Saint Petersburg 26964 226137675 2008-07-17T00:02:30Z AlexiusHoratius 2306142 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Codpiece|Codpiece]] ([[User talk:Codpiece|talk]]) to last version by Spencer {{Otherusesof|Saint Petersburg}} {{Redirect|Leningrad}} {{Infobox Russian federal city |EnglishName = Saint Petersburg |RussianName = Санкт-Петербург |Skyline = Angliyskaya Enbankment SPb.jpg |SkylineLegend = The [[English Embankment]] with [[Saint Isaac's Cathedral]] |LatDeg = 59 |LatMin = 56 |LatSec = |LonDeg = 30 |LonMin = 20 |LonSec = |LocatorMap = Saint Petersburg In Europe.svg |LocatorMapLegend = Location of Saint Petersburg in Europe |CoatOfArms = Coat of Arms of Saint Petersburg large (2003).png |Flag = Flag of St Petersburg (Russia).png |CityDay = [[May 27]] |FederalDistrict = [[Northwestern Federal District|Northwestern]] |EconomicRegion = [[Northwestern economic region|Northwestern]] |CodeNumber = 78<!--this is a land cadaster number, not a license plate, so please don't add 98--> |Area_km2 = 606 |Population = 4662547 |PopulationRank = 2nd |LeaderType = Governor |LeaderName = [[Valentina Matviyenko]] ([[United Russia|UR]]) |Legislature = [[Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg|Legislative Assembly]] |Charter = [[Charter of Saint Petersburg]] |FoundationDate = [[May 27]], [[1703]] |Event1 = Became the capital of Russia |Event1Date = [[May 8]], [[1713]] |Event2 = Renamed ''Petrograd'' |Event2Date = [[August 31]], [[1914]] |Event3 = Capital moved back to [[Moscow]] |Event3Date = 1918 |Event4 = Renamed ''Leningrad'' |Event4Date = [[January 26]], [[1924]] |Event5 = Renamed ''St.&nbsp;Petersburg'' |Event5Date = [[September 6]], [[1991]] |PostalCode = 190000–199406 |DialingCode = 812 |Website = http://eng.gov.spb.ru/<br> http://www.st-petersburg.ru/en/ }} '''Saint Petersburg''' ({{audio-ru|Санкт-Петербу́рг|Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg}}, [[romanization of Russian|tr.]]: ''Sankt-Peterburg'', {{IPA-ru|sankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk}}) is a [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] and a [[federal subjects of Russia|federal subject]] of [[Russia]] located on the [[Neva River]] at the head of the [[Gulf of Finland]] on the [[Baltic Sea]]. The city's other names were '''Petrograd''' ({{lang|ru|Петрогра́д}}, 1914–1924) and '''Leningrad''' ({{lang|ru|Ленингра́д}}, 1924–1991). It is often called just ''Petersburg'' ({{lang|ru|Петербу́рг}}) and is informally known as ''Piter'' ({{lang|ru|Пи́тер}}). Founded by [[Tsar]] [[Peter I of Russia]] on [[May 27]], [[1703]], it was the capital of the [[Russian Empire]] for more than two hundred years (1713–1728, 1732–1918). Saint Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]].<ref>''[[Nicholas and Alexandra (book)|Nicholas and Alexandra]]: An Intimate Account of the Last of the Romanovs and the Fall of Imperial Russia'' (Athenum, 1967) by Robert K. Massie, ASIN B000CGP8M2 (also, Ballantine Books, 2000, ISBN 0-345-43831-0 and Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2005, ISBN 1-57912-433-X)</ref> It is Russia's second largest and Europe's fourth largest city (by city limit) after [[Moscow]], [[London]] and [[Paris]]. The city has 4.6&nbsp;million inhabitants, and over 6&nbsp;million people live in its vicinity. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and an important Russian [[ports of the Baltic Sea|port on the Baltic Sea]]. Saint Petersburg is often described as the most Western European styled city of Russia.<ref>V. Morozov. The Discourses of Saint Petersburg and the Shaping of a Wider Europe. Copenhagen Peace Research institute. 2002. [http://www.ciaonet.org/wps/mov02/]</ref> Among cities of the world with over one million people, Saint Petersburg is the northernmost. The [[Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments]] constitute a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Russia's political and cultural center for 200 years, the city is sometimes referred to in Russia as the ''northern capital''. A large number of [[List of diplomatic missions in Russia|foreign consulates]], international corporations, banks and other businesses are located in Saint Petersburg. ==History== {{Main|History of Saint Petersburg}} On [[May 1]], [[1703]], during the [[Great Northern War]], [[Peter the Great]] captured the [[Sweden|Swedish]] fortress of [[Nyenskans]] on the [[Neva]] river in [[Ingria]]. A few weeks later, on [[May 27]], [[1703]] ([[May 16]], [[Julian calendar|Old Style]]), lower on the river, on Zayachy (Hare) Island, three miles (5 km) inland from the [[Gulf of Finland|gulf]], he laid down the [[Peter and Paul Fortress]], which became the first brick and stone building of the new city. He named the city after his patron saint, the [[Saint Peter|apostle Peter]]. The original name was meant to sound like [[Dutch language|Dutch]] due to Peter's obsession with the [[Dutch culture]].<ref name="massie">''Peter the Great: His Life and World'' (Knopf, 1980) by Robert K. Massie, ISBN 0-394-50032-6</ref> The city was built by conscripted [[serf]]s from all over Russia under the supervision of [[Alexander Menshikov]] and later became the center of [[Saint Petersburg Governorate]]. Peter moved the capital from Moscow to Saint Petersburg in 1712, before the [[Treaty of Nystad]] of 1721 ended the war and annexed the territory to Russia. [[Image:Bronze Horseman002.