Two spires of St. Petersburg -
the Admiralty and Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral.


The belltower of St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral has become one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.

    St. Petersburg is rightly considered one of the greatest achievements of human genius. It is hard to say what particular feature lends it its special charm. Could it be the charm of antiquity? But St. Petersburg is quite young. They say that on one of its forty-two islands there grows an oak tree planted by Peter the Great, the city's founder. For most cities in the world the life-span of a tree is but a brief moment in their history. Figuratively speaking, St. Petersburg is a grandson of Moscow and a great-grandson of Rome.
    Perhaps it is the charm of its architecture? You may say that many cities have fine architectural monuments, but you will find it difficult to name at least one where the styles of different epochs are so harmoniously fused as in St. Petersburg. Indeed, you will get the impression that the city was built by one person alone, a great architect, a virtuoso master of styles and techniques with an impeccable sense of proportion.
    Hundreds of rivers, streams and straits were turned into poetical canals, bridges were thrown across them and the city became the "Venice of the North".
    There is something else, however, that attracts tourists. Although it is young, St. Petersburg has been the scene of events that make it as deserving of attention as any of the oldest capitals in the world. Suffice it to mention but two of them - the October Revolution of 1917 and the unprecedented 900-day siege during the Second World War which was courageously endured by the people of St. Petersburg.
    The lives of many outstanding personalities of different epochs-statesmen, publicists thinkers, scientists, writers, artists and composers - are an intrinsic part of the history of this city.
    St. Petersburg today is the Russia's second largest industrial, scientific and cultural centre. Modern industrial enterprises have been built here and new housing estates have also appeared. The life of St. Petersburg is inseparably linked with the city's main thoroughfare - Nevsky Prospect.
    Thousands of tourists visit St. Petersburg every day. Like any other large city, St. Petersburg takes time to get to know. Of course, you will not be able to learn much about the city during your short stay here, but you can get a general idea about things.
    St. Petersburg is rightly referred to as an open-air museum. Before inviting you to this museum and showing its handsome streets, squares, embankments and magnificent ensembles, I would like you to learn more about it.

    The city changed its name three times: St. Petersburg (1703-1914), Petrograd (1914-1924), Leningrad (1924-1991) and St. Petersburg again from 1991. During 200 years St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia.
    St. Petersburg is one of the biggest cultural and scientific centres in the world. There are about 120 museums, 40 theatres, 50 universities, 400 scientific research organizations.
    St. Petersburg has one of the first positions in the world on the amount of water - there are 93 rivers and canals with a total length of 300 kilometers, over 100 lakes and ponds within its borders.
    There are more than 340 bridges in St. Petersburg (about 600 - if together with suburbs), some of them are considered to be quite unique architectural constructions.
    The Population of St. Petersburg is about 5 million people. This is the second largest city in Russia (after Moscow) and the 19th in the world.
    There are two airports, five railway stations. St. Petersburg is a big sea port.

    St. Petersburg is located at the mouth of the Neva River, and across the islands of its delta on the coast of the Finnish Gulf of the Baltic Sea. Its nearest suburbs are situated on the lowland adjacent to the Neva River and along the Gulf. In spite of the general lowland nature of the site, the relief of the suburbs shows diversity. Izhora eminence is to the South of the city, and hilly Karelia Isthmus with Vuoksa lake land is located to the North.
    From May 25-26 and till July 16-17 you can enjoy magnificent White Nights on the bank of the Neva River, that last over 50 days. June 21-22 are the longest days (18 hours 53 minutes). The sun hardly hides behind the horizon, and you can not find even the brightest stars in the night sky.
    The city is situated on 60? of the northern latitude that passes roughly across the South of Alaska and Greenland. Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki can boast of being at the same latitude. Warm Gulf Stream seriously influences all these cities. There are no large cities at this latitude, as well as the latitudes close to it in the Western Hemisphere.
     Pulkovo Meridian (31? eastern longitude) passes through St. Petersburg as well as through Istanbul, but none of these cities can be compared to St. Petersburg in climate or nature.

    Time
    St. Petersburg belongs to the Moscow standard time zone (MST), which differs from the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT); Summer MST = GMT + 4 hours. Winter MST = GMT + 3 hours. St. Petersburg goes on Daylight Savings (Summer) on the last Saturday of March and goes off Daylight Savings Time on the last Saturday of September.

    Climate
    St. Petersburg is characterized by an intermediate (from nautical to continental) climate. It is quite mild and humid with frequent fogs and rains. There can be quite dry and hot periods in summer time, when the temperature goes up to +25?C : +30?C, but they last for a week maximum. Precipitation is not too plentiful, being 550-600 mm per annum.
    The weather conditions of the city are much different from what you can see in the most North European cities.

    Territory
    As of 1993 the territory of the city is 606 square kilometers, and 1439 square kilometers with the suburbs. The length of the city from North to South is 44 kilometers, and 25 kilometers from West to East.

Watch-lions guard the city.