St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the "Window on Europe”. St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia from 1712 till 1918. The city was built on the swampy land at the mouth of the River Neva. Prominent European and Russian architects worked here. The new capital grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. When World War I began in 1914, the German-sounding name St. Petersburg was changed to Petrograd. After the October Revolution the city was renamed in honour of Lenin. In 1991 the old name St. Petersburg was returned to the city.

During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege on it in 1941, and for the next two years and a half the city was cut off from the rest of the country. No food could be brought in and people died of starvation. Daily shelling and air raids destroyed parts of the city. Thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years.

Now St. Petersburg is an industrial, cultural and scientific centre. There are over 80 museums, more than 20 theatres, a lot of exhibitions, universities, colleges, schools, clubs and parks. The Alexandrinski Drama Theatre, the Bolshoi Drama Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre of Opera and Ballet are pearls of the Russian art. St. Petersburg is famous for its magnificent architectural ensembles of the 18-th and 19-th centuries.

The city began with the Peter and Paul Fortress built to protect the Neva banks from Swedish invasion. Later Domeniko Trezzini, the famous Swiss architect, reconstructed the fortress. It became a prison. Now it is a museum. Trezzini built the Peter and Paul Cathedral here, and Russian tsars were buried in it. The most famous square in the city is the Palace Square with its magnificent ensemble. Here one can see the Winter Palace built by Rastrelli. Now the Winter Palace and four other palaces are occupied by the Hermitage, one of the oldest art museums in Russia. There one can see masterpieces of outstanding artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Velazquez and other unique works of art. The Russian Museum is located in the Mikhailovsky Palace designed by Rossi. Marvellous pantings by the famous Russian artists: Tropinin, Repin, Bryullov, Fedotov, Surikov, Serov; the works of sculptors: Rastrelli, Shubin, Antokolsky are exhibited here.

The streets and squares in St. Petersburg are very beautiful. Nevsky Prospect is the main street of the city, where there are amazing buildings, shops, hotels and the remarkable Kazan Cathedral (by Voronikhin) with a colonnade and monuments to Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly. Here in the prospect one can see the magnificent building of the Admiralty and the ensemble of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Famous Russian writers, painters, composers and actors were buried in the Lavra.

The city is often called the Venice of the North because there are 65 rivers and canals with artistically decorated cast iron bridges. One of the most beautiful is the Anichkov Bridge.

St. Petersburg inspired many of our great poets, writers, painters, sculptors, composers and actors. Much of the life of Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Repin and Kramskoy was connected with the city.