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Bronze Horseman]], monument to [[Peter the Great]]]] [[Image:Санкт-Петербург, 1903.jpg|thumb|Map of Saint Petersburg, 1903]] [[Image:Neva-StPetersburg2.JPG|thumb|The Peter and Paul Fortress]] [[Image:Petersburg-square.jpg|thumb|[[Palace Square]] with the Alexander Column, view from the Winter Palace]] [[Image:Savior on blood from canal.jpg|thumb|The Church of the Savior on Blood]] [[Image:Blokada 03.jpg|thumb|Civilians struggled to survive during the Siege of Leningrad]] During the first few years of its existence the city grew spontaneously around Trinity Square on the right bank of the Neva, near the Peter and Paul Fortress. However, Saint Petersburg soon started to develop according to a plan. By 1716 [[Domenico Trezzini]] had elaborated a project whereby the city center would be located on [[Vasilievsky Island]] and shaped by a rectangular grid of canals. The project was not completed, but is still evident in the layout of the streets. In 1716 [[Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond]] was appointed chief architect of Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great. The style of [[Petrine Baroque]], developed by Trezzini and other architects and exemplified by such buildings as the [[Menshikov Palace]], [[Kunstkamera]], [[Peter and Paul Cathedral]], [[Twelve Collegia]], became prominent in the city architecture of the early 18th century. In 1724 the [[Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences|Academy of Sciences]], [[Saint Petersburg State University|University]] and Academic Gymnasium were established in Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great. However, in 1725 Peter died. His efforts to push for modernization were completely misunderstood by the old-fashioned Russian nobility. This resulted in considerable opposition, including several attempts on his life and a treason case involving his own son.<ref>Matthew S. Anderson, Peter the Great (London: Thames and Hudson, 1978)</ref> In 1728 [[Peter II of Russia]] moved his seat back to Moscow. But four years later, in 1732, during the reign of [[Anna of Russia]], Saint Petersburg again became the capital of the [[Russian Empire]] and had remained the seat of the government for 186 years since then. In 1736-1737 the city suffered from catastrophic fires. In order to rebuild the damaged boroughs, in 1737 a new plan was commissioned by a committee under [[Burkhard Christoph von Munnich]]. The city was divided into five boroughs, and the city center was moved to the Admiralty borough, situated on the left bank between the Neva and [[Fontanka]]. It developed along three radial streets, which meet at the [[Russian Admiralty|Admiralty]] and are now known as [[Nevsky Prospekt]] (which is now perceived as the main street of the city), [[Gorokhovaya Street]] and [[Voznesensky Prospekt]]. The [[Baroque architecture|style of Baroque]] dominated the city architecture during the first sixty years, culminating in the Elizabethan Baroque, represented most notably by [[Bartolomeo Rastrelli]] with such buildings as the [[Winter Palace]]. In the 1760s the Baroque architecture was succeeded by the [[neoclassical architecture]]. The Commission of Stone Buildings of Moscow and Saint Petersburg established in 1762 ruled that no structure in the city be higher than the Winter Palace and prohibited spacing between buildings. During the reign of [[Catherine the Great]] in the 1760s-1780s the banks of the Neva were lined with [[granite]] embankments. However, it wasn't until 1850 that it was allowed to open the first permanent bridge across the Neva, [[Blagoveshchensky Bridge]]. Before that, only [[pontoon bridge]]s were allowed. [[Obvodny Canal]] (dug in 1769-1833) became the southern limit of the city. Some of the most important neoclassical architects in Saint Petersburg (including those working within the [[Empire (style)|Empire style]]) were [[Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe]] ([[Imperial Academy of Arts]], [[Small Hermitage]], [[Gostiny Dvor#Saint Petersburg|Gostiny Dvor]], [[New Holland Arch]], [[Catholic Church of St. Catherine]]), [[Antonio Rinaldi]] ([[Marble Palace]]), [[Yury Felten]] ([[Old Hermitage]], [[Chesme Church]]), [[Giacomo Quarenghi]] (Academy of Sciences, [[Hermitage Theatre]], [[Yusupov Palace]]), [[Andrey Voronikhin]] ([[Saint Petersburg Mining Institute|Mining Institute]], [[Kazan Cathedral]]), [[Andreyan Zakharov]] ([[Russian Admiralty|Admiralty building]]), [[Jean-François Thomas de Thomon]] ([[Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns|Spit of Vasilievsky Island]]), [[Carlo Rossi (architect)|Carlo Rossi]] ([[Yelagin Palace]], [[Mikhailovsky Palace]], [[Alexandrine Theatre]], [[Senate and Synod Buildings]], [[General Staff Building]], design of many streets and squares), [[Vasily Stasov]] ([[Moscow Triumphal Gate]], [[Trinity Cathedral, Saint Petersburg|Trinity Cathedral]]), [[Auguste de Montferrand]] ([[Saint Isaac's Cathedral]], [[Alexander Column]]). The victory over [[Napoleonic France]] in the [[Patriotic War of 1812]] was commemorated with many monuments, including Alexander Column by Montferrand, erected in 1834, and [[Narva Triumphal Gate]]. In 1825 the suppressed [[Decembrist revolt]] against [[Nicholas I of Russia]] took place on the [[Decembrists Square|Senate Square]] in the city, a day after he assumed the throne. By the 1840s the neoclassical architecture had given place to various romanticist styles, which were dominant until the 1890s, represented by such architects as [[Andrei Stackenschneider]] ([[Mariinsky Palace]], [[Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace]], [[Nicholas Palace]], [[New Michael Palace]]) and [[Konstantin Thon]] ([[Moskovsky Rail Terminal]]). The [[Church of the Savior on Blood]] designed in the Russian revival style commemorated the place where [[Alexander II of Russia]] was assassinated in 1881. With the [[emancipation of the serfs]] undertaken by Alexander II in 1861 and the [[industrial revolution]] the influx of former peasants into the capital increased greatly. Poor boroughs spontaneously emerged on the outskirts of the city. Saint Petersburg surpassed Moscow in population and industrial growth and grew into one of the largest industrial hubs and cities in Europe. The [[Russian Revolution of 1905|Revolution of 1905]] initiated here and spread rapidly into the provinces. With the start of [[World War I]], the name Saint Petersburg was perceived to be too German, so in 1914 the city was renamed Petrograd.