Saint-Petersburg

Introduction

Saint Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, an open-air museum. The architectural view of city has an exceptional variety, reflecting various epochs and art styles, existing, at the same time, in astonishing harmony

By the European measures the city is very young - hardly more than three hundred years old, but its history is connected with the major events in the life of Russia. The capital of the empire for two centuries, city of three revolutions, the city - hero which has stood in 900 days of Leningrad Siege during the Second World War - all this is also Petersburg - Petrograd -Leningrad.

Saint Petersburg was founded on 16 May (27 May New Style) on the Neva River delta at the will of Peter the Great who decided to build a new capital of Russia and 'to open a window to Europe'. It was the city, raised suddenly ' among a damp and marsh'. The development of Saint Petersburg and its architecture reflected the spirit of Peter the Great's reforms. It was build mostly by foreign architects in a European manner but on a Russian scale. It had its own peculiar architectural appearance and style. The magnificent architectural ensembles, spires, churches, cathedrals and monuments exist in harmony with the watery element. The city is often called 'Vinice of the North' due to the many rivers and channels. The granite embankments and bridges linking the banks are vital and very important element of the city. The guests of the city always feel enormous admiration for the splendid look of its marvelous palaces and buildings. According to the international tourist polls St.Petersburg ranks among ten most attractive cities in the world. It would be hard to name another city in Russia mirrored so intensively in fiction and fine arts. The city inspired such a great Russian writers as Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Akhmatova...

St. Petersburg, which is indeed a treasury of cultural and historical valuables, can offer its visitors many various museums, including the world-famous Hermitage, which gains a collection of art from all over the world, rivals the collections of the Louvre in Paris and the London National Gallery. There are few places on the planet as interesting and complex as this. Its unforgettable charm Saint-Petersburg get also due to the world-famous period White Nights when the bridges raise to the sky which never gets dark. One can admire the sights of the city from the water, traveling by the boat along the numerous rivers and channels. But not only summer is attractive for the tourists. In autumn the city is full of poetical mood. The gardens and parks of the city and its famous suburbs enrich their colours with golden and red. In winter the buildings, churches and parks covered with a snow blanked are also extremely attractive. In spring the city has a lot to offer, especially on the cultural side - enjoying the opera or ballet performances at the famous Mariinsky theatre.

Saint Petersburg is one of the largest tourist centers with European standards of service, it is well prepared to meet and accommodate all its guests and has the necessary infrastructure to ensure that large flows of tourists can enjoy their stay here to the full.  You can find here any type of hotels, from five-star masterpieces of classical architecture such as the Grand Hotel Europe, The Corinthia Nevsky Palace Hotel, The Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, Astoria Hotel - to small and very cozy private hotels, which meet the requirements of modern European standards.
Upon the decision of UNESCO St.Petersburg has been recognizes as a Monument of the Works Culture.

It is possible to go on and on about St.Petersburg and for that reason it is better to sum it up with an old Russian proverb: 'It's better to see it once then to hear about it 100 time'.

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