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Russia - Sankt Petersburg
~ Historic centre and related
Groups of Monuments ~
UNESCO World Heritage
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St. Petersburg is with 4.6 million inhabitants Russia's second largest
city after Moscow. It is a major European cultural centre and an important
port on the Baltic Sea. Located right at the mouth of the Neva, the city
stretches across 42 Island with countless natural waterways, channels and
bridges, which gave it the nickname "Venice of the North". However, St.
Petersburg is a bustling metropolis, that has nothing lost of its historic
appeal. |
Peterhof, the Russian Versailles, - Cascades with
Samson Fountain |
| The city was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred
years (1713 – 1728 and 1732 – 1918) and as such its political and cultural
centre. The tsarist era left an overwhelming cultural heritage. The city
is full of stunning sights, such as magnificent palaces and cathedrals, grand boulevards and museums. |
Saint Isaak Cathedral
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The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and related groups of
monuments in the immediate vicinity are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Your sightseeing should at least include:
- Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace
- Peter and Paul Fortress
- Tsarkoye Selo with Catherine Palace
- Saint Isaak Cathedral
- Peterhof, the “Russian Versailles” |
Church of the Savior on Blood
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Some more historical facts
In May 1703, during the Great Northern War, Peter the Great captured
the Swedish fortress of Nyenschantz on the Neva river in Ingria (Nyen is
Swedish and means Neva) in order to enforce access to the Baltic sea for
Russia. Only a few weeks later he laid the foundation of the Peter
and Paul Fortress, which is considered to be the nucleus of the city of
Sankt Petersburg. Just up to four metres above sea level the Neva
delta has often been flooded since ancient times and tens of thousands
of serf and forced labourers died with ague and cholera during the erection
of the city on the muddy ground.
In the course of its history the city had different names. At first
Peter 1 named the fortress St. Pieterburch not after himself, as one could
guess, but after his patron Saint Peter, the apostle. The name was meant
to sound like Dutch due to Peter's weakness for the Dutch culture, but
soon the growing city was renamed Sankt Petersburg. Other names were
Petrograd (1914 – 1924) and Leningrad (1924 – 1991) |
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