<ref>''The Romanovs: The Final Chapter'' (Random House, 1995) by Robert K. Massie, ISBN 0-394-58048-6 and ISBN 0-679-43572-7</ref> In 1917 the [[February Revolution]], which put an end to the Russian monarchy, and the [[October Revolution]], which ultimately brought [[Vladimir Lenin]] to power, broke out in Petrograd.<ref>Rex A. Wade ''The Russian Revolution, 1917'' 2005 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521841550</ref> The city's proximity to the border and anti-Soviet armies forced the Bolsheviks under Lenin to transfer the capital to [[Moscow]] on [[March 5]], [[1918]]. In 1919 during the ensuing [[Russian Civil War]] [[Nikolay Yudenich]] advancing from [[Estonia]] was about to capture the city from the Bolsheviks, but [[Leon Trotsky]] ultimately managed to mobilize the population and make him retreat. Many people fled the city in 1917-1920 or were repressed in the [[Red Terror]]<ref>Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler: The Age of Social Catastrophe. By Robert Gellately, 2007, Random House, 720 pages. ISBN 1400040051</ref>, so its population decreased dramatically. On [[January 24]], [[1924]], three days after Lenin's death, Petrograd was renamed ''Leningrad''. For decades Leningrad was glorified by the Soviet propaganda as "the cradle of the revolution" and "the city of three revolutions", many spots related to Lenin and the revolutions, such as the [[Russian cruiser Aurora|cruiser Aurora]], were carefully preserved. Many streets and other toponyms were renamed accordingly. In the 1920s-1930s the poor outskirts were reconstructed into regularly planned boroughs. The [[constructivist architecture]] flourished around that time. The Soviets nationalised housing and forced many residents to share communal apartments (''[[kommunalka]]s''). With 68% living in shared apartments in the 1930s, Leningrad was the city with the largest number of ''kommunalkas''. In 1935 a new general plan was outlined, whereby the city should expand to the south and its center should move there. The constructivism was rejected in favor of the pompous [[Stalinist architecture]]. Stalin ordered the construction of the new city hall on Moskovsky Prospect thus making it the new main street of Leningrad during the Soviet rule. Since December 1931 Leningrad has been administratively separate from [[Leningrad Oblast]]. At that time it included Leningrad Suburban District, some parts of which were transferred back to Leningrad Oblast in 1936 and turned into [[Vsevolozhsky District]], [[Krasnoselsky District, Saint Petersburg|Krasnoselsky District]], [[Pargolovsky District]] and [[Slutsky District]] (renamed Pavlovsky District in 1944).<ref>[http://lenobltrans.narod.ru/adm1.html Ленинградская область в целом: Административно-территориальное деление Ленинградской области]</ref> On December 1, 1934, [[Sergey Kirov]], popular communist leader of Leningrad, was assassinated, which was used to start the [[Great Purge]].<ref>Stalin's Terror: High Politics and Mass Repression in the Soviet Union by Barry McLoughlin and Kevin McDermott (eds). Palgrave Macmillan, 2002, p. 6]</ref>. The sizeable minorities of Germans, Poles, Finns, Estonians and Latvians were almost completely [[population transfer in the Soviet Union|expelled]] from Leningrad by the Soviet government during the 1930s.<ref name="martin">Martin, Terry (1998). [http://www.jstor.org/view/00222801/di000017/00p0286a/0 The Origins of Soviet Ethnic Cleansing]. ''[[The Journal of Modern History]]'' 70.4, 813-861.</ref> During [[World War II]], Leningrad was besieged by [[Nazi Germany]] and [[co-belligerent]] [[Finland]].<ref>Siege of Leningrad. Encyclopedia Britannica. [http://www.britannica.com/bps/topic/335949/Siege-of-Leningrad#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked%3E%2Fbps%2Ftopic%2F335949%2FSiege-of-Leningrad&title=Siege%20of%20Leningrad%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia]</ref>. The siege lasted 872 days<ref>Siege of Leningrad. Encyclopedia Britannica. [http://www.britannica.com/bps/topic/335949/Siege-of-Leningrad#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked%3E%2Fbps%2Ftopic%2F335949%2FSiege-of-Leningrad&title=Siege%20of%20Leningrad%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia]</ref> from September 1941 to January 1944. <ref>Baldack, Richard H. "Leningrad, Siege of" World Book Encyclopedia, Chicago, 2002, vol.12, page 195 </ref> The [[Siege of Leningrad]] was one of the longest, most destructive, and [[Most_lethal_battles_in_world_history#Sieges_and_urban_combat|most lethal sieges]] of major cities in modern history. It isolated the city from most supplies except those provided through the [[Road of Life]] across [[Lake Ladoga]], and more than a million civilians died, mainly from starvation. Many others were eventually evacuated or escaped by themselves, so the city became largely depopulated. For the heroic resistance of the city and tenacity of the survivors of the Siege, in 1945 Leningrad became the first city in the [[Soviet Union]] awarded the title [[Hero City]]. In October 1946 some former Finnish territories along the northern coast of the [[Gulf of Finland]] captured in the [[Winter War]] and [[Continuation War]] were transferred from Leningrad Oblast to Leningrad and divided into [[Sestroretsky District]] and [[Kurortny District]], including the town of [[Terijoki]] (renamed Zelenogorsk in 1948).