St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is one of the youngest of the largest European cities. It was founded on 1703 by the Russian emperor Peter the Great.

St. Petersburg is located in the Northwest of the Russia on at the Eastern part of the Finland Gulf on the Baltic Sea. It is the second largest (after Moscow) city in the Russian Federation. The area of the city is 606 sq.km and population more than 5 millions.

St. Petersburg is the symbol of the European part of Russia and one of the most venerable capitals of the world.

Few cities can offer so many stunning attractions and intriguing moods as St. Petersburg – City of the Tsars.

The Peter & Paul fortress is a remarkable, historical and architectural memorial in St. Petersburg. The Winter Palace, designed by Rastrelli in the 18th century, the former residence of Russian tsars, located on the Palace Square, is one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the world. The Hermitage with its collection of over 2 millions exhibits is one of the very finest world art museums. The Russian Museum contains 3 thousand paintings (10th-20th centuries) of Russian artists. The St. Isaac's Cathedral (1818-1858) is an outstanding monument of the late Russian Classicism. The majestic architectural ensembles in the suburbs are well-known all over the world. Peterhof (Petrodvorets) – the former Russian imperial residence, Pavlovsk (18th-19th centuries), Pushkin (18th-19th centuries) – the former country residence of the Russian tsars, are among them.

Created by Peter the Great, St. Petersburg combines its fascinating Russian heritage with a distinctly European outlook. Considered the cultural heart of modern day Russia, St. Petersburg is rapidly regaining its reputation as one of the Great Cities of Europe.

For the past several years St. Petersburg has been actively restoring its former role of the wide-open "gateway" of Russia on the outer world.