Saint Petersburg (Санкт-Петербу́рг Sankt-Peterburg; ) is Russia's second largest city, with a population of 4.7 million perched at the eastern tip of of the Baltic Sea and the Neva River. The city was formerly known as Petrograd (Петроград), and later Leningrad (Ленинград).
Understand
Founded by Peter the Great, the former home of the Czars and the center of Russian culture, Saint Petersburg was known as "The Venice of the North" in its heyday. Renamed Petrograd in 1914, the city was renamed again as Leningrad in 1924 after Lenin's death. Bombed, besieged and starved during World War II, during the Communist era the city took a back seat to capital Moscow.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the city has been rapidly making up for lost time and is by far the most cosmopolitan of Russia's cities. Now formally known by its original name again, most Russians call it what they always have, the friendly diminutive Piter (Питер).
Events
Get in
By plane
Pulkovo Airport ( | ) serves a wide variety of destinations in nearby countries and within Russia. Terminal 1 serves domestic flights, while Terminal 2 is for international connections. The airport is 17 kilometers south from the center.
Taxis infest the airport, but the prices are astounding, working out about 50 euros to get into Saint Petersburg. Instead, take a minibus to the nearest Metro station, Moskovskaya, which will cost you all of 14 RUR. (Bus 39 to/from terminal-1, bus 18 to/from terminal-2). From there you can get anywhere on the Saint Petersburg Metro for a 14 RUR token. In addition to the visa, which you need to get before you travel, non-Russian or Belorusian travellers will be expected on arrival to fill in both halves of a migration card, which are sometimes only available in Cyrillic (however, translations into English and German are available via Lufthansa and Aeroflot). The loss of your copy of the the card will result in a fine and possible delays from being allowed to leave the Russian Federation.
By train
Saint Petersburg is a major train hub. The 5-hour train ride from Helsinki (Finland) is one of the most comfortable ways to reach the city. Trains also connect to destinations in the Baltics and Central Europe. Alternatively, you can head inland to Moscow.
There are five principal stations:
Note: Warsaw Station is closed, trains arrive at the Baltic or Vitebsk Stations.
By bus
The cheapest way of reaching Saint Petersburg from neighboring countries is long-distance bus. Buses from Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, Finland, the Baltic states and Scandinavia arrive at the bus station. Metro: Ligovskii Prospekt (far away from metro).
By boat
In summer, cruises from Helsinki and Tallinn sail to Saint Petersburg. There is also a regular ferry connection from Stockholm, Kaliningrad and Rostock, which arrives at the harbor station. Subway: Primorskaya.
Passenger boats also operate on the inland waterway "Volga-Baltic" which links Moscow, the River Volga and Lakes Onega, Ladoga and Neva.
To get out, you could try your luck for Freighter travel, although the port is very large. It would be easier if you have connections in the port. Try to find a dispatcher .
Get around
Traffic
Most means of transportation cease functioning for the night time. The subway is closed from 00:30 till 05:40, varying slightly for different stations. Taxis work 24/7, but are costly. Hitching a ride is quite popular, though it is not always safe. The city is separated in two by the Neva at night; don't miss the bridges being drawn. One bridge - Volodarsky - will let you cross the river from around 3:45 am to 4:15 am. Other bridges are drawn all night long, from around 1:45 am till 5:15 am. See the schedule for each bridge. Also in city is one cable-stayed (Big Obukhovski), it's not draw. It is an important part of Saint Petersburg Ring Road.
By subway
Saint Petersburg's metro is the second largest underground railway system in Russia (Moscow being the first). It is arguably the cheapest and most effective way to get around the city. The trains are fast and go frequently (in rush hours, intervals go as low as 30 seconds before the next train).
It costs 14 RUR per entry regardless of the distance. There are metro maps in every train car, often with station names in the Roman alphabet. Names on station walls, however, are in Cyrillic, so if you are unfamiliar with the language, it may make sense to "count the stops" to your destination. The Saint Petersburg metro gets unbelievably crowded during rush hour. Traveling during this time is a risky kind of sport and one should avoid unnecessary journeys if not used to big crowds.
By tram
A more scenic, but slower way to see Saint Petersburg is by tram. In recent years, due to the traffic troubles, tram lines are often removed from the centre of the city. They cost 14 RUR.
By bus or trolleybus
Buses and trolleybuses are cheap (14 RUR) and frequent. Tickets are sold by a conductor and very often by the bus driver. Buses and trolleys on main routes are frequently overcrowded. Buses to suburbians cost 14, 28 or 42 RUR in territory of St. Peterburg (Zelenogorsk, Lomonosov and others).
By route taxi
Route taxi (marshrutka) is sometimes the fastest way to get somewhere. Taxis are 14-20 seat vans, usually white or yellow, always with a letter K and route number plate (K-28). Also they are little chinese or turkish buses.There are no regular stops, you have to tell the driver when you want to quit or hand out while on the roadside to stop one. You have to pay to the driver at entry. If you cannot reach the driver on your own, pass the money through the other passengers and be ready to pass other's money if you sit close to the driver. The Marshrutka experience may seem exciting sometimes, especially when you see some brave driver counting change while steering with his knees at 70 mph. They cost from 12 to 19 RUR. The many marshrutka drivers are illegal migrants with low level of Russian.