<ref>[http://lenobltrans.narod.ru/adm1.html Ленинградская область в целом: Административно-территориальное деление Ленинградской области]</ref> Leningrad and many of its suburbs were rebuilt over the post-war decades, partially according to the pre-war plans. The 1948 general plan of Leingrad offered radial urban development in the north as well as in the south. The [[Leningrad Metro]], underground rapid transit system which was designed before the war in the 1930s, was opened in 1955 with its first seven stations decorated with marble and bronze. Meanwhile, in 1949-1951 a large number of prominent Leningrad members of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]] and their families were charged with treason and intention to create an anti-Soviet organization out of their local party cell. Many were imprisoned or executed in the [[Leningrad Affair]] fabricated by the central Soviet leadership.<ref>Dmitri Volkogonov. ''Stalin: Triumph and Tragedy'', 1996, ISBN-10: 0761507183</ref><ref>Russian publication: Ленинградское дело&nbsp;– надо ли ставить кавычки?: [http://www.contr-tv.ru/print/1608/]</ref> In 1953 [[Pavlovsky District]] of Leningrad Oblast was abolished, and parts of its territory including Pavlovsk merged with Leningrad. In 1954 the settlements [[Levashovo]], [[Pargolovo]] and [[Pesochny]] merged with Leningrad.<ref>[http://lenobltrans.narod.ru/adm1.html Ленинградская область в целом: Административно-территориальное деление Ленинградской области]</ref> After the death of [[Stalin]] the perceived ornamental excesses of the Stalinist architecture were abandoned. In the 1960s-1980s, as many new residential boroughs were built on the outskirts with few series of [[functionalism (architecture)|functionalist]] apartment blocks identical to each other, lots of families moved there from ''kommunalkas'' in the city center in order to live in separate apartments. [[Uritsk]] was re-named [[Krasnoye Selo]] and merged with Leningrad in 1963, [[Lomonosov, Russia|Lomonosov]] merged in 1978.<ref>[http://lenobltrans.narod.ru/adm1.html Ленинградская область в целом: Административно-территориальное деление Ленинградской области]</ref> On [[June 12]], [[1991]], the day of the [[Russian presidential election, 1991|first Russian presidential election]], in a referendum 54% of voters chose to restore the name "''Saint Petersburg''" (change later occurring on [[September 6]], [[1991]]). Many other Soviet-era toponyms in the city were also renamed back soon afterwards. In the same election [[Anatoly Sobchak]] became the first democratically elected [[list of heads of Saint Petersburg government|mayor of the city]].<ref>[[Jack F. Matlock, Jr.]], ''Autopsy on an Empire: The American Ambassador's Account of the Collapse of the Soviet Union'', Random House, 1995, ISBN 0679413766</ref> By the end of 1991 the deteriorating [[planned economy]] of the collapsing Soviet Union had put the city on the verge of starvation. For the first time since World War II food [[rationing]] was introduced, and the city received humanitarian food aid from abroad. The city somewhat recovered with the market reforms in Russia. In 1995-2004 a northern section of the Metro's [[Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line]] was cut off by an underground flooding, which was a major obstacle to the city development. In 1996, [[Vladimir Anatolyevich Yakovlev|Vladimir Yakovlev]] was elected the head of the [[Saint Petersburg City Administration]]. The title of the city head was changed in advance from "mayor" to "governor." In 2003, Yakovlev resigned a year before his second term expired. [[Valentina Matviyenko]] was elected governor. In 2006 she was reapproved as governor by the [[Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly|city legislature]]. The residential building had intensified again and had become more architecturally diverse by the 2000s, though real estate prices inflated greatly. ==Geography== {{Main|Geography of Saint Petersburg}} [[Image:Spb-locator.svg|thumb|Territory of the federal subject of Saint Petersburg]] The area of Saint Petersburg city proper is {{convert|605.8|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on}}. The area of the federal subject is {{convert|1439|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, which contains the Saint Petersburg proper (consisting of 81 okrugs), nine suburban towns ([[Kolpino]], [[Krasnoye Selo]], [[Kronstadt]], [[Lomonosov, Russia|Lomonosov]], [[Pavlovsk]], [[Peterhof]], [[Pushkin (town)|Pushkin]], [[Sestroretsk]] and [[Zelenogorsk, Saint Petersburg|Zelenogorsk]]) and 21 municipal settlements. Saint Petersburg is situated on the middle [[taiga]] lowlands along the shores of the Neva Bay of the [[Gulf of Finland]], and islands of the river delta. The largest are [[Vasilyevsky island]] (besides the artificial island between Obvodny canal and [[Fontanka]], and [[Kotlin]] in the Neva Bay), Petrogradsky, Dekabristov and [[Krestovsky island|Krestovsky]]. The latter together with [[Yelagin Island|Yelagin]] and [[Kamenny island]] are covered mostly by parks. The [[Karelian