remains lower than the death rate; people over 65 constitute more than twenty percent of the population; and the median age is about 40 years. Crude birth rate is the natality or Childbirths per 1000 people per year Mortality rate is a measure of the number of Deaths (in general or due to a specific cause in some population scaled to the size of that population per unit time ^[28]

People in urban Saint Petersburg live mostly in apartments. Between 1918 and the 1990s, the Soviets nationalised housing and forced residents to share communal apartments (kommunalkas). Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government A Kommunalka or communal apartment (коммуналка коммунальная квартира is a shared Apartment in CIS countries With 68% living in shared flats in the 1930s, Leningrad was the city in the USSR with the largest number of kommunalkas. Resettling residents of kommunalkas is now on the way, albeit shared apartments are still not uncommon. As new boroughs were built on the outskirts in the 1950s-1980s, over half a million low income families eventually received free apartments, and about an additional hundred thousand condos were purchased by the middle class. While economic and social activity is concentrated in the historic city centre, the richest part of Saint Petersburg, most people live in commuter areas. Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of MonumentsAdmiralty A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 9. 1 per 1000. ^[29]

Government

Further information: Government in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a federal subject of Russia. Mariinsky Palace Saint Petersburgjpg|thumb|right| Mariinsky Palace, the seat of the Assembly]] Saint Petersburg is a Federal subject of Russia. The Smolny Institute (Смольный институт Smol'niy institut) is a Palladian edifice in St Petersburg, which has played a major part in the Russia is a Federation which consists of 83  subjects. These subjects are of equal federal rights in the sense that they have equal ^[30] The political life of Saint Petersburg is regulated by the city charter adopted by the city legislature in 1998. ^[31] The superior executive body is the Saint Petersburg City Administration, led by the governor (mayor before 1996). Saint Petersburg City Administration is the superior executive body of Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad Russian Federation. List of heads of the government of Saint Petersburg, Russia From 16 May 1703 -------------> Saint Petersburg From 19 Jul Saint Petersburg has a single-chamber legislature, the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg (Законода́тельное собра́ние Санкт-Петербу́рга ЗакС is the legislative power body

According to the federal law passed in 2004, heads of federal subjects, including the governor of Saint Petersburg, are nominated by the President of Russia and approved by local legislatures. The President of Russia (Президент России or the President of the Russian Federation, Президент Российской If the legislature disapproves the nominee, it is dissolved. The current governor, Valentina Matviyenko, was approved according to the new system in December 2006. Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko (Валенти́на Ива́новна Матвие́нко b

Saint Petersburg city is currently divided into eighteen districts. Admiralteysky District Frunzensky District Kalininsky District Kirovsky District

Saint Petersburg is also the administrative center of Leningrad Oblast, and of the Northwestern Federal District. Leningrad Oblast (Ленингра́дская о́бласть Leningradskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) Northwestern Federal District (Се́веро-За́падный федера́льный о́круг tr ^[32]

Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, being two different federal subjects, share a number of local departments of federal executive agencies and courts, such as court of arbitration, police, FSB, postal service, drug enforcement administration, penitentiary service, federal registration service, and other federal services. The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation ( FSB) ( Russian: ФСБ Федера́льная слу́жба безопа́сности Federalnaya

The Constitutional Court of Russia moved to Saint Petersburg from Moscow in May 2008. Constitutional Court of Russian Federation (Russian Конституционный Суд Российской Федерации is a high court which is empowered to rule on whether Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of

Crime

As in other large Russian cities, Saint Petersburg experiences fairly high levels of street crime and bribery. Street crime is a loose term for criminal offences taking place in public places Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption is an act usually implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient in ways not consistent with the duties of that person In addition, in recent years there has been a notable increase in racially motivated violence. On the other hand, unlike in Moscow, there have been no major terrorist attacks in Saint Petersburg in recent years. ^[33]

At the end of the 1980s – beginning of the 1990s, Leningrad became home to a number of gangs, such as Tambov Gang, Malyshev Gang, Kazan Gang and ethnic criminal groups, engaged in a racket, extortion and violent clashes with each other. The Tambov Gang (in Russian Тамбовская преступная группировка is a large Gang of Saint Petersburg, Russia. A racket is an illegal business usually run as part of Organized crime. Extortion, outwresting, or exaction is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person Unlawfully obtains either money property or services ^[33]

After the sensational assassinations of City Property Committee Chairman Mikhail Manevich (1997), State Duma deputy Galina Starovoytova (1998), acting City Legislature Speaker Viktor Novosyolov (1999) and a number of prominent businesspeople, Saint Petersburg was dubbed 'Capital of Crime' in the Russian press. The State Duma (Государственная дума (Gosudarstvennaya Duma common abbreviation Госдума (Gosduma in the Russian Federation is the Galina Vasilyevna Starovoitova (Галина Васильевна Старовойтова ( 17 May 1946, Chelyabinsk - November 20, 1998 ^[34][35]

Economy

Further information: Economy of Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a major trade gateway, financial and industrial center of Russia specialising in oil and gas trade, shipbuilding yards, aerospace industry, radio and electronics, software and computers; machine building, heavy machinery and transport, including tanks and other military equipment, mining, instrument manufacture, ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy (production of aluminium alloys), chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, publishing and printing, food and catering, wholesale and retail, textile and apparel industries, and many other businesses. This article is about the field of research and industry for the corporation see The Aerospace Corporation Aerospace comprises the Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. A machine is any device that uses Energy to perform some activity Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body A broader definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other Metallurgy is a domain of Materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their WikipediaNaming A chemical substance is a Material with a definite chemical composition. A drug, broadly speaking is any chemical substance that when absorbed into the body Medical equipment is designed to aid in the diagnosis monitoring or treatment of medical conditions Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view Printing is a process for reproducing text and image typically with ink on Paper using a printing press Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an Catering is the Business of providing Foodservice at a remote site Wholesaling is the sale of Goods or Merchandise to Retailers to industrial commercial institutional or other professional Business users A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather It was also home to Lessner, one of Russia's two pioneering automobile manufacturers (along with Russo-Baltic), Lessner; founded by machine tool and boiler maker G. Russo-Balt (sometimes Russobalt or Russo-Baltique) was the first Russian company that produced cars between 1909 and 1923 A machine tool is a powered mechanical device typically used to fabricate metal components of machines by Machining, which is the selective removal of metal A boiler is a closed vessel in which Water or other Fluid is heated A. Lessner in 1904, with designs by Boris Loutsky, it survived until 1910. ^[36]

10% of the world's power turbines are made there at the LMZ, which built over two thousand turbines for power plants across the world. A turbine is a rotary Engine that extracts Energy from a Fluid flow Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod (Ленинградский Металлический Завод also known as LMZ, is the largest Russian manufacturer of Major local industries are Admiralty Shipyard, Baltic Shipyard, LOMO, Kirov Plant, Elektrosila, Izhorsky Zavod; also registered in Saint Petersburg are Sovkomflot, Petersburg Fuel Company and SIBUR among other major Russian and international companies. The Admiralty Shipyard (Адмиралтейские верфи ( formerly Soviet Shipyard No The Baltic Shipyard (Baltiysky Zavod formerly Shipyard-189 (Балтийский завод имени С LOMO or Ленинградское Оптико-Механическое Объединение (Leningrad Optical Mechanical Amalgamation is a manufacturer of advanced optical instruments The Kirov Plant or Kirov Factory (Кировский Завод Kirovskiy Zavod) is a major Russian machine-building Plant in St Izhorsky Zavod is a major manufacturing plant located in Kolpino, Saint Petersburg. The Petersburg Fuel Company (PTK in Russian Петербургская топливная компания ПТК is a joint stock company of Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Petersburg has three large cargo seaports: Bolshoi Port Saint Petersburg, Kronstadt, and Lomonosov. This table lists statistics ( 2002) ( Gdańsk, Świnoujście, Szczecin and Helsinki - 2004)( Klaipėda, Lübeck Kronstadt (Кроншта́дт also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt (Krone for Crown and Stadt for City) is a Russian International cruise liners are served at the passenger port at Morskoy Vokzal on the west end of the Vasilevsky Island. Vasilievsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva (in the delta of Neva) from A complex system of riverports on both banks of the Neva river are interconnected with the system of seaports, thus making Saint Petersburg the main link between the Baltic sea and the rest of Russia through the Volga-Baltic Waterway. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The Volga-Baltic Waterway, formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian Мариинская водная система is a series of Canals and Rivers

The Saint Petersburg Mint (Monetny Dvor), founded in 1724, is one of the largest mints in the world, it mints Russian coins, medals and badges. Saint Petersburg Mint (Санкт-Петербу́ргский моне́тный двор is one of the world's largest mints. A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures Coins for Currency. The ruble or rouble (рубль rublʹ, plural ru рубли́ rubli; see note on English spelling and Russian plurals with numbers A medal is usually a Coin -like sculpted object of metal or other material that has been engraved with an Insignia, Portrait or other artistic rendering A badge is a device, patch or accoutrement which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service a special accomplishment a symbol of authority granted by taking Saint Petersburg is also home to the oldest and largest Russian foundry, Monumentskulptura, which made thousands of sculptures and statues that are now gracing public parks of Saint Petersburg, as well as many other cties. Monuments and bronze statues of the Tsars, as well as other important historic figures and dignitaries, and other world famous monuments, such as the sculptures by Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg, Paolo Troubetzkoy, Pavel Antokolsky, and others, were made there. Baron Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg, known in Russian as Pyotr Karlovich Klodt (Пётр Карлович Клодт 1805—1867 was a favourite sculptor of Prince Paolo or Paul Troubetzkoy (Russian Павел Петрович Трубецкой Pavel Petrovich Trubetskoy; Verbania Intra near Pavel Antokolsky Павел Григорьевич Антокольский ( July 1, 1896, St

In 2007 Toyota opened a Camry plant after investing 5 billion dollars in Shuishary, one of the southern suburbs of Saint Petersburg. (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. The Toyota Camry is a Mid-size car, formerly a Compact car manufactured by Toyota since 1980 General Motors, Hyundai and Nissan have signed deals with the Russian government to build their automotive plants in Saint Petersburg too. Automotive and auto-parts industry is on the rise there during the last decade. Saint Petersburg is also known as the "beer capital" of Russia, due to the supply and quality of local water, contributing over 30% of the domestic production of beer with its five large-scale breweries including Europe's second largest brewery Baltika, Vena (both operated by BBH), Heineken Brewery, Stepan Razin (both by Heineken) and Tinkoff brewery (SUN-InBev). Baltika redirects here For the football club see FC Baltika Kaliningrad Baltika Brewery () is the largest brewery Heineken is a Dutch 5% abv Pale lager, made by Heineken International since 1873 For the proposed merged company see Proposed merger of Anheuser-Busch and InBev. Saint Petersburg has the second largest construction industry in Russia, including commercial, housing and road construction.