See
Image:Winterpalace_ru.jpg|The Winter Palace/State Hermitage Museum
Image:St_isaacs.JPG|St Isaac's Cathedral from the River Neva
Image:Admiralty.JPG|The Admiralty
Image:anm_spb.JPG|Alexander Nevskiy Monastery
Image:Tsch_tomb.JPG|Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevskiy Monastery
Image:Church_of_the_Saviour_on_Spilled_Blood.JPG|Church of the Saviour on Spilt Blood
Image:Cruiser_Aurora.JPG|Cruiser Aurora in Petrogradskaya
Image:Cathedral_of_our_lady_of_Kazan.JPG|Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan
Do
There are many things to do in the evenings including music, dance, circus, and opera. Performances start early (6pm). Do not be put off by the length of an opera at the Mariinski Theatre as there are many intervals. And the language is not an obstacle: the text is translated above the scene. It is possible to take small children into some performances at the Mariinski Theatre if you take a private box, although you will need to ask when you buy your tickets.
If you wish to see newly released American films, be aware that most cinemas in St. Petersburg show these films dubbed (often quite poorly) in Russian. There is a theater called the Dom Kino that sometimes shows films in their original language. It can be found at #12 Karavannaya Ulitsa (near Gostiniy Dvor metro station). If you can't find your favorite film showing in English, there are places where you can purchase bootleg DVDs of new releases. Many such shops can be found in the vicinity of the Sadovaya metro station. Sometimes, these discs are also only in Russian, and the labels aren't always accurate as to which languages are available. Now these shops are desroyed. Some (but not all) shops are willing to test the DVD on an in-house TV to make certain it has English available.
As St Petersburg is located on the water, a tour of the canals by boat is a great way to see the city.
Learn
Universities and private schools offer Russian language courses (individual and group tuition).
Buy
There are plenty of ATMs and legit currency exchange booths. Do not exchange money on the street: the rate won't be any better, and you run a high risk of encountering any of numerous scams.
Eat
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Grand Hotel Europe - The Sunday Jazz Brunch here is a "Not to Miss" if you are looking for a real splurge. About $90 USD per person includes a full caviar spread and sushi bar in addition to the normal brunch fare (carving station, omelette station, salads, fruit, baked goods, desserts, the options are nearly endless). There is also bottomless champagne glasses (and the champagne is quite good) and a huge frozen ice sculpture that is tapped where you can refill your glass with iced vodka as many times as you'd like. The jazz is very good and the pace is relaxed and enjoyable. The only caveat: As with most Russian eateries, there is no non-smoking section, so if you are not a smoker, ask for table away from the majority or risk having to inhale cigarette smoke while you dine.
Drink
Saint Petersburgers know how to party.
Pubs
Nightclubs
Gay & Lesbian
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
The small hotel with genuine St.Petersburg spirit. Millionnaya str.11, tel.+7-812-571-54-97
Located in the historical center, close to the Hermitage and the Marble Palace. The best place to ease from hectic pace of big city, feel comfort and cosiness. The advantage of our hotel is that you can book not only one of its 4 comfortable double rooms, but even the entire hotel which can be used then as your individual suite with 4 bedrooms, fully equipped study, the magnificent hall with fire-place - and with the whole staff of the hotel at your disposal. Room price - from 120 Euro.
- is a newly opened hotel right at the historical center(Bol.Morskaya str.25)tel.+7-812-314-55-50. An ideal place for business or tourist trip. 20 rooms of different types, TV, bathroom,phone, WI-FI, air-condition in each room. 24-hours English speaking reception. Excellent breakfast (buffet) is included in the price, free internet access for guests. Room price - from 85 Euro.
is a unique hotel in the very heart of St.Petersburg. Bol.Morskaya str.25 tel.+7-812-570-67-00 Imagine - 5 min.walk to The Hermitage, 5 min.walk to St.Isaac Cathedral ! The best place for city explorers. 14 rooms of various categories. Friendly English speaking staff. Free WI-FI and breakfast. Room price - from 105 Euro
Splurge
Contact
There are four GSM 900/1800 networks (MTS/Beeline/Megafon/Tele2) and a CDMA 2000 network (SkyLink) and the coverage is quite sufficient (every built-up area and most of the country roads). If you stay for a few days or more and need to make local calls it is advised that you buy a pre-paid SIM card (you may be asked for a passport) and a cell-phone if you don't have one matching local standards (possibly a used one) which is going to be much cheaper than roaming in most cases. A SIM card with a balance will cost you less then $10. Cell outlets are plentiful around the city (numerous at every subway station and shopping center). You can pay for your talks at most supermarkets, cell-phone shops and ATMs. The emergency service number is 112.
For international calls, consider buying a calling card which allows very cheap calls (a few rubles for a minute to Europe or the US). Calling from a hotel room may result in rather painful bill.
There are a lot of internet cafes around the city, although it is not so easy to find one when you need (you'd better ask locals). Also there are so-called computer clubs with dozens of computers for network gaming (usually crowded by kids playing CounterStrike) which also offer internet access in separate rooms for a little charge.
Free WiFi is available in the airport, most major hotels, business and shopping centers, restaurants and other public places. You can find a list of free wireless spots here wifi.yandex.ru.
Stay safe
Saint Petersburg has a somewhat undeserved dangerous reputation. Things have calmed down since the Wild West days immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but some common sense is still required.