Isthmus]], north of the city, is a popular resort area. In the south Saint Petersburg crosses the [[Baltic-Ladoga Klint]] and meets the [[Izhora Plateau]]. The elevation of Saint Petersburg ranges from the [[sea level]] to its highest point of {{convert|175.9|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} at the Orekhovaya Hill in the [[Duderhof Heights]] in the south. Part of the city's territory west of [[Liteyny Prospekt]] is no higher than {{convert|4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level, and has suffered from numerous floods. [[Floods in Saint Petersburg]] are triggered by a long wave in the Baltic Sea, caused by meteorological conditions, winds and shallowness of the Neva Bay. The most disastrous floods occurred in 1824 ({{convert|421|cm|ft|1|abbr=on|disp=/}} above sea-level<ref>The level of flooding is measured near [[Saint Petersburg Mining Institute]], which is normally {{convert|11|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} a.s.l.</ref>), 1924 {{convert|380|cm|ft|1|abbr=on|disp=/}}, 1777 {{convert|321|cm|ft|1|abbr=on|disp=/}}, 1955 {{convert|293|cm|ft|1|abbr=on|disp=/}} and 1975 {{convert|281|cm|ft|1|abbr=on|disp=/}}. To prevent floods, the [[Saint Petersburg Dam]] has been under construction since 1979.<ref>Нежиховский Р. А. ''Река Нева и Невская губа'', Leningrad: Гидрометеоиздат, 1981.</ref> Since the 18th century the terrain in the city has been raised artificially, at some places by more than {{convert|4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, making mergers of several islands, and changing the hydrology of the city. Besides the Neva and its distributaries, other important rivers of the federal subject of Saint Petersburg are [[Sestra River (Leningrad Oblast)|Sestra]], [[Okhta River (Neva basin)|Okhta]] and [[Izhora River|Izhora]]. The largest lake is Sestroretsky Razliv in the north, followed by Lakhtinsky Razliv, Suzdal Lakes and other smaller lakes. Saint Petersburg's position on the [[latitude]] of ca. 60° N causes variation in [[day length]] across seasons, ranging from 5:53 to 18:50. [[Twilight]] may last all night in early summer, from mid-May to mid-July, the celebrated phenomenon known as the [[white nights]]. Indeed, there is no true night from mid-April to mid-August, although at the extremes of that range it may take a telescope to detect the small amount of light still in the midnight sky. ===Climate=== Saint Petersburg experiences a [[humid continental climate]] of the cool summer subtype ([[Climate Zone|Köppen]]: Dfb), due to the distinct moderating influence of the [[Baltic Sea]] cyclones. Summers are typically cool, humid and quite short, while winters are long, cold, but with frequent [[warm spell]]s. The average daily temperature in July is {{convert|22|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}; summer maximum is about {{convert|34|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}, winter minimum is about {{convert|-27|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}. The record low temperature is {{convert|-35.9|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}, recorded in 1883. The average annual temperature is {{convert|+4|°C|°F|0|abbr=on}}. The River Neva within the city limits usually freezes up in November-December, break-up occurs in April. From December to March there are 123 days average with snow cover, which reaches the average of {{convert|24|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} by February. The frost-free period in the city lasts on average for about 135 days. The city has a climate slightly warmer than its suburbs. Weather conditions are quite variable all year round.<ref>See ''[http://www.tutiempo.net/en/Climate/St_Peterburg/260630.htm Historical weather records for Saint Petersburg (since 1932)]'' and ''[http://rp5.ru/archive.php?wmo_id=26063 Historical weather in Saint Petersburg]'' for further information.</ref> Average annual [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] varies across the city, averaging {{convert|600|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} per year and reaching maximum in late summer. Soil moisture is almost always high because of lower [[evapotranspiration]] due to the cool climate. [[Relative humidity|Air humidity]] is 78% on average, while [[overcast]] is 165 days a year on average. {{Infobox Weather |metric_first = Yes |single_line = Yes |location = Saint Petersburg |Jan_Hi_°C = -4.8 |Jan_REC_Hi_°C = 8.6 |Feb_Hi_°C = -4.6 |Feb_REC_Hi_°C = 10.2 |Mar_Hi_°C = 0.0 |Mar_REC_Hi_°C = 14.9 |Apr_Hi_°C = 7.4 |Apr_REC_Hi_°C = 25.3 |May_Hi_°C = 14.7 |May_REC_Hi_°C = 30.9 |Jun_Hi_°C = 19.4 |Jun_REC_Hi_°C = 34.6 |Jul_Hi_°C = 22.0 |Jul_REC_Hi_°C = 34.3 |Aug_Hi_°C = 20.1 |Aug_REC_Hi_°C = 33.5 |Sep_Hi_°C = 14.5 |Sep_REC_Hi_°C = 30.4 |Oct_Hi_°C = 7.7 |Oct_REC_Hi_°C = 21.0 |Nov_Hi_°C = 1.6 |Nov_REC_Hi_°C = 12.3 |Dec_Hi_°C = -2.5 |Dec_REC_Hi_°C = 10.9 |Year_Hi_°C = 8.1 |Year_REC_Hi_°C = 34.6 |Jan_Lo_°C = -10.5 |Jan_REC_Lo_°C = -35.9 |Feb_Lo_°C = -10.6 |Feb_REC_Lo_°C = -35.2 |Mar_Lo_°C = -6.9 |Mar_REC_Lo_°C = -29.9 |Apr_Lo_°C = -0.2 |Apr_REC_Lo_°C = -21.8 |May_Lo_°C = 5.7 |May_REC_Lo_°C = -6.6 |Jun_Lo_°C = 10.8 |Jun_REC_Lo_°C = 0.1 |Jul_Lo_°C = 13.9 |Jul_REC_Lo_°C = 4.9 |Aug_Lo_°C = 12.5 |Aug_REC_Lo_°C = 1.3 |Sep_Lo_°C = 7.9 |Sep_REC_Lo_°C = -3.1 |Oct_Lo_°C = 2.8 |Oct_REC_Lo_°C = -12.9 |Nov_Lo_°C = -2.4 |Nov_REC_Lo_°C = -22.2 |Dec_Lo_°C = -7.3 |Dec_REC_Lo_°C = -34.4 |Year_Lo_°C = 1.4 |Year_REC_Lo_°C = -35.9 |Jan_Precip_mm = 37 |Feb_Precip_mm = 30 |Mar_Precip_mm = 34 |Apr_Precip_mm = 33 |May_Precip_mm = 37 |Jun_Precip_mm = 57 |Jul_Precip_mm = 77 |Aug_Precip_mm = 80 |Sep_Precip_mm = 69 |Oct_Precip_mm = 66 |Nov_Precip_mm = 55 |Dec_Precip_mm = 50 |Year_Precip_mm = 625 |source = Pogoda.ru.net<ref name="pogoda">{{cite web |url=http://pogoda.ru.net/climate/26063.htm |title=Pogoda.ru.net |accessdate=2007-07-29 |language=Russian}}</ref> |accessdate = 2007-07-29 }} ==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of Saint Petersburg}} [[Image:Saint Petersburg population history.svg|thumb|Population history of Saint Petersburg<ref name="Demoscape0163">Чистякова Н. [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/2004/0163/tema01.php Третье сокращение численности населения... и последнее?] ''Демоскоп Weekly'' 163&nbsp;— 164, August 1-15, 2004.