In 2006 Saint Petersburg's city budget was 179,9 billion rubles,^[37] and is planned to double by 2012. The federal subject's gross regional product as of 2005 was 667,905. A Metropolitan area 's gross regional product, ie GMP or GRP is one of several measures of the size of its economy 4 million Russian rubles, ranked 4th in Russia, after Moscow, Tyumen Oblast, and Moscow Oblast,^[38] or 145,503. The ruble or rouble (рубль rublʹ, plural ru рубли́ rubli; see note on English spelling and Russian plurals with numbers Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Tyumen Oblast (Тюме́нская о́бласть Tyumenskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) Moscow Oblast (Моско́вская о́бласть Moskovskaya oblast) or Podmoskovye (ru Подмоско́вье Podmoskovye) is a 3 rubles per capita, ranked 12th among Russia's federal subjects,^[39] contributed mostly by wholesale and retail trade and repair services (24. 7%) as well as processing industry (20. 9%) and transportation and telecommunications (15. 1%). ^[40]

Transportation

The city is a major transport hub. Saint Petersburg Metro (Петербу́ргский метрополите́н is an underground Rapid transit system in Saint Petersburg, Russia The first Russian railroad was built here, in 1837. Today, Saint Petersburg is the final destination of a web of intercity and suburban railways, served by five different railway terminals (Baltiysky, Finlyandsky, Ladozhsky, Moskovsky, and Vitebsky),^[41] as well as dozens of non-terminal railway stations within the federal subject. Baltic Rail Terminal (Балти́йский вокза́л in Saint Petersburg is one of the busiest railway stations in Russia by volume of suburban traffic Finlyandsky Rail Terminal (Финля́ндский вокза́л Finlyandsky vokzal) also known as Finland Station, is a railway station in Ladozhsky Rail Terminal (Ла́дожский вокза́л also called Ladoga Rail Terminal, is the newest and most modern passenger Railway station in Moskovsky Rail Terminal (Моско́вский вокза́л Moskovsky vokzal) also called Moscow Rail Terminal, with an easily recognizable Neo-Renaissance Vitebsk Rail Terminal (Ви́тебский вокза́л formerly known as the Tsarskoe Selo Station, was the first Railway station to be built in Saint Saint Petersburg has international railway connections to Helsinki, Finland, Berlin, Germany, and all former republics of the USSR. Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Helsinki railroad was built in 1870, 443 km (275 mi), commutes three times a day, in a journey lasting about five and a half hours. Railway station in Lahti of FinlandJPG|thumb|right|Lahti railway station]]ElectricLoco chs6-010 The Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway opened in 1851, 651 km (405 mi); the commute to Moscow now requires about four and a half to nine hours. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of ^[42] Saint Petersburg is also served by Pulkovo International Airport,^[43] and by three smaller commercial and cargo airports in the suburbs. Pulkovo Airport (Аэропо́рт Пу́лково is the international Airport serving St There is a regular, 24/7, rapid-bus transit connection between Pulkovo airport and the city center. Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of MonumentsAdmiralty

The city is also served by the passenger and cargo seaports in the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea, the river port higher up Neva, and tens of smaller passenger stations on both banks of the Neva river. The Gulf of Finland ( Finnish: Suomenlahti, Russian: Финский залив, Finskiy zaliv, Swedish: Finska viken The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. It is a terminus of the Volga-Baltic and White Sea-Baltic waterways. The Volga-Baltic Waterway, formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian Мариинская водная система is a series of Canals and Rivers The White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal (Belomorsko-Baltiyskiy Kanal BBK) is a Ship canal that joins the White Sea and the Baltic Sea near In 2004 the first high bridge that doesn't need to be drawn, a 2,824 m (9,265 ft) long Big Obukhovsky Bridge, was opened. The Big Obukhovsky Bridge (Большо́й Обу́ховский мост Bolshoy Obukhovsky most) is the newest (not taking into account the Blagoveshchensky Bridge Meteor hydrofoils link the city centre to the coastal towns of Kronstadt, Lomonosov, Peterhof, Sestroretsk and Zelenogorsk from May through October. A hydrofoil is a Boat with wing-like foils mounted on struts below the hull. Kronstadt (Кроншта́дт also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt (Krone for Crown and Stadt for City) is a Russian Lomonosov (Ломоно́сов before 1948 Oranienbaum, ru Ораниенба́ум is a town under the jurisdiction of St Peterhof (Петерго́ф Petergof, originally named nl Peterhof, the Dutch for "Peter's Court" is a municipal town within Petrodvortsovy Sestroretsk (Сестроре́цк Siestarjoki Systerbäck is a municipal town under jurisdiction of Kurortny District of the federal city Zelenogorsk pljazjpg|thumb|right| Gulf of Finland coast at Zelenogorsk]] Zelenogorsk (Зеленого́рск Terijoki before 1948 is a Town under jurisdiction

Saint Petersburg has an extensive city-funded network of public transport (buses, trams, trolleybuses) and several hundred routes served by marshrutkas. The city of Saint Petersburg, Russia once boasted the largest Tramway network in the World, consisting of about 340 kilometres of unduplicated Marshrutka ( Bulgarian, маршру́тка mɘr'ʂrutkɘ from marshrutnoye taksi (Mаршрутное такси is a Share taxi in Trams in Saint Petersburg used to be the main transport; in the 1980s, Leningrad had the largest tramway network in the world, but many tramway rail tracks were dismantled in the 2000s. The city of Saint Petersburg, Russia once boasted the largest Tramway network in the World, consisting of about 340 kilometres of unduplicated Buses carry up to 3 million passengers daily, serving over 250 urban and a number of suburban bus routes. Saint Petersburg Metro underground rapid transit system was opened in 1955; it now has four lines with 60 stations, connecting all five railway terminals, and carrying 3. Saint Petersburg Metro (Петербу́ргский метрополите́н is an underground Rapid transit system in Saint Petersburg, Russia 4 million passengers daily. Metro stations are decorated in marble and bronze.

Traffic jams are common in the city, because of narrow streets, parking sites along their edges, high daily traffic volumes between the commuter boroughs and the city centre, intercity traffic, and at times excessive snow in winter. Five segments of the Saint Petersburg Ring Road were opened between 2002 and 2006, and full ring is planned to open in 2010. The Saint Petersburg Ring Road (Санкт-Петербу́ргская кольцева́я автодоро́га is a ring road currently under ongoing construction which encircles

Saint Petersburg is part of the important transport corridor linking Scandinavia to Russia and Eastern Europe. Garden Street russian: Улица Садовая or Sadovaya Street is a major thoroughfare in Central Saint Petersburg. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. The city is a node of the international European routes E18 towards Helsinki, E20 towards Tallinn, E95 towards Pskov, Kiev and Odessa and E105 towards Petrozavodsk, Murmansk and Kirkenes (north) and towards Moscow and Kharkiv (south). The international E-road network is a numbering system for Roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE. European route E18 begins at Northern Ireland, then through Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden, and Finland to end at Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. The European route E20 is part of the United Nations International E-road network. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names Pskov (Псков ancient Russian spelling Пльсковъ Pleskov) in Latvian Pleskava, in Estonian Pihkva, is an ancient city located in Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the ODESSA which stands for the German phrase O rganisation d er e hemaligen SS - A ngehörigen which in turn translates The E105 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe. Petrozavodsk (Петрозаво́дск Karelian / Vepsian / Petroskoi) is the Capital of the Republic of Karelia, Russia Murmansk (Му́рманск Murmanska Muurman is a city and Seaport in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, 12 km ( Finnish: Kirkkoniemi, Sámi: Girkonjárga) is the centre of the municipality of Sør-Varanger in Finnmark county Norway Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Kharkiv or Kharkov (Харків Харьков is the second largest city in Ukraine.