As with most major cities, avoid traveling alone at night, and do not get into altercations with drunks. If traveling at night, it is recommended to stay on the main sidewalks and not go into any dark alleys or yards.
Gangs are a problem, although mafia gang wars are unlikely to affect tourists. Some gangs, however, such as neo-Nazis or angry hooligans, are out looking for trouble and committing crimes that can affect tourists. After the war with Chechnya, local hatred is growing toward people with darker complexions, and neo-Nazism is a concern. These gangs are rare now. Saint Petersburg's football club, Zenit Saint Petersburg, is one of the biggest clubs in the country, and has its own band of hooligans. They can fight only with Moscow football hooligans. If you decide to visit the football stadium to watch the club play, you should buy tickets to center sectors.
Take care of money, documents, cameras, mobile phones, and anything of worth because of pickpocketing. Especially watch out on the Metro during busy times, as people start pushing and pickpockets are frequent. When riding the Metro, keep in mind that robbery is a real threat; you should constantly watch what is going on around you and who is standing very close to you. Cameras must be kept in bags slung across the body at all times, with your hands keeping a firm grip on them, and no watches or jewelry should be visible at all. Quite obviously, do not show in public that you have a lot of money.
Russian drivers do not respect pedestrians too much, similar to the rest of Eastern Europe. Do not even think about running over the road when there is a red light because some drivers will just drive faster and not stop. Unlike Moscow and most other cities, pedestrian green light sometimes respected by drivers, so better check before going and in a dividing line.
Saint Petersburg has a small problem with street children. They make their living out of stealing, so hold on to your hat if you meet any of these on the street.
Gay people are not very accepted in Saint Petersburg. Many gays are often targets of people looking for trouble. Just because you are gay does not mean you will encounter problems, but you should be aware that the chance of getting in trouble is present. But it's not very big problem nowadays.
Overall, be warned that if you are used to living in the US and/or western Europe, Saint Petersburg, as well as the rest of Eastern Europe, will seem different, and, at times, a bit intimidating. Russian people are extremely friendly and welcoming towards foreigners and nothing should happen to you unless you really want it yourself. If you don't care about them, they don't care about you and nothing should be in your way of having a great holiday!
Stay healthy
The city's water-system is in a not very condition because of some number of old pipes and not 100% clean water. Consult locals you trust; otherwise buy bottled water or filter tap water.
In Saint Petersburg cold water is cleaner then hot, also ther isn't hot water in 3 weeks every summer.
There are numerous public toilets, most of which are attended by a person who will charge a small amount for entry. It is a good idea to take your own toilet paper, as it is not often provided. The toilets are typically extremely dirty by Western standards. If you are a westerner, you can get away with wandering into the western hotels, which have lovely bathrooms—the Grand Hotel Europe in particular. Just don't ever push your luck with suit-clad men guarding the hotel entrances, they are tough as nails if provoked.
Cope
The first 24 hours in Saint Petersburg may be a shock to the system. The welcome from immigration officials seems like a hang-over from Communist times- don't expect to be spoken to or even looked at by officials. Flying into Saint Petersburg may seem alien, with the sight of old concrete tower blocks and factory chimneys. The suburbs of the city are a contrast to those with which you may be familiar. Nevskiy Propekt is the most 'westernized' street in the city and would be more familiar to westerners traveling to Saint Petersburg. . If you are from a Western country, you will find this either shocking or amusing.
Saint Petersburg is plagued by an number of mosquitoes during the summer, as the swampy surroundings of the city give the mosquitoes excellent living conditions. In budget accomodation with few counter measures against the mosquitoes this can be a problem at night, putting your well deserved sleep at risk.
Get out
One-day excursions are popular with travellers to Saint Petersburg. Taxicabs and buses are the most common forms of transport and trips can often be organised either with the holiday operator e.g. Intourist, before traveling to Russia, or from your hotel. Some of the most popular excursions include:
Saint Petersburg (, tr.: Sankt-Peterburg, IPA: sankt pʲɪtʲɪˈrburk) is a city and a federal subject located in Northwestern Federal District of Russia on the delta of the Neva River at the east end of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. It is informally known as Piter (Питер) and was formerly known as Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924) and Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991).
Founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27, 1703 as a "window to Europe", it served as the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years. St. Petersburg ceased being the capital when the government moved to Moscow after the Russian Revolution of 1917. With about 4.8 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest and Europe's third-largest city largest metropolitan area, a major European cultural center, and the most important Russian port on the Baltic. The city has a total area of 1439 square km, which makes it the second biggest city in terms of area in Europe, after London.
Among cities of the world having populations of over one million people, Saint Petersburg is the northernmost. The city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Russia's political and cultural center for 200 years, the city is impressive even today, and is sometimes referred to in Russia as "the Northern Capital" (северная столица, severnaya stolitsa). It is the administrative center of Leningrad Oblast (itself a separate region) and of the Northwestern Federal District.
The Constitutional Court of Russia is scheduled to move from Kitai-gorod in Moscow to the Senate and Synod buildings on the Decembrists Square by 2008, returning to Saint Petersburg a part of the role of a national capital, acting as a judicial capital while Moscow retains its status as administrative and legislative capital of Russia.