</ref><ref>Юбилейный статистический сборник./Под ред. И.И. Елисеевой и Е.И. Грибовой. - Вып.2. - СПб: Судостроение, 2003. с.16-17</ref>]][[Image:Petersburg yard.jpg|thumb|A typical older house backyard with shared slums]] Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia. The [[Russian Census (2002)|2002 census]] recorded a population of the federal subject of 4,661,219, or 3.21% of the total population of Russia. The 2002 census recorded twenty-two ethnic groups of more than two thousand persons each. The ethnic composition was: [[Russians|Russian]] 84.72%, [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] 1.87%, [[Belarusians]] 1.17%, [[Jew]]ish 0.78%, [[Tatars|Tatar]] 0.76%, [[Armenians|Armenian]] 0.41%, [[Azeris in Russia|Azeri]] 0.36%, [[Georgian people|Georgian]] 0.22%, [[Chuvash]] 0.13%, [[Poles|Polish]] 0.10%, and many other smaller ethnic groups, while 7.89% of the inhabitants declined to state their ethnicity.<ref>{{cite paper |url=http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/English/4-2.xls |title=National Composition of Population for Regions of the Russian Federation |accessdate=2006-07-20 |format=XLS |publisher=2002 Russian All-Population Census |date=2002}}</ref> The 20th century saw hectic ups and downs in population. From 2.4 million in 1916 it had dropped to less than 740,000 by 1920 during the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]] and [[Russian Civil War]]. The sizeable minorities of Germans, Poles, Finns, Estonians and Latvians were almost completely [[population transfer in the Soviet Union|expelled]] from Leningrad by the Soviet government during the 1930s.<ref name="martin">Martin, Terry (1998). [http://www.jstor.org/view/00222801/di000017/00p0286a/0 The Origins of Soviet Ethnic Cleansing]. ''[[The Journal of Modern History]]'' 70.4, 813-861.</ref> From 1941 to the end of 1943, population dropped from 3 million to less than 700,000, as people died in battles, starved to death during the [[Siege of Leningrad]], or were evacuated. After the siege, some of the evacuees returned, but most influx was due to migration from other parts of the Soviet Union. The city absorbed about 3 million people in the 1950s and grew to over 5 million in the 1980s. From 1991 to 2006 the city's population decreased to the current 4.6 million, while the suburban population increased due to privatization of land and massive move to suburbs.<ref name="Demoscape0163">Чистякова Н. [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/2004/0163/tema01.php Третье сокращение численности населения... и последнее?] ''Демоскоп Weekly'' 163&nbsp;– 164, August 1-15, 2004.</ref><ref>Russian source: "Encyclopedia of Saint Petersburg" Чистяков А. Ю. [http://www.encspb.ru/ru/article.php?kod=2804035787 Население (обзорная статья)]. ''Энциклопедия Санкт-Петербурга''</ref> The [[birth rate]] remains lower than the [[death rate]]; people over 65 constitute more than twenty percent of the population; and the median age is about 40 years.<ref>Russian statistics[http://gov.spb.ru/gov/admin/otrasl/trud/demogr/pokazately Основные показатели социально-демографической ситуации в Санкт-Петербурге]</ref> People in urban Saint Petersburg live mostly in apartments. Between 1918 and the 1990s, the Soviets [[nationalised]] housing and forced residents to share communal apartments (''[[kommunalka]]s''). With 68% living in shared flats in the 1930s, Leningrad was the city in the USSR with the largest number of ''kommunalkas''. Resettling residents of ''kommunalkas'' is now on the way, albeit shared apartments are still not uncommon. As new boroughs were built on the outskirts in the 1950s-1980s, over half a million low income families eventually received free apartments, and about an additional hundred thousand condos were purchased. While economic and social activity is concentrated in the [[Central Saint Petersburg|historic city centre]], the richest part of Saint Petersburg, most people live in [[commuter area]]s. For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 9.1 per 1000.<ref>[http://demoscope.ru/weekly/2007/0301/barom04.php В первом полугодии продолжалось умеренное повышение числа рождений<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Government== {{See|Government in Saint Petersburg}} [[Image:Вход в Смольный.jpg|thumb|left|[[Smolny Institute]], the seat of the governor]] Saint Petersburg is a [[federal subject of Russia]].<ref>The Constitution of the Russian federation: [http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-01.htm]</ref> The political life of Saint Petersburg is regulated by the city charter adopted by the city legislature in 1998.<ref>Russian source: Charter of Saint Petersburg City.