Built environment and landmarks

Further information: Landmarks of Saint Petersburg

The majestic appearance of Saint Petersburg is achieved through a variety of architectural details including long, straight boulevards, vast spaces, gardens and parks, decorative wrought-iron fences, monuments and decorative sculptures. See also Saint Petersburg appearance of St Petersburg is achieved through a variety of architectural details including long straight boulevards vast spaces gardens The Neva River itself, together with its many canals and their granite embankments and bridges gives the city a unique and striking ambience. LeveeEmbankmentDitch A dike (or dyke) levee, levée, embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial There are 342 bridges in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This is a partial list of most famous ones

Saint Petersburg's position below the Arctic Circle, on the same latitude as nearby Helsinki, Stockholm, Aberdeen and Oslo (60° N), causes twilight to last all night in May, June and July. The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi ( Φ) gives the location of a place on Earth (or other planetary body north or south of the Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the Aberdeen ( pronounced; Aiberdeen Obar Dheathain is Scotland 's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi ( Φ) gives the location of a place on Earth (or other planetary body north or south of the This celebrated phenomenon is known as the "white nights". The White Nights describes the few weeks around the summer Solstice in June in areas of high Latitude during which sunsets are late sunrises are early and The white nights are closely linked to another attraction — the eight drawbridges spanning the Neva. A drawbridge is a type of Movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a Castle. Tourists flock to see the bridges drawn and lowered again at night to allow shipping to pass up and down the river. Bridges open from May to late October according to a special schedule between approximately 2 a. m. and 4:30 a. m.

The historical center of Saint Petersburg was the first Russian patrimony inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Central Saint Petersburg Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments is the name used by UNESCO when it collectively designated the historic core of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex

The "historic skyline" of Saint Petersburg was included in the World Monuments Fund's 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world because the Russian oil company Gazprom announced that it would be building a 300-meter-high tower, Okhta Center, in the city. The World Monuments Fund (WMF is a New York -based private Non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic Architecture and OJSC Gazprom, (Газпром long version Открытое Aкционерное Oбщество Газпром sometimes transcribed as Gasprom is the largest Russian company Okhta Center (О́хта-це́нтр known before March 2007 as Gazprom City (Газпро́м-си́ти is a construction project of a business center This project, if completed, would drastically alter the skyline and set a worrying precedent for future development in the historic city. The building of this structure could also jeopardize the city's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Canals and bridges

Main article: List of bridges in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is built on what originally were more than 100 islands created by a maze of rivers, creeks, canals, gulfs, lakes and ponds and other bodies of water that flow into the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Neva river. Bank Bridge (Russian Bankovsky most, Банковский мост) is a 25-meter-long pedestrian Bridge crossing the Griboedov Canal near the

A familiar view of Saint Petersburg is a drawbridge across the Neva. A drawbridge is a type of Movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a Castle. Every night during the navigation period from April to November, 22 bridges across Neva and main canals are drawn to let ships pass in and out of the Baltic Sea. ^[44]

Today, there are 342 bridges over canals and rivers of various sizes, styles and constructions, built at different periods. Over 800 smaller bridges over smaller ponds and streams are gracing public parks and gardens, the popular places for entertainment and leisure.

Thanks to the intricate web of canals, Saint Petersburg is often called the "Venice of the North" which is a popular poetic name for the northern capital. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the

Palaces of the Tsars

Saint Petersburg is known as the city of palaces. The Catherine Palace (Екатерининский дворец is the Rococo summer residence of the Russian The Summer Palace or Letniy Dvorets (Ле́тний дворе́ц is the name of three Russian royal residences in Saint Petersburg, of which only A palace is a grand residence especially the home of a Head of state or some other high-ranking Public figure. One of the earliest of these is the Summer Palace, a modest house built for Peter I in the Summer Garden (1710–1714). The Summer Palace or Letniy Dvorets (Ле́тний дворе́ц is the name of three Russian royal residences in Saint Petersburg, of which only The Summer Garden (Ле́тний сад Letniy Sad) occupies an island between the Fontanka, Moika, and the Swan Canal in Saint Much more imposing are the baroque residences of his associates, such as the Kikin Hall and the Menshikov Palace on the Neva Embankment, constructed from designs by Domenico Trezzini over the years 1710 to 1716. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc House generally refers to a Shelter or Building that is a Dwelling or place for Habitation by Human beings. Domenico Trezzini (ca 1670-1734 was a Swiss-Italian Architect who elaborated the Petrine Baroque style of Russian architecture. A residence adjacent to the Menshikov palace was redesigned for Peter II and now houses the State University. Pyotr (Peter II Alekseyevich ( Russian: Пётр II Алексеевич or Pyotr II Alekseyevich) ( October 23, 1715 &ndash January Saint Petersburg State University ( Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a Russian federal state-owned higher

Probably the most illustrious of imperial palaces is the baroque Winter Palace (1754 — 1762), a vast stately building with over 600 rooms and dazzlingly luxurious interiors, now housing the Hermitage Museum. See also The movie Russian Ark, an innovative single shot walkthrough with period reenactments spanning three hundred years of court meetings The State Hermitage Museum (Государственный Эрмитаж Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the largest ^[45] The same architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, was also responsible for three residences in the vicinity of the Nevsky Prospekt: the Stroganov palace (1752 — 1754, is now a branch of the State Russian Museum, the Vorontsov palace (1749 — 1757, now a military school), and the Anichkov Palace (1741 — 1750, many times rebuilt, now a palace for children). Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (Russian Франче́ско Бартоломе́о Растре́лли ( Nevsky Prospekt (Не́вский проспе́кт or the Nevsky Avenue, is the main street in the city of St Petersburg. The Stroganovs or Strogonovs (Строгановы Строгоновы also spelled in French manner as Stroganoffs, were a family of highly successful The State Russian Museum (formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III, while prior to that as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov (Russian Михаи́л Илларио́нович Воронцо́в 1714–1767 was a Russian statesman and Diplomat, who Anichkov Palace ( Russian: Аничков дворец, Anichkov dvorets) is a former imperial Palace in Saint Petersburg, at the intersection Other baroque palaces include the Sheremetev house on the Fontanka embankment (also called the Fountain House), and the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace (1846–1848) on the Nevsky Prospekt, formerly a residence of the Grand Duke Sergey Aleksandrovich. The Sheremetev were one of the wealthiest and most influential noble families of Russia Count Boris Sheremetev (1652–1719 military leader and diplomat during Fontanka (Фонтанка is a left branch of the river Neva, which flows through the whole of Central Saint Petersburg, Russia. Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace (also known before the Revolution as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, the Sergei Palace, and the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia ( Сергей Александрович) ( May 11, 1857 &ndash February 17, 1905) was a

Of Neoclassical palaces, the foremost is St Michael's (or Engineers') Castle,^[45] constructed for Emperor Paul in 1797 — 1801 to replace the earlier Summer Palace. Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and St Michael's Castle (Михайловский замок Mikhailovsky zamok) also called the Mikhailovsky Castle or the Engineer Castle (Инженерный Paul (Па́вел I Петро́вич Pavel Petrovich) ( &ndash) was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801 The Tauride Palace of Prince Potemkin (1783 — 1789), situated near the Smolny Institute, used to be a seat of the first Russian parliament, and now the Assembly of Independent States. Tauride Palace (Russian Tavrichesky dvorets, Таврический дворец) is one of the largest and most historic palaces in Saint Petersburg, A Duma (Ду́ма is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history Just two blocks from the Hermitage buildings is the Marble Palace, commissioned by Count Orlov and built in 1768 — 1785 from 44 various sorts of marble to a Neoclassical design by Antonio Rinaldi, it is now part of the State Russian Museum. Marble Palace or Mramornyi Dvorets was one of the first Neoclassical Palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Orlov ( Орлóв) is the name of a Russian noble family which produced several distinguished statesmen diplomatists and soldiers Marble is a nonfoliated Metamorphic rock resulting from the Metamorphism of Limestone, composed mostly of Calcite (a crystalline form of Antonio Rinaldi ( 1710 - April 10 1794) was an Italian Architect, trained by Luigi Vanvitelli, who worked mainly in The State Russian Museum (formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III, while prior to that as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna The Michael Palace (1819 — 1825), famed for its opulent interiors and named after its first lodger, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, now houses the main collections of the Russian Museum. The State Russian Museum (formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III, while prior to that as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna ^[45] Also designed in the Neoclassical style is the Yusupov's Moyka palace (built in the 1790s), where Rasputin was killed by Prince Yusupov. Yusupov, (Юсупов or Yusupova, (feminine ru Юсупова is a Russian surname of Tatar (Йосыпов Yosıpov origin Other treasured palaces are the Razumovsky palace (1762 — 1766); the Shuvalov palace (1830 — 1838); and the Yelagin Palace (1818 — 1822), a sumptuous summer dacha of the imperial family, situated on the Yelagin Island. Count Kirill Grigorievich Razumovsky, more correctly Rozumovsky, (Разумовский Розумовський (1728-1803 was a Ukrainian Cossack Count Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov ( Петр Иванович Шувалов in Russian) ( 1711 - 1762) was a Russian Statesman Yelagin Palace (Yelaginskii or Yelaginoostrovsky Dvorets completed in 1822 is a palace on Saint Petersburg, Russia which is situated on Yelagin Island Dacha ( is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes located in the Exurbs of Soviet and Russian cities Yelagin Island (Yelagin Ostrov Елагин остров is an island at the mouth of the Neva River which is part of St The last Royal residences were built for Nicholas I's children: the Mariinsky Palace (1839 — 1844), located just opposite St Isaac's Cathedral, is now housing the Saint Petersburg City Legislature and Offices of Representatives, the Nicholas Palace (1853 — 61), and the New Michael Palace (1857 — 1861). Mariinsky Palace, also known as Marie Palace (Мариинcкий дворец was the last Neoclassical imperial Palace to be constructed A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation DvorecTruda 29622jpg|thumb|225px|Nicholas Palace today]] Nicholas Palace (Russian Николаевский дворец Nikolayevsky dvorets) was one of several St Petersburg All major palaces are now housing numerous state and private museums and various branches of the government.