History
The overview
Tsar Peter the Great founded the city on May 27, 1703 (May 16, Old Style) after reconquering the Ingrian land from Sweden. He named it after his patron saint, the apostle Saint Peter. The original name of SanktPiterburh was actually an imitation of the pronunciation of Dutch Sint Petersburg; Peter had lived and studied in the Netherlands for quite some time. The Swedish fortress of Nyenskans and the city Nyen had formerly occupied the site, in the marshlands where the river Neva drains into the Gulf of Finland.
The building of this new city under adverse weather and geographical conditions, and the high mortality rate that went with it, required a constant supply of new workers. Since inhabitants in the area were few and far between, Peter, exercising his prerogative as tsar, drafted forced labor from all parts of the country. A yearly quote of 40,000 peasants was required; the force based on a quota of one conscript for every nine-to-sixteen households, depending on location. The conscripts were expected to provide their own tools and their own food for the journey. They traveled hundreds of miles, on foot, in gangs, often escorted by military guards and more often shackled to prevent desertion; yet despite all these precautions there were many who escaped. This, in addition to the harsh conditions of the trek with its disease and exposure, meant that Peter seldom received more than 20,000 workers in any one year; a loss of around 50% from the very start.
Since construction began during a time of war, the new city's first building was a fortification. Known today as the Peter and Paul Fortress, it originally also bore the name of SanktPiterburh. It was laid down on Zaiachiy (Hare's) Island, just off the right bank of the Neva, a couple of miles inland from the Gulf. The marshland was drained and the city spread outward from the fortress under the supervision of German engineers whom Peter had invited to Russia. Peter forbade the construction of stone buildings in all of Russia outside of St Petersburg, so that all stonemasons would come to help build the new city. Serfs provided most of the labor for the project.
"The most artificial city in the world", as Dostoevsky put it, was intended to become the new capital of Russia. By virtue of its position on an arm of the Baltic Sea, it was called by Pushkin a "window on Europe". It was also a base for Peter's navy, protected by the island fortress of Kronstadt, built soon after the city. Indeed, the first person to build a house in Saint Petersburg was Cornelis Cruys, commander of the Baltic Fleet. Inspired by example of Venice and Amsterdam, Peter the Great envisaged boats and coracles as principal means of transport in his city of canals. No permanent bridges across the Neva were allowed until 1850.
Alexander II's emancipation of the serfs (1861) caused the influx of large numbers of poor into the city. Tenements were erected on the outskirts, and nascent industry sprang up. By the end of the century, St Petersburg had grown up into one of the largest industrial hubs in Europe.
With the growth of industry, radical movements were also astir. Socialist organizations were responsible for the assassinations of many royal officials, including that of Alexander II in 1881. The Revolution of 1905 began here and spread rapidly into the provinces. During World War I, the name Sankt Peterburg was seen to be too German and, on the initiative of Tsar Nicholas II, the city was renamed Petrograd on August 31, 1914 (August 18, Old Style).
1917 saw the beginnings of the Russian Revolution. The first step (the February Revolution) was the removal of the Tsarist government and the establishment of two centers of political power, the Provisional government and the Petrograd Soviet. The Provisional government was overthrown in the October Revolution, and the Russian Civil War broke out. The city's proximity to anti-revolutionary armies, and generally unstable political climate, forced Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin to flee to Russia's historic former capital at Moscow on March 5 1918. The move may have been intended as temporary (it was certainly portrayed as such), but Moscow has remained the capital ever since. On January 24 1924, three days after Lenin's death, Petrograd was renamed Leningrad in his honor. The central committee's reason for renaming the city again was that Lenin had led the October revolution. Deeper reasons existed at the level of political symbolism: Saint Petersburg had stood as the head of the Tsarist empire. After Moscow it was the largest city and the change gave great prestige to Lenin. The renaming to Leningrad emphatically symbolized the upheaval that had occurred to the social and political system.
The government's removal to Moscow caused a reversal of the mass immigration of the latter 19th century. The benefits of capital status had left the city. Petrograd's population in 1920 was a third of what it had been in 1915 (see table below).
Siege of Leningrad
During World War II, Leningrad was surrounded and besieged by the German Wehrmacht from September 8 1941 to January 27 1944, a total of 29 months. By Hitler's order the Wehrmacht constantly shelled and bombed the city and systematically isolated it from any supplies, which led to the death of more than 1 million people, about 800,000 of them civilians. The secret instruction of the Wehrmacht's high command from 23 September 1941 said that "the Führer is determined to eliminate the city of Petersburg from the face of earth. There is no reason whatsoever for subsequent existence of this large-scale city after the neutralization of the Soviet Russia." Starting in early 1942, the Ingermanland region was included into the Generalplan Ost annexation plans as the "German settlement area". This implied the genocide of 3 million Leningrad residents, who had no place in this "New East European Order".
During the German blockade, the only ways to supply the city, inhabited by several millions, were by aircraft or via Lake Ladoga. The Germans systematically shelled this route, called the Road of Life. The situation in the city was especially horrible in 1941. The German bombing raids obliterated most of the food reserves. A daily ration declined in October to 400 grams of bread for a worker and 200 grams for a woman or child. On 20 November 1941, the rations were reduced to 250 and 125 grams respectively. Those grams of bread were the bulk of a daily meal for a person in the city. The running water supply was destroyed. The situation further worsened in winter by lack of heating fuel. In December 1941 alone some 53,000 people in Leningrad died, many of them simply in the streets.