[http://gov.spb.ru/law?d&nd=8308279&prevDoc=8308279&spack=000listid%3D010000000100%26listpos%3D0%26lsz%3D1%26nd%3D9111570%26nh%3D0%26]</ref> The superior executive body is the [[Saint Petersburg City Administration]], led by the [[list of heads of Saint Petersburg government|governor]] (mayor before 1996). Saint Petersburg has a single-chamber legislature, the [[Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly]]. According to the federal law passed in 2004, heads of federal subjects, including the governor of Saint Petersburg, are nominated by the [[President of Russia]] and approved by local legislatures. If the legislature disapproves the nominee, it is dissolved. The current governor, [[Valentina Matviyenko]], was approved according to the new system in December 2006. Saint Petersburg city is currently divided into [[Administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg|eighteen districts]]. Saint Petersburg is also the administrative center of [[Leningrad Oblast]], and of the [[Northwestern Federal District]].<ref>Offivial site of the Northwestern Federal District (Russian): [http://www.szfo.ru/]</ref> Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, being two different federal subjects, share a number of local departments of federal executive agencies and courts, such as court of arbitration, police, [[FSB (Russia)|FSB]], postal service, drug enforcement administration, penitentiary service, federal registration service, and other federal services. The [[Constitutional Court of Russia]] moved to Saint Petersburg from [[Moscow]] in May 2008. ==Economy== {{See|Economy of Saint Petersburg}} [[Image:NavyMuseum.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns|Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange]], or ''Bourse,'' houses the Central Naval Museum]] Saint Petersburg is a major trade gateway, financial and industrial center of Russia specialising in oil and gas trade, shipbuilding yards, [[aerospace]] industry, [[radio]] and [[electronics]], [[software]] and [[computers]]; machine building, heavy [[machinery]] and transport, including tanks and other military equipment, [[mining]], [[Tool|instrument]] manufacture, ferrous and nonferrous [[metallurgy]] (production of [[aluminium]] alloys), [[chemical]]s, [[pharmaceuticals]], [[medical equipment]], [[publishing]] and [[printing]], [[food]] and [[catering]], [[wholesale]] and [[retail]], [[textile]] and [[clothing|apparel]] industries, and many other businesses. It was also home to [[Lessner]], one of Russia's two pioneering [[automobile]] manufacturers (along with [[Russo-Baltic]]), [[Lessner]]; founded by [[machine tool]] and [[boiler]] maker [[G. A. Lessner]] in 1904, with designs by [[Boris Loutsky]], it survived until 1910.<ref>Georgano, G. N. ''Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930''. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)</ref> 10% of the world's power [[turbine]]s are made there at the [[Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod|LMZ]], which built over two thousand turbines for power plants across the world. Major local industries are [[Admiralty Shipyard]], [[Baltic Shipyard]], [[LOMO]], [[Kirov Plant]], [[Elektrosila]], [[Izhorsky Zavod]]; also registered in Saint Petersburg are [[Sovkomflot]], [[Petersburg Fuel Company]] and [[SIBUR]] among other major Russian and international companies. [[Image:StPetersburgDocks.JPG|thumb|The busy Saint Petersburg docks at dawn]] Saint Petersburg has three large cargo [[ports of the Baltic Sea|seaports]]: Bolshoi Port Saint Petersburg, [[Kronstadt]], and [[Lomonosov]]. International cruise liners are served at the passenger port at [[Morskoy Vokzal]] on the west end of the [[Vasilevsky Island]]. A complex system of riverports on both banks of the [[Neva river]] are interconnected with the system of seaports, thus making Saint Petersburg the main link between the [[Baltic sea]] and the rest of Russia through the [[Volga-Baltic Waterway]]. The [[Saint Petersburg Mint]] (''Monetny Dvor''), founded in 1724, is one of the largest [[mint (coin)|mints]] in the world, it mints [[Russian ruble|Russian coin]]s, [[medal]]s and [[badge]]s. Saint Petersburg is also home to the oldest and largest Russian foundry, [[Monumentskulptura]], which made thousands of sculptures and statues that are now gracing public parks of Saint Petersburg, as well as many other cties. Monuments and bronze statues of the Tsars, as well as other important historic figures and dignitaries, and other world famous monuments, such as the sculptures by [[Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg]], [[Paolo Troubetzkoy]], [[Pavel Antokolsky]], and others, were made there. In 2007 [[Toyota]] opened a [[Camry]] plant after investing 5 billion dollars in Shushary, one of the southern suburbs of Saint Petersburg. General Motors, Hyundai and Nissan have signed deals with the Russian government to build their automotive plants in Saint Petersburg too. Automotive and auto-parts industry is on the rise there during the last decade. Saint Petersburg is also known as the "beer capital" of Russia, due to the supply and quality of local water, 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]]). Saint Petersburg has the second largest construction industry in Russia, including commercial, housing and road construction. In 2006 Saint Petersburg's city budget was 179,9 billion rubles,<ref>Budget of Saint Petersburg (Russian document): [http://www.gov.spb.ru/law?d&nd=8421328&prevDoc=8421328&spack=000listid%3D010000000100%26listpos%3D0%26lsz%3D1%26nd%3D8372689%26nh%3D0%26]</ref> and is planned to double by 2012. The federal subject's [[gross regional product]] as of 2005 was 667,905.4 million [[Russian ruble]]s, ranked 4th in Russia, after [[Moscow]], [[Tyumen Oblast]], and [[Moscow Oblast]],<ref>[http://www.gks.ru/bgd/free/b01_19/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d000/vrp98-05.htm Валовой региональный продукт по субъектам Российской Федерации в 1998-2005гг. (в текущих основных ценах; млн.