Cathedrals and temples

While many cathedrals and buildings formerly owned by churches and monasteries still belong to the Russian government, since their seizure in 1917, some were eventually returned to congregations. Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor (Каза́нский кафедра́льный собо́р is a name of several Russian churches The largest cathedral in the city is St Isaac's Cathedral (1818 — 1858), it is the biggest gold-plated dome in the world. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (Исаа́киевский Собо́р in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest Cathedral A dome is a common structural element of Architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a Sphere. It was constructed over 40 years under supervision of architects Auguste de Montferrand and Vasily Stasov. Auguste de Montferrand ( January 23, 1786 &ndash July 10, 1858) was a French Neoclassical Architect who worked primarily Vasily Petrovich Stasov (Russian Василий Петрович Стасов (1769&ndash1848 Russian Architect, extensively travelled in France The Kazan Cathedral on the Nevsky Prospekt is a national landmark in the Empire style, modeled after Saint Peter's, Vatican. Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor (Каза́нский кафедра́льный собо́р is a name of several Russian churches The Empire Style, sometimes considered the second phase of Neoclassicism, is an early-19th-century Design movement in Architecture, Furniture The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St The Church of the Savior on Blood (1883 — 1907), is a monument in the old Russian style which marks the spot of Alexander II's assassination. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Храм Спаса на Крови is one of the main sights of St Russian architecture follows a tradition whose roots were established in the Eastern Slavic state of Kievan Rus'. Alexander (Aleksandr II Nikolaevich (Александр II Николаевич ( Moscow, 29 April 1818 – 13 March 1881 in St The Peter and Paul Cathedral (1712 — 1732), a long-time symbol of the city, contains the sepulchers of Peter the Great and other Russian emperors. The Peter and Paul Cathedral is located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece A sepulchre, or sepulcher, is a type of Tomb or Burial chamber Tsar csar and tzar redirect here For other uses see Tsar (disambiguation. The St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Great Choral Synagogue are near the Mariinsky Opera Theatre. Most cathedrals and temples operate today as places of worship as well as museums, and there are numerous other places of worship in all major religions. A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development open to the public which acquires conserves researches communicates and exhibits the

Of baroque structures, the grandest is the white-and-blue Smolny Convent (1748 — 1764), later the Smolny Institute, a striking design by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, but never completed. Smolny Convent or Smolny Convent of the Resurrection ( Voskresensky) located on Ploschad Rastrelli on the bank of the River Neva in Saint Petersburg The Smolny Institute (Смольный институт Smol'niy institut) is a Palladian edifice in St Petersburg, which has played a major part in the Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (Russian Франче́ско Бартоломе́о Растре́лли ( It is followed by the Naval Cathedral of St Nicholas (1753 — 1762), a lofty structure dedicated to the Russian Navy, the outside being covered with plaques to sailors lost at sea. The Russian Navy or VMF ( Russian: Военно-Морской Флот (ВМФ России- Voyenno-Morskoy Flot Rossii (VMF or literally Military Maritime A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal ceramic stone wood or other material typically attached to a wall stone or other vertical surface and bearing The church of Sts. Simeon and Anna (1731 — 1734), St. Sampson Cathedral (1728 — 1740), St. Pantaleon church (1735 — 1739), and St. Andrew's Cathedral (1764 — 1780) are all worth mentioning.

The Neoclassical churches are numerous. Many of them are intended to dominate vast squares, like St. Public square and city square redirect here For Public Square Cleveland see Public Square and for City Square in Leeds see Leeds City Square. Vladimir's Cathedral (1769 — 1789), not to be confused with the church of Our Lady of Vladimir (1761 — 1783). Vladimirskaya Church (Владимирская церковь is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to Our Lady of Vladimir and located at 20 Vladimirsky Prospect The Transfiguration Cathedral (1827 — 29) and the Trinity Cathedral (1828 — 1835, fire-damaged) were both designed by Vasily Stasov. The Trinity Cathedral (Троицкий собор Troitsky sobor) sometimes called the Troitsky Cathedral, in Saint Petersburg, Russia Vasily Petrovich Stasov (Russian Василий Петрович Стасов (1769&ndash1848 Russian Architect, extensively travelled in France Smaller churches include the Konyushennaya (1816 — 1823), also by Stasov, the "Easter Cake" church (1785 — 1787), noted for its droll appearance, St Catherine church on the Vasilievsky Island (1768 — 1771), and numerous non-Orthodox churches on the Nevsky Prospekt. Vasilievsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva (in the delta of Neva) from

The Alexander Nevsky Monastery, intended to house the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter the Great in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Alexander Nevsky, is graced by two cathedrals and five smaller churches in various styles. Saint Alexander Nevsky (Алекса́ндр Яросла́вич Не́вский in Russian; transliteration Aleksandr Yaroslavich Nevskij) ( May 30 The monastery is also one of three main centers of Christian education in Russia, having the Russian Orthodox Academy and Seminary and the residence of the Saint Petersburg Patriarch. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth It is also remarkable for the Tikhvin Cemetery, with graves of such dignitaries as writers Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Ivan Krylov, composers Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Modest Mussorgsky, pianist Anton Rubinstein, director Georgy Tovstonogov, actors Fyodor Stravinsky, Vera Komissarzhevskaya, Nikolay Simonov, mayor Anatoly Sobchak and many other notable Russians. Tikhvin Cemetery (Тихвинское кладбище is located at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, Ivan Andreyevich Krylov (Ива́н Андре́евич Крыло́в ( February 13, 1769 - November 21, 1844) is Russia's best known Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский Modest Petrovič Musorgskij) ( March 21 March 9 1839 &ndash March This article is about the 19th century Russian pianist and composer Georgy Alexandrovich Tovstonogov (Георгий Александрович Товстоногов - May 23 1989) was a Russian theatre director Fyodor Ignatievich Stravinsky (Фёдор Игнатиевич Стравинский -) was a Russian Ukrainian bass Opera singer and Vera Fyodorovna Komissarzhevskaya ( Вера Федоровна Комиссаржевская November 8, 1864, St Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak (Анато́лий Алекса́ндрович Собча́к August 10, 1937 &mdash February 20, 2000)

The Grand Choral Synagogue of Saint Petersburg is the second largest in Europe. It was opened in 1893, with the building permit obtained in 1869 from the Tsar Alexander II. Alexander II may refer to Alexander II of Russia (1818&ndash1881 the Emperor of Russia Alexander II of Macedon, King of Macedon The Small Synagogue was opened in 1886. On 5 Tamuz 5761 (June 26, 2001), the greater hall ("Bolshoi Zal" in Russian) was reopened after reconstruction. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.

Two small churches in the early Gothic Revival style, both designed by Yuri Felten, are the St John the Baptist (1776 — 1781) and the Chesmenskaya (1777 — 1780). The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began Yury Matveyevich Felten (Ю́рий Матве́евич Фе́льтен German name Georg Friedrich Veldten) (1730 &mdash 1801 was a court Architect to Catherine The Chesme Church (Чесменская церковь full name Church of Saint John the Baptist at Chesme Palace, це́рковь Рождества́ Иоа́нна Предте́чи The late 19th century and early 20th century temples are designed in the Russian Revival or Byzantine Revival styles. The Russian Revival style (Псевдорусский неорусский стиль is the generic term for a number of different movements within Russian architecture Byzantine architecture is the Architecture of the Byzantine Empire. Saint Petersburg Mosque (1909 — 1920), once the largest in Europe, is modeled after the Gur-e Amir Mosque in Samarkand. The Saint Petersburg Mosque (Санкт-Петербу́ргская мече́ть when opened in 1913 was the largest Mosque in Europe, its Minarets The Gur-e Amir (گور امیر is the Mausoleum of the Asian conqueror Tamerlane (also known as Timur) in Samarkand (now in Samarkand (Samarqand Самарқанд سمرقند UniPers: "Samarqand" is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of

Saint Petersburg Buddhist temple was the first in Europe. Construction was funded by subscriptions of the Dalai Lama and Russian and Mongolian Buddhists; the structure was inaugurated in the presence of Itigilov in 1914 and served as a valuable resource to transient Buryats, Kalmyks and other Buddists during World War I. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov (Даши-Доржо Итигэлов (1852–1927 was a Buryat Buddhist Lama of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition best The Buryats or Buriyads, numbering approximately 436000 are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia and are mainly concentrated in their homeland the Kalmyk redirects here for the breed of cattle see Kalmyk (cattle. It did not function from 1935 to 1991, when the lamas passed into gulags, and temple and its grounds were used for secular purposes. In 1991 the Saint Petersburg datsan was reopened for worship. Datsan (Дацан Дацан is the term used for Buddhist university monasteries in the Tibetan tradition of Gelukpa located throughout