"Savichevs died. Everyone died. Only Tanya is left," wrote 11-year-old Leningrad girl Tanya Savicheva in her diary. This diary became one of the symbols of the blockade tragedy and was used as an exhibit at the Nuremberg trials.
The city suffered a lot of destruction - the Wehrmacht fired about 150,000 shells at Leningrad and dropped about 100,000 bombs. Many buildings were leveled, and those in the occupied territory were plundered by German troops.
Altogether, as a result of the German blockade, about 800,000 of 3 million Leningrad civilians perished because of bombardment, starvation and cold.
Historians speak about the German genocide of the Leningrad residents in terms of the "racially motivated starvation policy" which became the integral part of the unprecedented German war of extermination against the Soviet Union.
For the heroic tenacity of the city's population, Leningrad became the first Soviet city to be awarded the title Hero City in 1945.
After the war
The war damaged the city and killed off many of those old Petersburgers who had not fled after the revolution and did not perish in the mass purges before the war. Nonetheless, Leningrad and many of its suburbs were rebuilt over the following decades to the old drawings. Though changes in the social fabric were more permanent, the city remained an intellectual and arts centre.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, on June 12 1991, a bare majority (54%) of the population decided to restore "the original name, Saint Petersburg," on September 6, 1991 (see above). As well as the city, 39 streets, six bridges, three Saint Petersburg Metro stations and six parks were renamed. Nevertheless, some, especially older people, still use the old names and, for example, use the old addresses on letters. The name releases positive associations particularly in connection with the siege - so that on holidays even authorities call places connected with World War II "Hero city Leningrad". Among young people the name Leningrad seems to be a vague protest against the new society. One of the most successful bands in Russia, a Ska punk band from Saint Petersburg, called themselves Leningrad (not to be confused with Leningrad Cowboys from Finland).
After a popular vote the name of the Oblast (administrative province) of which the city is the capital remained Leningrad Oblast.
Geography and climate
Floods
In the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, Russia's elite built lavishly in the city, leaving many palaces that survive to this day. But the city also suffered from regular flooding. The worst such flood occurred in November 7 1824, when the water level rose 4.21 meters above normal. The playwright Alexander Griboyedov wrote, "The embankments of the various canals had disappeared and all the canals had united into one. Hundred-year-old trees in the Summer Garden were ripped from the ground and lying in rows, roots upward." When the waters receded 569 dead bodies were found, with thousands more injured or made ill, and more than 300 buildings had been washed away. The 1824 inundation is the setting for Alexander Pushkin's famous poem, The Bronze Horseman (1834). Other disastrous floods took place in 1777 and 1924.
Landmarks and tourist attractions
The majestic appearance of St. 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. The Neva River itself, together with its many canals and their granite embankments and bridges gives the city a unique and striking ambience. These bodies of water led to St. Petersburg being given the name of "Venice of the North".
St. 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. This celebrated phenomenon is known as the "white nights". The white nights are closely linked to another attraction — the eight drawbridges spanning the Neva. 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 St. Petersburg, sometimes called the outdoor museum of Architecture, was the first Russian patrimony inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Bridges
Saint Petersburg is built on what originally were more than 100 islands created by a maze of rivers, creeks, canals and other bodies of water, with the Neva river being the main waterway.
When Peter the Great was designing the city, he is said to have conceived it as another Amsterdam, with canals instead of streets and citizens skillful in sailing. This is why initially, there were only about ten bridges constructed in the city, mainly across ditches and minor creeks. By Peter's plans, in the summer months, the citizens were supposed to move around in boats, and in the winter months when the water froze to move in sledges. However, after Peter's death, new bridges were built, as it was a much easier way of transportation. The first bridge across the Neva appeared in the 19th century.
Today, there are 342 bridges of different sizes, styles and constructions, built at different periods. Some of them are small pedestrian bridges, such as Bank and Lion bridges, others are huge transport arteries such as almost one kilometer long Alexander Nevsky Bridge. The nearly 100-meter-wide Blue Bridge, claimed to be the widest in the world, spans the Moyka River. There are bridges decorated in medieval styles with lions, horses and griffins, and there are modern styles lacking any decor.
The names of the bridges are of a great diversity as well. Some take their names from geographic locations — such as English, Italian and Egyptian bridges. Other names refer to the places such as Postoffice, Theater and Bank bridges. Many bridges are named after famous people - Alexander Nevsky, Peter the Great, Lomonosov bridges. There are "colored" bridges — Red, Green, Blue and Yellow bridges.
A familiar view of St. Petersburg is a drawbridge across the Neva. Every night during the navigation period from April to November, the bridges across Neva are drawn to let ships pass through the city.
Palaces
St. Petersburg has been known as the city of palaces. One of the earliest of these is the Summer Palace, a modest house built for Peter I in the Summer Garden (1710–1714). Much more imposing are the baroque residences of his associates, such as the :Image:Kikin.jpg|Kikin Hall and the Menshikov Palace on the Neva Embankment, constructed from designs by Domenico Trezzini over the years 1710 to 1716. A residence adjacent to the Menshikov palace was redesigned for Peter II and now houses the State University.