Museums and popular sites

The ensemble of Peter and Paul Fortress with the Peter and Paul Cathedral takes dominant position on the right bank of the Neva river, across the Winter Palace in the center of the city. The Peter and Paul Fortress (Петропа́вловская кре́пость Petropavlovskaya Krepost) is the original Citadel of St The Peter and Paul Cathedral is located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St See also The movie Russian Ark, an innovative single shot walkthrough with period reenactments spanning three hundred years of court meetings A boardwalk was built along a portion of the fortress wall, giving visitors a clear view of the city across the river to the south. For the record label see Boardwalk Records. for the former Las Vegas hotel see Boardwalk Hotel and Casino. On the other bank of the Neva, the spit (Strelka) of the Vasilievsky Island is graced by the former Bourse building (1805 — 1810), an important lanmark in the style of the Greek Revival, is now home of the Museum of Navy. Vasilievsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva (in the delta of Neva) from For the active stock exchange in Saint Petersburg see Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange. The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries predominantly in northern Europe and the United States The spit of the Vasilievsky Island is designed as a classic lawn-park on the waterfront, and is highlighted by two tall and colorful Rostral Columns, decorated with statues and prows of battleships. For the active stock exchange in Saint Petersburg see Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange. This is a traditional place for music festivals and public events, such as the White Nights Festival. The White Nights Festival in St Petersburg, Russia is an annual international cultural event

The most famous of Saint Petersburg's museums is the Hermitage, one of the world's largest and richest collections of Western European art. The State Hermitage Museum (Государственный Эрмитаж Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the largest Also see articles History of painting, Western painting Western Art' redirects here Its vast holdings were originally exhibited in the Greek Revival building (1838 — 1852) by Leo von Klenze, now called the New Hermitage. The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries predominantly in northern Europe and the United States Leo von Klenze ( Franz Karl Leopold von Klenze, February 29 1784 - January 27 1864) was a German neoclassicist Architect But the first Russian museum was established by Peter the Great in the Kunstkammer, erected in 1718 — 1734 on the opposite bank of the Neva River and formerly a home to the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Kunstkammer or Kunstkamera was the first museum in Russia. The Russian Academy of Sciences (Российская Академия Наук Rossi'iskaya Akade'miya Nau'k, shortened to PAH RAN) consists of the National Other popular tourist destinations include the State Russian Museum and the Summer Garden, the Ethnography Museum (1900 — 1911), Stieglitz Museum of Applied Arts (1885 — 1895), the Suvorov Museum of Military History (1901 — 1904), and the Political History Museum (1904 — 06). The State Russian Museum (formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III, while prior to that as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna The Summer Garden (Ле́тний сад Letniy Sad) occupies an island between the Fontanka, Moika, and the Swan Canal in Saint Ethnography ( Greek ethnos = people and graphein = writing is a genre of writing that uses Fieldwork to provide a descriptive Suvorov Memorial Museum (Russian Музей Суворова in Saint Petersburg, Russia is a military Museum dedicated to the memory of Generalissimo Alexander

The former imperial capital is rich in science and educational institutions. Saint Petersburg State University is based on Vasilievsky Island and in Peterhof. Saint Petersburg State University ( Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a Russian federal state-owned higher The Academy of Arts (1764 — 1788), an exceedingly handsome structure, overlooks a quayside adorned with genuine Egyptian griffins and sphinxes. The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St Petersburg Academy of Arts, was opened by Count Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy A quay, pronounced 'key' is a Wharf or bank where Ships and other vessels are loaded This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The griffin is a Legendary creature with the body of a Lion and the head and often wings of an Eagle. A Sphinx is a Zoomorphic mythological figure which is depicted as a recumbent lion with a human head The Smolny Institute (1806 — 1808), originally the first school for Russian women, was Lenin's headquarters during the Russian Revolution of 1917, is now the office of the Governor. The Smolny Institute (Смольный институт Smol'niy institut) is a Palladian edifice in St Petersburg, which has played a major part in the See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them The Catherine's Institute (1804 — 1807), also designed by Quarenghi, is now the Russian National Library. The National Library of Russia in St Petersburg, known as the State Public Saltykov-Shchedrin Library in 1932-1992 (i Another Neoclassical building by Quarenghi, a roomy Horse Guards Riding School (1804 — 1807), is now the Central Exhibition Hall. Conference centre redirects here For the conference facility in Salt Lake City Utah that is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Nevsky Prospekt is the main avenue of Saint Petersburg connecting the Winter Palace with the ancient monastery at Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Nevsky Prospekt (Не́вский проспе́кт or the Nevsky Avenue, is the main street in the city of St Petersburg. See also The movie Russian Ark, an innovative single shot walkthrough with period reenactments spanning three hundred years of court meetings Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter the Great in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Nevsky is the busiest shopping destination and the prime center of entertainment and nighlife. Shopping malls, department stores, business centers, built in a variety of styles, include the Eliseev emporium, the House of Books, The Passage, and more. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. The Passage ( Russian: Пассаж, Passazh) is an elite Department store on Nevsky Avenue in Saint Petersburg,

Saint Petersburg is a home to more than 50 theatres. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one The oldest is the Hermitage Theatre, a private palatial theatre of Catherine the Great, still preserving the complex stage machinery of the 18th century. The Hermitage Theatre ( Эрмитажный театр, Ermitazhnïy teatr) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of five Hermitage Catherine II, called Catherine the Great (Екатерина II Великая Yekaterina II Velikaya;) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years The Alexandrine Theatre, built in 1828 — 1832 by Carlo Rossi, was named after the wife of Nicholas I. Most famous outside Russia is the Mariinsky Theatre (former Kirov Theatre of Opera and Ballet), which has been styled the capital of the world ballet. The Mariinsky Theatre ( Мариинский театр, also spelled Maryinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of Opera and Ballet in Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance The Ciniselli Circus is one of the oldest circus buildings in the world. Circus Ciniselli (Russian Цирк Чинизелли) was the first stone-built Circus in Russia; it is situated beside the Fontanka in The Opera House at Saint Petersburg Conservatory, the first in Russia, was founded in 1861 by Anton Rubinstein and bears the name of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; its alumni include Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich who also taught here. The NA Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory ( Russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени This article is about the 19th century Russian pianist and composer Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov ( Николай Андреевич Римский-Корсаков, Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov) also Nikolay Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Серге́й Серге́евич Проко́фьев Sergéj Sergéjevič Prokófjev) ( - 5 March 1953 was a Russian composer who Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich ( Russian: ru Дмитрий Дмитриевич Шостакович ( &ndash 9 August 1975 was a Russian Composer

Monuments and sculptures

Probably the most familiar symbol of Saint Petersburg is the equestrian statue of Peter the Great, known as the Bronze Horseman and installed in 1782 on the Senate Square. The Anichkov Bridge (Russian Аничков мост, Anichkov Most) is the first and most famous bridge across the Fontanka River in Saint Petersburg Baron Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg, known in Russian as Pyotr Karlovich Klodt (Пётр Карлович Клодт 1805—1867 was a favourite sculptor of Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace (also known before the Revolution as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, the Sergei Palace, and the An equestrian statue is a Statue of a Horse -mounted rider The term is from the Latin " eques," meaning " Knight Considered the greatest masterpiece of the French-born Etienne Maurice Falconet, Aleksandr Pushkin's poem about the statue figures prominently in the Russian literature under the name of The Bronze Horseman. Étienne Maurice Falconet (1716 - 1791 is counted among the first rank of French Rococo sculptors, whose patron was Mme de Pompadour. The Bronze Horseman (Медный всадник literally "The Copper Horseman" is a Poem written by Aleksandr Pushkin in 1833 about

A striking monument to Generalissimo Suvorov, represented as a youthful god of war, was erected in 1801 on the Field of Mars, formerly used for military parades and popular festivities. Generalissimo or Generalissimus is a military rank of the highest degree superior to a Field Marshal or Grand Admiral. Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров (sometimes transliterated as Aleksandr, Aleksander and Suvarov The Field of Mars or Marsovo Polye (Ма́рсово по́ле is a large park and square in the center of Saint Petersburg with an area of almost 9 hectares Saint Isaac's Square is graced by the Monument to Nicholas I (1856 — 1859), which was spared by Bolshevik authorities from destruction as the first equestrian statue in the world with merely two support points (the rear feet of the horse). Saint Isaac's Square or Isaakiyevskaya Ploshchad (Исаа́киевская пло́щадь known as Vorovsky Square between 1923 and 1944 in Saint Petersburg The Monument to Nicholas I (Памятник Николаю I is a bronze equestrian monument of Nicholas I of Russia on St Isaac's Square (in front The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction An equestrian statue is a Statue of a Horse -mounted rider The term is from the Latin " eques," meaning " Knight

The public monuments of Saint Petersburg also include Mikeshin's circular statue of Catherine II on the Nevsky Avenue, fine horse statues on the Anichkov Bridge, a Rodin-like equestrian statue of Alexander III by Paolo Troubetzkoy, and the Tercentenary monument presented by France in 2003 and installed on the Sennaya Square. A monument is a structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of past Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin (1835 — 1896 was a Russian artist who regularly worked for the Romanov family and designed a number of outdoor statues in the major cities Catherine II, called Catherine the Great (Екатерина II Великая Yekaterina II Velikaya;) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years Nevsky Prospekt (Не́вский проспе́кт or the Nevsky Avenue, is the main street in the city of St Petersburg. The Anichkov Bridge (Russian Аничков мост, Anichkov Most) is the first and most famous bridge across the Fontanka River in Saint Petersburg Auguste Rodin (born François-Auguste-René Rodin; November 12 1840–November 17 1917 was a French artist most famous as a sculptor. Alexander III Alexandrovich ( 10 March 1845 – 1 November 1894) (Александр III Александрович reigned as Emperor Prince Paolo or Paul Troubetzkoy (Russian Павел Петрович Трубецкой Pavel Petrovich Trubetskoy; Verbania Intra near This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Sennaya Square or Sennaya Ploshchad ( Russian: Сенная Площадь literally Hay Square) known as Peace Square between 1963

The Piskarevskoye Cemetery was opened in 1960 as a monument to the victims of the 900-Day Siege. Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery (Пискарёвское мемориа́льное кла́дбище is located in Saint Petersburg, at the Avenue of the Unvanquished (Проспект The Siege of Leningrad, also known as The Leningrad Blockade ( Russian: блокада Ленинграда ( transliteration: blokada Leningrada

Suburban parks and palaces

Saint Petersburg is surrounded by imperial residences, some of which are inscribed in the World Heritage list. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex These include: Peterhof, with the Grand Peterhof Palace and glorious fountain cascades; Tsarskoe Selo, with the baroque Catherine Palace and the neoclassical Alexander Palace; and Pavlovsk, which contains a domed palace of Emperor Paul (1782 — 1786) and one of the largest English-style parks in Europe. Peterhof (Петерго́ф Petergof, originally named nl Peterhof, the Dutch for "Peter's Court" is a municipal town within Petrodvortsovy Tsarskoye Selo (Ца́рское Село́ " Tsar 's Village" is a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting The Catherine Palace (Екатерининский дворец is the Rococo summer residence of the Russian The Alexander Palace (Russian Александровский дворец is primarily remembered as the favourite residence of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II, and his Pavlovsk (Па́вловск is a town situated in Russia, 30 km from and under jurisdiction of Saint Petersburg, just to the south of Tsarskoye Selo Paul (Па́вел I Петро́вич Pavel Petrovich) ( &ndash) was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801

Much of Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo had to be restored after being dynamited by the retreating Germans in 1944. Other imperial residences have yet to be revived to their former glory. Gatchina, lying 45 km (28 mi) southwest of Saint Petersburg, retains a royal castle with 600 rooms surrounded by a park. Gatchina (Га́тчина is a city in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located 45 km south of St A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. Oranienbaum, founded by Prince Menshikov, features his spacious baroque residence and the sumptuously decorated Chinese palace. Oranienbaum (Ораниенба́ум is a Russian royal residence located on the Gulf of Finland west of St Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov (Александр Данилович Меншиков (1673 &ndash 1729 was a Russian statesman whose official titles included Generalissimo Strelna has a hunting lodge of Peter the Great and the reconstructed Constantine Palace, used for official summits of the Russian president with foreign leaders. Strelna (Стре́льна is a historic settlement situated about halfway between St Strelna (Стре́льна is a historic settlement situated about halfway between St

Another notable suburb is Kronstadt, with its 19th century fortifications and naval monuments. Kronstadt (Кроншта́дт also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt (Krone for Crown and Stadt for City) is a Russian Catherinehof, originally intended as a garden suburb, was engulfed by the city in the 19th century. Ekaterinhof or Catherinehof (Екатеринго́ф is a historic district in the south-west of St Petersburg, Russia.

Culture

Main article: Society and culture in Saint Petersburg

Music

Among the city's more than fifty theaters is the world-famous Mariinsky Theater (also known as the Kirov Theater in the USSR ), home to the Mariinsky Ballet company and opera. See also Saint Petersburg Music in St Petersburg Petersburg]] has always been known for its high-quality cultural life The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик Shchelkunchik) Op 71 is a Fairy tale - Ballet in two acts three scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake ( Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a Ballet, op Anna Karenina is a 1997 film by director Bernard Rose starring Sophie Marceau and Sean Bean. The Mariinsky Theatre ( Мариинский театр, also spelled Maryinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of Opera and Ballet in The Mariinsky Ballet, is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. Leading ballet dancers, such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Rudolph Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Galina Ulanova and Natalia Makarova, were principal stars of the Mariinsky ballet. Nijinsky redirects here For other uses of the name see Nijinsky (disambiguation. Anna Pavlovna Pavlova (А́нна Па́вловна Па́влова (&ndash 23 January, 1931) was a famous Russian Ballerina of the late Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( Tatar: Rudolf Xämät ulı Nuriev, Russian: Рудольф Хаметович Нуриев Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov (Михаил Николаевич Барышников (born January 27, 1948) is a Soviet -born Russian Galina Sergeyevna Ulánova (Галина Сергеевна Уланова 8 January 1910 ( O Nataliya Romanovna Makarova (born November 21, 1940) is a Soviet-Russian-born American actress and former Prima ballerina.

Dmitri Shostakovich was born and brought up in Saint Petersburg, and dedicated his Seventh Symphony to the city, calling it the "Leningrad Symphony. Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich ( Russian: ru Дмитрий Дмитриевич Шостакович ( &ndash 9 August 1975 was a Russian Composer Shostakovich]] completed his Symphony No 7 in C major, Op 60 dedicated to the city of Leningrad, on 27 December 1941 " He wrote the symphony while in Leningrad during the Nazi siege. The 7th symphony was premiered in 1942; its performance in the besieged Leningrad at the Bolshoy Philharmonic Hall under the baton of conductor Karl Eliasberg was heard over the radio and lifted the spirits of the survivors. ^[46] In 1992 a reunion performance of the 7th Symphony by the (then) 14 survivors was played in the same hall as they done half a century ago. ^[47] The Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra remained one of the best known symphony orchestras in the world under the leadership of conductors Yevgeny Mravinsky and Yuri Temirkanov. The Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra was formed in 1882 and is Russia 's oldest symphony orchestra. Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky (Евгений Александрович Мравинский Evgenij Aleksandrovič Mravinskij) ( &ndash 19 January 1988 WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov (Ю́рий Хату́евич Темирка́нов

The Imperial Choral Capella was founded and modeled after the royal courts of other European capitals.

Saint Petersburg has been home to the newest movements in popular music in the country. The first jazz band in the Soviet Union was founded here by Leonid Utyosov in the 1920s, under the patronage of Isaak Dunayevsky. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Leonid Osipovich Utyosov (Леонид Осипович Утёсов real name - Leyzer (Lazar Vaysbeyn, or Weissbein, Лазарь (Лейзер Иосифович Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky also Dunaevsky or Dunaevski ( Исаак Осипович Дунаевский; Lokhvitsa Poltava - 25 July The first jazz club in the Soviet Union was founded here in the 1950s, and later was named jazz club Kvadrat. A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is live Jazz. In 1956 the popular ensemble Druzhba was founded by Aleksandr Bronevitsky and Edita Piekha, becoming the first popular band in the 1950s USSR. Edita Piekha (Эдита Пьеха Edita Pyekha) (Edyta Piecha is a popular Russian actress and Singer of French and Polish heritage In the 1960s student rock-groups Argonavty, Kochevniki and others pioneered a series of unofficial and underground rock concerts and festivals. In 1972 Boris Grebenshchikov founded the band Aquarium, that later grew to huge popularity. Boris Grebenshchikov (Бори́с Гребенщико́в also known as Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov, is one of the most prominent members of the generation which is widely Since then the "Piter's rock" music style was formed.

In the 1970s many bands came out from "underground" and eventually founded the Leningrad rock club which has been providing stage to such bands as Piknik, DDT, Kino, headed by the legendary Viktor Tsoi, Igry, Mify, Zemlyane, Alisa and many other popular groups. For other uses see DDT (disambiguation. DDT (or ДДТ in Cyrillic) is a popular Russian Rock band Kino (Кино́ " cinema " often written uppercase (КИНО kiˈno or roughly key-KNOW) was a Soviet Russian rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi Viktor Robertovich Tsoi ( Russian: Виктор Робертович Цой ( June 21, 1962 – August 15, 1990) was a famous The first Russian-style happening show Pop mekhanika, mixing over 300 people and animals on stage, was directed by the multi-talented Sergey Kuryokhin in the 1980s. Sergey Kuryokhin (Сергей Анатольевич Курёхин other spellings include Sergei Kuriokhin, Sergei Kurekhin, Sergueï Kouriokhine Sergey

Today's Saint Petersburg boasts many notable musicians of various genres, from popular Leningrad's Sergei Shnurov and Tequilajazzz, to rock veterans Yuri Shevchuk, Vyacheslav Butusov and Mikhail Boyarsky. Sergei "Shnur" Shnurov (Сергей Шнуров (born April 13, 1973) is the frontman for the Russian Ska - punk band Tequilajazzz is a Saint-Petersburg, Russia based alternative rock band lead by bassist Evgeny "Ai-yai-yai" Fedorov (Евгений "Ай-яй-яй" Фёдоров Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk (Юрий Юлианович Шевчук born 16 May 1957, is a Russian singer/songwriter who leads the rock band Vyacheslav Butusov (Вячеслав Бутусов born October 15, 1961, was a lead singer of Nautilus Pompilius, a Russian rock group until its disbandment Mikhail Sergeevich Boyarsky (Михаи́л Серге́евич Боя́рский b

The White Nights Festival in Saint Petersburg is famous for spectacular fireworks and massive show celebrating the end of school year. The White Nights Festival in St Petersburg, Russia is an annual international cultural event

Movies

Over 250 international and Russian movies were filmed in Saint Petersburg. ^[48] Well over a thousand feature films about tsars, revolution, people and stories set in Saint Petersburg were produced worldwide, but were not filmed in the city. First film studios were founded in Saint Petersburg in the 1900s, and since the 1920s Lenfilm has been the largest film studio based in Saint Petersburg. Kinostudiya "Lenfilm" (in Russian, Киностудия Ленфи́льм is a production unit of the Russian film industry with its own Film

The first foreign feature movie filmed entirely in Saint Petersburg was the 1997 production of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, starring Sophie Marceau and Sean Bean, and made by international team of British, American, French and Russian filmmakers. Anna Karenina is a 1997 film by director Bernard Rose starring Sophie Marceau and Sean Bean. Sophie Marceau (sɔfi maʁso (born November 17, 1966) is a French actress. Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959 is an English Film and stage Actor.