Probably the most illustrious of imperial palaces is the baroque Winter Palace (1754–1762), a huge building with dazzlingly luxurious interiors, now housing the Hermitage Museum. The same architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, was also responsible for three residences in the vicinity of the Nevsky Prospekt: the Stroganov palace (1752–1754, now a wax museum), the Vorontsov palace (1749–1757, now a military school), and the Anichkov Palace (1741–1750, many times rebuilt, now a palace for children). 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 last important residences were built for Nicholas I's children: the Mariinsky Palace (1839–1844), located just opposite St Isaac's Cathedral and housing a city council, the Nicholas Palace (1853–61), and the New Michael Palace (1857-1861).
Churches
Most of the church buildings belong to the Russian government, since their seizure in 1917. The largest church in the city is St Isaac's Cathedral (1818–1858), one of the biggest domed buildings in the world, constructed for 40 years under supervision of its architect, Auguste de Montferrand. Another magnificent church in the Empire style is the Kazan Cathedral (1801–1811), situated on the Nevsky Prospekt and modeled after St Peter's, Vatican. 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 Peter and Paul Cathedral (1712–1732), a long-time symbol of the city, contains the sepulchers of Peter the Great and other Russian emperors. Apart from these four principal cathedrals, which operate today primarily as museums, there are numerous other churches.
Of baroque structures, the grandest is the white-and-blue Smolny Convent (1748–1764), a striking design by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, but never completed. 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 church of Sts Simeon and Anna (1731–1734), St Sampson Cathedral (1728–1740), St Pantaleon church (1735–1739), and St Andrew Cathedral (1764–1780) are all worth mentioning.
The Neoclassical churches are numerous. Many of them are intended to dominate vast squares, like St. Vladimir's Cathedral (1769–1789), not to be confused with the church of Our Lady of Vladimir (1761–1783). The Transfiguration Cathedral (1827–29) and the Trinity Cathedral (1828–1835, fire-damaged) were both designed by Vasily Stasov. 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.
The Alexander Nevsky Monastery, intended to house the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, contains two cathedrals and several smaller churches in various styles. It is also remarkable for the Tikhvin Cemetery, where many notable Russians are buried.
The city has two small churches in the early Gothic Revival style, those of St John the Baptist (1776–1781) and the Chesmenskaya (1777–1780), both designed by Yury Velten. The late 19th century and early 20th century temples are all constructed from Russian Revival or Byzantine Revival designs. Saint Petersburg Mosque (1909–1920), once the largest in Europe, is built after the model of the Gur-e Amir Mosque in Samarkand.
St 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 and Kalmyks during World War I. It functioned until 1935 when the lamas passed into gulags. The temple and its grounds were used for secular purposes until 1991, when the datsan was eventually reopened for worship.
Public buildings
The Peter and Paul Fortress, formerly a political prison, occupies a dominant position in the center of the city. 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. On the other bank of the Neva, the spit of the Vasilievsky island is graced by the former Bourse building (1805–1810), reminiscent of a classic Greek temple, with two great Rostral Columns, decorated with ships' prows, standing in front of it.
The most famous of St. Petersburg's museums is the Hermitage, one of the world's largest and richest collections of Western European art. Its vast holdings were originally exhibited in the Greek Revival building (1838–1852) by Leo von Klenze, now called the New Hermitage. 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. Other popular tourist destinations include the Stieglitz Museum of Applied Arts (1885–1895), the Ethnography Museum (1900–1911), the Suvorov Museum of Military History (1901–1904), and the Political History Museum (1904–06).
The imperial government institutions were housed in the General Staff building on the Palace Square (1820–1827), with a huge triumphal arch in the centre, the Senate and Synod buildings on the Senate Square (1827–1843), the Imperial Cabinet (1803–1805) and the City Duma (1784-87) on the Nevsky Prospekt, the Assignation Bank (1783–1790), the Customs Office (1829–1832), and the splendid Admiralty (1806–1823), one of the city's most conspicuous landmarks. Most of these buildings were designed either by Giacomo Quarenghi, or by Carlo Rossi.
The former imperial capital is rich in educational institutions. Saint Petersburg State University occupies several buildings on the Vasilievsky Island, including the spacious baroque edifice of Twelve Collegia (1722–1744). The Academy of Arts (1764–1788), an exceedingly handsome structure, overlooks a quayside adorned with genuine Egyptian griffins and sphinxes. The Smolny Institute (1806–1808), originally the first school for Russian women, was picked up by Lenin as his headquarters during the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Catherine Institute (1804–1807), also designed by Quarenghi, has been affiliated with the Russian National Library. Another Neoclassical building by Quarenghi, a roomy Horse Guards Riding School (1804–1807), was recently designated the Central Exhibition Hall.
Some of the city shops and storehouses are landmarks in their own right. For example, the monumental New Holland Arch (1779–1787) and adjacent walls of the New Holland isle are occupied by commercial enterprises. The Merchant Court on the Nevsky Prospekt (1761–1785), also designed by Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe, houses the largest extant 18th-century supermarket in the world, as well as several coffee bars and a metro station. Nearby are the Circular Market, erected in 1785–1790, and the Passage, one of the great covered arcades of the mid-19th century. Other department stores, built in the majestic Art Nouveau style, line the Nevsky Prospekt and include the Eliseev emporium and the House of Books.
St Petersburg is a home to many theatres. 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 Alexandrine Theatre, built in 1828–1832 by Carlo Rossi, was named after the wife of Nicholas I. Much more famous outside Russia is the Mariinsky Theatre (formerly known as the Kirov Theatre of Opera and Ballet), which has been styled the capital of the world ballet. Also worthy of note is the Ciniselli Circus, one of the oldest circus buildings in the world. The city conservatory, the first in Russia, was opened in 1862 and bears the name of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; its alumni include Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich.