The cult comedy Irony of Fate (also Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!) is set in Saint Petersburg and pokes fun at Soviet city planning. This is about a movie for the eponymous concept see Irony of fate (cosmic irony. The 1985 film White Nights received considerable Western attention for having captured genuine Leningrad street scenes at a time when filming in the Soviet Union by Western production companies was generally unheard of. White Nights is a 1985 film starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Jerzy Skolimowski, Helen Mirren and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Other movies include GoldenEye (1995), Midnight in Saint Petersburg (1996), and Brother (1997). GoldenEye (1995 is the seventeenth Spy film of the British James Bond series directed by Martin Campbell and the Brother ( Russian: Брат Brat) is a 1997 Russian Crime film directed by Aleksei Balabanov and starring Onegin (1999) is based on the Pushkin poem and showcases many tourist attractions. Eugene Onegin ( Russian: Евгений Онегин BGN/PCGN: Yevgeniy Onegin) is a Novel in verse written by Aleksandr Pushkin Several international film festivals are held annually, such as the International Film Festival in Saint Petersburg, since its inauguration in 1993 during the White Nights.

Literature

Saint Petersburg has a longstanding and world famous tradition in literature. Dostoyevsky called it “The most abstract and intentional city in the world," emphasizing its artificiality, but it was also a symbol of modern disorder in a changing Russia. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, It frequently appeared to Russian writers as a menacing and inhuman mechanism. This is the list of authors that wrote in Russian language. Not all of them are of Russian descent The grotesque and often nightmarish image of the city is featured in Pushkin's last poems, the Petersburg stories of Gogol, the novels of Dostoyevsky, the verse of Alexander Blok and Osip Mandelshtam, and in the symbolist novel Petersburg by Andrey Bely. Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Никола́й Васи́льевич Го́голь Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol;; Микола Васильович Гоголь Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (Александр Александрович Блок &ndash August 7, 1921 waswas one of the most gifted lyrical poets produced by Russia Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam (also spelled Mandelshtam) (О́сип Эми́льевич Мандельшта́м ( &ndash December 27, 1938) was a Andrei Bely (Андрей Белый was the pseudonym of Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev ( &ndash January 8, 1934) a Russian novelist poet According to Lotman in his chapter, 'The Symbolism of Saint Petersburg' in Universe and the Mind, these writers were inspired from symbolism from within the city itself. The effect of life in Saint Petersburg on the plight of the poor clerk in a society obsessed with hierarchy and status also became an important theme for authors such as Pushkin, Gogol, and Dostoyevsky. Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Никола́й Васи́льевич Го́голь Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol;; Микола Васильович Гоголь Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, Another important feature of early Saint Petersburg literature is its mythical element, which incorporates urban legends and popular ghost stories, as the stories of Pushkin and Gogol included ghosts returning to Saint Petersburg to haunt other characters as well as other fantastical elements, creating a surreal and abstract image of Saint Petersburg.

Twentieth century writers from Saint Petersburg, such as Vladimir Nabokov, Andrey Bely and Yevgeny Zamyatin, along with his apprentices, The Serapion Brothers, created entire new styles in literature and contributed new insights to the understanding of society through their experience in this city. This page is about the novelist For his father the politician see Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov. Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin (Евге́ний Ива́нович Замя́тин) ( February 1, 1884 – March 10, 1937) was a Russian The Serapion Brothers (or Serapion Fraternity, Серапионовы Братья was a group of writers formed in St Anna Akhmatova became an important leader for Russian poetry. Anna Akhmatova (А́нна Ахма́това real name А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко ( — March 5 1966 was the Pen name of Anna Andreevna Gorenko Her poem Requiem focuses on the tragedies of living during the time of the Stalinist terror. Another notable 20th century writer from Saint Petersburg is Joseph Brodsky, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1987). Joseph Brodsky ( May 24, 1940 — January 28, 1996) born Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (Иосиф Александрович Бродский While living in the United States, his writings in English reflected on life in Saint Petersburg from the unique perspective of being both an insider and an outsider to the city in essays such as, "A Guide to a Renamed City" and the nostalgic "In a Room and a Half". ^[49]

Sports

Main article: Sport in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg hosted part of the football tournament during the 1980 Summer Olympics. See also Saint Petersburg St Petersburg hosted part of the Football (soccer tournament during the 1980 Summer Olympics. Petrovsky Stadium (ru '''Стадион «Петровский»''' is home arena of FC Zenit of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an International Multi-sport event, usually quadrennial organised by the International The 1994 Goodwill Games were held here. The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s

The first competition here was the 1703 rowing event initiated by Peter the Great, after the victory over the Swedish fleet. GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004 Yachting events were held by the Russian Navy since the foundation of the city. Yachting is an activity involving boats It may be racing Sailing boats cruising to distant shores or day-sailing along a coast Equestrianism has been a long tradition, popular among the Tsars and aristocracy, as well as part of the military training. For the Roman class see Equestrian (Roman Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving Horses This broad description Several historic sports arenas were built for Equestrianism since the 18th century, to maintain training all year round, such as the Zimny Stadion and Konnogvardeisky Manezh among others.

Chess tradition was highlighted by the 1914 international tournament, in which the title "Grandmaster" was first formally conferred by Russian Tsar Nicholas II to five players: Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Tarrasch and Marshall, and which the Tsar had partially funded. Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players. For other persons named Lasker see Lasker#People with the surname Lasker. Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (alʲɛkˈsandr̠ alʲɛkˈsandr̠ovʲiʨ aˈlʲɛxin Russian Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Але́хин) (October Siegbert Tarrasch ( March 5, 1862 &ndash February 17, 1934) was one of the strongest Chess players and most influential chess Frank James Marshall ( August 10 1877 &ndash November 9 1944) was the U

Kirov Stadium (now demolished) was one of the largest stadiums anywhere in the world, and the home to FC Zenit Saint Petersburg in 1950-1989 and 1992. Kirov Stadion was a multi-use Stadium in St Petersburg, Russia, and was one of the largest stadiums anywhere in the world In 1951 the attendance of 110,000 set the record for the Soviet football. A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. In 2007 Zenit became champions of the Russian Premier League. The Russian Premier League (also known as Rosgosstrakh Championship of Russia) is the top division of Russian football. Zenit now plays their home games at Petrovsky stadium

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Saint Petersburg

As Russia's political and cultural center for 200 years, and its second-largest city, a great many politicians, businessmen, artists, writers, athletes and scientists were born and/or have lived in Saint Petersburg. Petrovsky Stadium (ru '''Стадион «Петровский»''' is home arena of FC Zenit of Saint Petersburg, Russia. This is a list of famous people who have lived in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Honors

An asteroid, 2046 Leningrad, discovered in 1968 by Soviet astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova, is named after the city, when its name was Leningrad. Asteroids, sometimes called Minor planets or planetoids', are bodies—primarily of the inner Solar System —that are smaller than planets but 2046 Leningrad (1968 UD1 is a Main-belt Asteroid discovered on October 22, 1968 by T The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova (Тамара Михайловна Смирнова b ^[50]

Education and science

Saint Petersburg has long been a leading center of science and education in Russia and houses the following institutions:

• Russian Academy of Sciences (1724)
• Saint Petersburg State University (founded 1724)
• Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (founded 1797)
• Saint Petersburg Naval Academy (founded 1700s)
• Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical Academy (1925)
• Russian Academy of Arts (founded 1757)
• Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet
• Saint Petersburg Medical-Surgical Academy (founded 1798)
• Saint Petersburg Mining Institute (Горный институт) (founded 1773)
• Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology (1828)
• Pulkovo Observatory (1839)
• Ivan Pavlov's Medical Academy and research center. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Education in Russia is provided predominantly by the state and is regulated by the federal Ministry of Education. The Russian Academy of Sciences (Российская Академия Наук Rossi'iskaya Akade'miya Nau'k, shortened to PAH RAN) consists of the National Saint Petersburg State University ( Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a Russian federal state-owned higher The State Russian Herzen Pedagogical University is one of the biggest Russian Universities located at Saint Petersburg. Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical Academy (Санкт-Петербургская Государственная Педиатрическая Медицинская Академия The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St Petersburg Academy of Arts, was opened by Count Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy The Vaganova Ballet Academy is probably the most famous and influential Classical ballet school in the world The G V Plekhanov Saint Petersburg State Mining Institute and Technical University is Russia 's oldest higher education institute devoted to engineering Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology (Technical University (Санкт-Петербургский Технологический Институт (Технический The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory (Пу́лковская Астрономи́ческая обсервато́рия the principal Astronomical observatory of the For other uses see Pavlov (disambiguation. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (Иван Петрович Павлов September 14, 1849 &ndash February (founded 1880s)
• Saint Petersburg Conservatory (1862)
• Alexander Military Law Academy (founded 1867)
• Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University (1886)
• Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University (1899)
• State Marine Technical University (Корабелка) (1899)
• Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (1900)
• Saint Petersburg State University of Engineering and Economics (1906)
• Saint Petersburg State Medical Academy (1907)
• Saint Petersburg State Technical University of Telecommunications
• Saint Petersburg Pharmaceutical Academy
• Saint Petersburg Academy of Pediatrics and Maternity (founded 1900)
• Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy (former Tenishev's College) (1899)
• Saint Petersburg Academy of Film and Television
• Russian State University of Pedagogy (Herzen University) (1800s)
• Saint Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts (1918)
• Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance (Финэк) (1930)
• Baltic State Technical University ("ВОЕНМЕХ") (1932)
• Saint Petersburg Aerospace University (Mozhaysky University)
• Smolny College (1999)
• Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry
• Admiral Makarov Maritime Academy
• European University at Saint Petersburg

Sister cities

Main article: List_of_twin_towns_and_sister_cities_in_Russia#Cities_starting_with_S

Gallery

Peter the Great's Palace, built in 1714-1725 in Peterhof	Menshikov Palace, the seat of the first Governor	Narva Triumphal Gate at the Stachek Square. The NA Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory ( Russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Alexander Military Law Academy (Александровская военно-юридическая академия (1867-1917 was an educational institution in Russian Empire Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University (Санкт-Петербургский государственный электротехнический университет Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University (Санкт-Петербургский Государственный Политехнический Университет abbreviated Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies Mechanics and Optics, abbreviated as SPbSU ITMO (Санкт-Петербу́ргский госуда́рственный The Saint Petersburg State University of Engineering and Economics is one of the oldest universities in Russia and also is known as ENGECON (Russian The St Petersburg I I Mechnikov State Medical Academy (SPSMA is a public university located in St The Saint Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy is a Theatre School in Saint Petersburg. The State Russian Herzen Pedagogical University is one of the biggest Russian Universities located at Saint Petersburg. Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance (Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет экономики и финансов Smolny College (Смо́льный институ́т is a Liberal arts college located in St The European University at St Petersburg (Европейский университет в Санкт-Петербурге is an independent graduate university formed in 1994 This is a list of sister cities of Russia arranged alphabetically Peterhof (Петерго́ф Petergof, originally named nl Peterhof, the Dutch for "Peter's Court" is a municipal town within Petrodvortsovy The Menshikov Palace (Меншиковский дворец is a Petrine Baroque edifice in Saint Petersburg, situated on Universitetskaya Embankment The Saint Petersburg Governorate (Санкт-Петербургская губерния or Sankt-Peterburgskaya guberniya) or Government of Saint Petersburg was a The Narva Triumphal Gate (На́рвские триумфа́льные воро́та was erected in the vast Narva Square (known as the Stachek Square in Soviet years	The Winter Palace was stormed by Bolshevik communists at night in October 1917
The cruiser Aurora, symbol of the October Revolution, now a museum	The monument to Sergey Kirov on Kirov Square of Saint Petersburg	Civilians struggled to survive during the Nazi siege of Leningrad	Survivors of the Nazi bombings of Leningrad in WWII
Bombings of the Nevsky prospekt. See also The movie Russian Ark, an innovative single shot walkthrough with period reenactments spanning three hundred years of court meetings Russian-Japanese War She was one of three Pallada -class Cruisers built in St The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution Nevsky Prospekt (Не́вский проспе́кт or the Nevsky Avenue, is the main street in the city of St Petersburg. Nazi bombings killed thousands of civilians in Leningrad	Hotel Pribaltiyskaya	Hotel Astoria in winter	Quarenghi's original design for the Smolny Institute, the office of the Governor
The Trinity Bridge	Griboyedov Canal	Peter the Great's bridge (former Bolsheokhtinsky)	Kunstkamera, Palace Bridge, a rostral column and the spire of Peter and Paul Cathedral
Peter's Summer Palace in the Summer Garden	St. Michael's Castle	The church of Sts. Hotel Astoria (гости́ница «Асто́рия» is a five-star hotel in St Giacomo Quarenghi (Джа́комо Кваре́нги 20 September or 21 1744 &ndash 1 March 1817) was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of The Smolny Institute (Смольный институт Smol'niy institut) is a Palladian edifice in St Petersburg, which has played a major part in the List of heads of the government of Saint Petersburg, Russia From 16 May 1703 -------------> Saint Petersburg From 19 Jul Trinity Bridge (Тро́ицкий мост is a Bascule bridge across the Neva in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Griboyedov Canal or Kanal Griboyedova (кана́л Грибое́дова is a canal in Saint Petersburg, constructed in 1739 on the basis of the existing The Kunstkammer or Kunstkamera was the first museum in Russia. Palace Bridge (Дворцо́вый мост is a road traffic and foot Bascule bridge spanning the Neva River in Saint Petersburg between The Peter and Paul Cathedral is located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St The Summer Palace or Letniy Dvorets (Ле́тний дворе́ц is the name of three Russian royal residences in Saint Petersburg, of which only The Summer Garden (Ле́тний сад Letniy Sad) occupies an island between the Fontanka, Moika, and the Swan Canal in Saint St Michael's Castle (Михайловский замок Mikhailovsky zamok) also called the Mikhailovsky Castle or the Engineer Castle (Инженерный Simon and Anna, the patrons saints of Empress Anna (1734, designed by Mikhail Zemtsov)	Saint Petersburg Mosque (opened in 1913)
Spire of the Russian Admiralty	Arch of the New Holland Island	The State Russian Museum, former Mikhailovsky Palace	Nevsky Prospekt at night
Alexandrine Theatre is the oldest Russian Drama theatre, named after Pushkin	The building of the Mining Academy (1811) is a Neoclassical masterpiece by Andrey Voronikhin	The Twelve Collegia building of Saint Petersburg State University	The Pulkovo Observatory

See also

• Treaty of Saint Petersburg, a list of the treaties concluded in Saint Petersburg. Anna Ivanovna (Анна Иоанновна Anna Ioannovna) ( Moscow –) reigned as Duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and as Empress of Russia Mikhail Grigorievich Zemtsov (Михаи́л Григо́рьевич Земцо́в 1688 – 1743 was a Russian architect who practiced a sober restrained Petrine The Saint Petersburg Mosque (Санкт-Петербу́ргская мече́ть when opened in 1913 was the largest Mosque in Europe, its Minarets Admiralty Board (Адмиралтейств-коллегия was a supreme body for the administration of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Russian Empire, established New Holland Island (Но́вая Голла́ндия in Saint Petersburg was created in 1720 when the newly-built Kryukov Canal and Admiralty Canal connected The State Russian Museum (formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III, while prior to that as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century both as a reaction against the Rococo Andrey (Andrei Nikoforovich Voronikhin (Андрей Никифорович Воронихин ( October 17 1759, Novoa Usolye, Perm Oblast The Twelve Collegia, or Twelve Colleges (Двeнaдцaть Коллегий is the largest edifice from the Petrine era still extant in Saint Petersburg. The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory (Пу́лковская Астрономи́ческая обсервато́рия the principal Astronomical observatory of the
• City directory of Ves Petersburg

References

Further reading

• Amery, Colin, Brian Curran & Yuri Molodkovets. St. Petersburg. London: Frances Lincoln, 2006. ISBN 0711224927.
• Bater, James H. St. Petersburg: Industrialization and Change. Montreal: McGuill-Queen’s University Press, 1976. ISBN 0773502661.
• Berelowitch, Wladimir & Olga Medvedkova. Histoire de Saint-Pétersbourg. Paris: Fayard, 1996. ISBN 2213596018.
• Buckler, Julie. Mapping St. Petersburg: Imperial Text and Cityshape. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005 ISBN0691113491.
• Clark, Katerina, Petersburg, Crucible of Revolution. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.
• George, Arthur L. & Elena George. St. Petersburg: Russia's Window to the Future, The First Three Centuries. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1589790170.
• Glantz, David M. The Battle for Leningrad, 1941-1944. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2002. ISBN 0700612084.
• Hellberg-Hirn, Elena. Imperial Imprints: Post-Soviet St. Petersburg. Helsinki: SKS Finnish Literature Society, 2003. ISBN 9517464916.
• Knopf Guide: Sat. Petersburg. New York: Knopf, 1995. ISBN 0679762027.
• Eyewitness Guide: St. Petersburg.
• Lincoln, W. Bruce. Sunlight at Midnight: St. Petersburg and the Rise of Modern Russia. New York: Basic Books, 2000. ISBN 0465083234.
• Lubbeck, William; Hurt, David B. At Leningrad's Gates: The Story of a Soldier with Army Group North. Philadelphia, PA: Casemate, 2006 (hardcover, ISBN 1-932033-55-6).
• Orttung, Robert W. From Leningrad to St. Petersburg: Democratization in a Russian City. New York: St. Martin’s, 1995. ISBN 0312175612.
• Ruble, Blair A. Leningrad: Shaping a Soviet City. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. ISBN 0877723478.
• Shvidkovsky, Dmitry O. & Alexander Orloff. St. Petersburg: Architecture of the Tsars. New York: Abbeville Press, 1996. ISBN 0789202174.
• Volkov, Solomon. St. Petersburg: A Cultural History. New York: Free Press, 1995. ISBN 0028740521.
• St. Petersburg:Architecture of the Tsars. 360 pages. Abbeville Press, 1996. ISBN-10: 0789202174
• Saint Petersburg: Museums, Palaces, and Historic Collections: A Guide to the Lesser Known Treasures of St. Petersburg. 2003. ISBN 1593730004.
• Нежиховский Р. А. Река Нева и Невская губа, Leningrad, Гидрометеоиздат, 1981.

External links

• Official presentation of Saint Petersburg
• Official Portal of the City Government: Saint Petersburg
• Encyclopaedia of Saint Petersburg
• article in Helsinki Times
• Saint Petersburg (Russia) travel guide from Wikitravel
• Saint Petersburg in 1900
• Saint Petersburg in Architecture
• The World Monuments Fund's 2008 Watch listing for Saint Petersburg

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