Public monuments
Probably the most familiar symbol of St Petersburg is the equestrian statue of Peter the Great, known as the Bronze Horseman and installed in 1782 on the Senate Square. 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.
The Palace Square is dominated by the unique Alexander Column(1830–1834), the tallest of its kind in the world and so nicely set that no attachment to the base is needed. 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. 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).
The public monuments of St 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.
Some of the most important events in the city's history are represented by particular monuments. The Russian victory over Napoleon, for example, was commemorated by the Narva Triumphal Gate (1827–1834), and the victory in the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829 — by the Moscow Triumphal Gates (1834–1838). Following this tradition, the Piskarevskoye Cemetery was opened in 1960 as a monument to the victims of the 900-Day Siege.
Suburbs
St Petersburg is surrounded by imperial residences, some of which are inscribed in the World Heritage list. 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.
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 southwest of St Petersburg, retains a royal castle with 600 rooms surrounded by a park. Oranienbaum, founded by Prince Menshikov, features his spacious baroque residence and the sumptuously decorated Chinese palace. 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.
Other notable suburbs are Shlisselburg, with a medieval fortress, and Kronstadt, with its 19th-century fortifications and naval monuments. Catherinehof, originally intended as a garden suburb, was engulfed by the city in the 19th century.
Demographics
Population: According to the 2002 census the population was 4,661,219, making it the second largest city in Russia with slightly less than half the population of Moscow. Just over 3.21% of the total population of Russia live in the city.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated there were up to 16,000 children living on the street in 2000.
The Russian Orthodox church is still the most important religious denomination, though many people are atheist.
Ethnic groups: The 2002 census counted twenty-two ethnic groups of more than two thousand persons each. The national composition was • Russian 84.72% • Ukrainian 1.87% • Belarusan 1.17% • Jewish 0.78% • Tatar 0.76% • Armenian 0.41% • Azeri 0.36% • Georgian 0.22% • Chuvash 0.13% • Polish 0.10% • Finnish 0.08% • Korean 0.08% • German 0.08% • Moldovan 0.07% • Mordovian 0.07% • Uzbek 0.06% • Kazakh 0.06% • Ossetian 0.06% • Bashkir 0.05% • Tajik 0.05% • Estonian 0.05% • Karelian 0.05% and many other ethnic groups of less than two thousand persons each. In addition, 7.89% of the inhabitants declined to state their nationality on the census questionnaire.
Population development
The following charts show the numbers of inhabitants. Until 1944 these were mostly estimates, but the figures for 1959 to 2002 come from census returns, and the figure for 2005 is an estimate.
Economy
The city is a major center of machine building, including power equipment, machinery, shipyards, instrument manufacture, ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy (production of aluminium alloys), chemicals, printing, and one of the major ports of the Baltic Sea. The Saint Petersburg Mint (Monetny Dvor) is apart from Goznak in Moscow the only place in Russia that mints Russian coins, medals and badges. Ford Motor Company began producing the Ford Focus automobile here in 2002. Toyota is building a plant in one of the suburbs; General Motors and Nissan have signed deals with the Russian government too. Saint Petersburg is also known as a "beer capital" of Russia 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). In 2006 Saint-Petersburg's budget reached volume of more than $9 billion and is planned to reach $15 billion by 2010.
Transport
The city is a major transport hub. It is the center of the local road and railway system, and has a seaport (in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea) and river ports (in the Neva delta). It is the terminus of the Volga-Baltic Waterway which links the Baltic with the Black Sea. The St Petersburg Dam (currently under construction) will complete a ring road around the city. The city has five major railway stations serving various directions: Baltiysky Rail Terminal, Vitebsky Rail Terminal, Ladozhsky Rail Terminal, Moskovsky Rail Terminal and Finlyandsky Rail Terminal. Until recently, the Varshavsky Rail Terminal served as another major station, however, it has been closed down and converted into a railway museum. Saint Petersburg has daily international railway connections to Helsinki, Finland via Vyborg (on the Russian side) and Kouvola and Lahti (on the Finnish side). Two Russian trains - the Repin and the Tolstoi - as well as the Finnish Sibelius operate exclusively on this route (although Tolstoi continues to Moscow). The journey to Helsinki takes just over 5 hours including the time used for border control and customs. The city is served by Pulkovo Airport, which carries both domestic and international flights, and the smaller Pushkin Airport and Rzhevka Airport. Saint Petersburg has an extensive public transport system, including trolleybuses and the tramway network that is considered the world's largest by track length. The Saint Petersburg Metro (subway/underground) system began operation in 1955, and a number of its ornately decorated stations are tourist attractions in their own right.
Administrative divisions
The city has numerous islands on which many historically important parts of the city are located. Vasilyevsky island is the largest of them and forms the whole Vasileostrovsky District. Petrogradsky, Petrovsky, Aptekarsky, Krestovsky, Yelagin, and Kamenny islands form Petrogradsky District.
Culture
Music in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg has always been known for its high-quality cultural life. Among the city's more than forty theaters is the world-famous Mariinsky Theater (known as the Kirov Theater under Communism ), home to the Mariinsky Ballet company and first-class ballet and opera. The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the best in Russia.
The Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who was born in St. Petersburg, dedicated his Seventh Symphony to the city, calling it the "Leningrad Symphony." He wrote the symphony during the German siege of the city in 1941.
The Male Choir of St Petersberg moved to the City of St Petersberg in the 18th century from Moscow. At the end of the 19th Century the choir numbered 90. 40 adults and 50 boys (women were not admitted). Of the 22 basses, 7 were profundi capable of reaching bottom G easily. These unique voices are produced on Russian soil to this day.
St. Petersburg has also been home to the newest movements in modern music. For example, in 1972 mathematics student Boris Grebenshchikov founded the band Aquarium, an underground rock group that grew to huge popularity in the 70s and 80s. St. Petersburg was similarly home to Kino, headed by the legendary Viktor Tsoi. Since then the "Piter's rock" music style was formed.
Today's St. Petersburg boasts many pioneering musicians, from Leningrad's Sergei Shnurov to the group Tequilajazzz.
St. Petersburg in the movies
(see also Cinema of Russia and Soviet Union)
The end of the cultural predominance of St. Petersburg coincided with Moscow's being chosen as the new capital and the dawn of film industry in Russia. Few films achieved international acclaim and international productions from Western countries couldn't film there. Lenfilm was the Soviet film studio based in St. Petersburg; however, films that became known internationally were often based on famous literary works, such as a few versions of Anna Karenina (a Russian and a French film, each of 1911; the first Western Anna Karenina has been shot in Petersburg after the end of communism) or of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot (the first one, Russian, in 1910).
Several films deal with the complex history of the city many of which have propagandistic purposes. Outstanding is the film Noi Vivi (Italy, 1942, based on the novel We the Living by Ayn Rand, a film that comments on Italian politics by way of featuring the October Revolution. Anastasia has been shot several times, and especially famous is the 1956 version casting Ingrid Bergman; Warner Brothers also set a 1997 musical in the city. Giuseppe Tornatore planned a film about the Siege of Leningrad in 2005. The Russian Ark, shot in the Winter Palace (now the Russian State Hermitage Museum), let the audience meet various real and fictional personages from 300 years of Russian history up till the present. Der Untergang was also filmed in Petersburg because of similarities of the historical city centre and the center of Berlin of 1945.
St. Petersburg also is seen in Interdevochka (also Интердевочка or Intergirl) by Pyotr Todorovsky in 1989 featuring impressive shots of the city. The cult comedy Irony of Fate (Cyrillic: Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!) even if mostly shot at Cheremushki, Moscow) is set in St. Petersburg and pokes fun at Soviet city planning. Other movies include GoldenEye (1995) or the action movie Midnight in St. Petersburg (UK, 1996). Onegin (1999 featuring Liv Tyler) is based on the Pushkin poem and showcases many tourist attractions. The Stroll (2003) by Aleksei Uchitel featured many attractions of the city with Irina Pegova playing the role of a mysterious, well endowed and enchanting Russian beauty. Two Brothers and A Bride (2002), originally titled A Foreign Affair and starring David Arquette, is a comedy about brothers seeking a mail order bride in St. Petersburg and end up finding much more. The International Film Festival in Saint Petersburg has been held annually since its inauguration in 1993 during the White Nights.
St. Petersburg in literature
St. Petersburg has a longstanding and world famous tradition in literature. Dostoyevsky called it “The most deliberate city in the world," emphasizing its artificiality, but it was also a symbol of modern disorder in a changing Russia. It frequently appeared to Russian writers as a menacing and inhuman mechanism. 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. According to Lotman in his chapter, 'The Symbolism of St. Petersburg' in Universe and the Mind, these writers were inspired from symbolism from within the city itself. The themes of water and the conflict between water and stone, interpreted as the conflict between nature and the artificial, and also the theme of theatricality, in which St. Petersburg's building facades and massive boulevards create a stage designed for spectators became important themes for these writers. The effect of life in St. 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. Another important feature of early St. 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 St. Petersburg to haunt other characters as well as other fantastical elements, creating a surreal and abstract image of St. Petersburg.
Twentieth century writers from St. Petersburg contributed new insights in the understanding of city. Anna Akhmatova became an important leader for poetry in St. Petersburg during the first half of the 20th century and later. Her most well known work, Requiem, focuses on the tragedies of living during the time of the Stalinist terror. Another notable 20th century writer from St. Petersburg is Joseph Brodsky, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1987). While living in the United States, his writings in English reflected on life in St. 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" (in Less Than One: Selected Essays, 1986).
Notable people
:
Numerous Russian and international aristocrats, politicians, artists, and scientists were born and/or have lived in Saint Petersburg. These include many of the Russian emperors; the novelists Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ayn Rand, and Vladimir Nabokov; the composers Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Igor Stravinsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; the painters James McNeill Whistler and Kazimir Malevich; the scientists Leonhard Euler, Mikhail Lomonosov, Heinrich Schliemann and Alfred Nobel; the cosmonauts Georgi Grechko and Sergei Krikalyov; the ballet dancers Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, George Balanchine and Rudolf Nureyev; the conductor Valery Gergiev; the mathematician Grigori Perelman; and the politicians Ignaz Aurelius Fessler, Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, and Vladimir Putin.
Education
Saint Petersburg has long been a center of education in Russia.
See also
References
External links