рублей)]</ref> or 145,503.3 rubles per capita, ranked 12th among Russia's federal subjects,<ref>[http://www.gks.ru/bgd/free/b01_19/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d000/dusha98-05.htm Валовой региональный продукт на душу населения (в текущих основных ценах; рублей)]</ref> contributed mostly by wholesale and retail trade and repair services (24.7%) as well as processing industry (20.9%) and transportation and telecommunications (15.1%).<ref>[http://www.gks.ru/bgd/free/b01_19/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d000/stru05.htm Отраслевая структура ВРП по видам экономической деятельности (по ОКВЭД) за 2005 год]</ref> ==Crime== {{See also|Crime in Russia}} [[Image:Kresty.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Kresty prison]]]] Russia historically had a high level of crime that increased significantly after the [[October revolution]].<ref>Edward Hallett Carr ''The Bolshevik Revolution, 1917-1923'', 1985 ISBN 0393301990 [http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1laU3T9HWYsC&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=the+effect+on+russia+during+bolshevik+revolution&ots=l0tSwX0SVA&sig=NWmEVdk0_aJx4m0Aq-XBoNrO6PQ#PPA3,M1 Google preview]</ref> [[Perestroika]]-time turmoils saw additional increase of the crime level. Saint Petersburg experiences significant levels of [[street crime]] and [[bribery]]. In addition, in recent years there has been a notable increase in racially motivated violence, especially towards tourist and foreign students. <ref>[http://petersburgcity.com/for-tourists/safe/advice/]</ref> One of the well known [[white supremacist]] groups ''Belaya Energia'' (White Energy, originally comes from [[White Power]]), has reportedly been one of the main gangs involved in murdering foreign university students. <ref>[http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/09/F799BAE9-D2BD-4994-AFEA-61DAD5A63BDD.html ''Russia: Racist Attacks Plague St. Petersburg''] [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|Radio Free Europe]] [[September 30]], [[2005]]</ref> At the end of the 1980s&nbsp;– beginning of the 1990s, Leningrad became home to a number of organized criminal groups as [[Tambov Gang]], Malyshev Gang, Kazan Gang and ethnic criminal groups, engaged in a [[racket (crime)|racket]], [[extortion]], paying of local government, and violent clashes with each other.<ref>[http://wwmr.org/mafia.htm ''Russian Mafia Shakes Down the Country''] by Steven R. Van Hook, ''Santa Barbara News-Press'', [[November 20]], [[1994]]</ref> After the assassinations of City Property Committee Chairman and vice-Governor [[Mikhail Manevich ]](1997), [[State Duma]] deputy [[Galina Starovoytova]] (1998), acting City Legislature Speaker [[Viktor Novosyolov]] (1999) and a number of prominent businesspeople, Saint Petersburg was dubbed ''Capital of Crime'' in the Russian press.<ref>Trumbull, Nathaniel S. (2003) The impacts of globalization on Saint Petersburg: A secondary world city in from the cold? ''The Annals of Regional Science'' 37:533–546</ref><ref>Powell, Bill & Brian Whitmore. The Capital Of Crime.(Saint Petersburg, Russia). ''Newsweek International'', [[May 15]], [[2000]].</ref> There were a number of movies filmed in Saint Petersburg about the life of crime; Banditskiy Peterburg:Advocat <ref>[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394150/]]</ref> , Brother (1997) <ref>[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118767/]]</ref> reinforcing its image as the Crime Capital of Russia. One of the oldest and most infamous [[detention of suspects|remand]] facilities in Saint Petersburg, [[Kresty prison]] is located close to the down town. ==Transportation== [[Image:Metro St Petersburg.svg|200px|thumb|Map of the Saint Petersburg Metro]] [[Image:Metropolitain of Saint Petersburg station Awtowo.jpg|thumb|left|The exquisite decoration of [[Saint Petersburg Metro]]]] The city is a major transport hub. The first Russian railroad was built here, in 1837. Today, Saint Petersburg is the final destination of a web of intercity and suburban railways, served by five different railway terminals ([[Baltiysky Rail Terminal|Baltiysky]], [[Finlyandsky Rail Terminal|Finlyandsky]], [[Ladozhsky Rail Terminal|Ladozhsky]], [[Moskovsky Rail Terminal|Moskovsky]], and [[Vitebsky Rail Terminal|Vitebsky]]),<ref>Until 2001, the [[Varshavsky Rail Terminal]] served as a major station; it now is a railway museum.[http://www.russkialbum.ru/r/sp5/h.shtml Reconstruction of the Warsaw Railway Station]</ref> as well as dozens of non-terminal railway stations within the federal subject. Saint Petersburg has international railway connections to [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]], [[Berlin]], [[Germany]], and all former republics of the USSR. The [[Riihimäki-Saint Petersburg railroad|Helsinki railroad]] was built in 1870, {{convert|443|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}, commutes three times a day, in a journey lasting about five and a half hours. The [[Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway]] opened in 1851, {{convert|651|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}; the commute to [[Moscow]] now requires about four and a half to nine hours.<ref>[http://www.russianrail.com/ Results of train ticket inquiry, Russian train schedules and Russian train tickets<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Saint Petersburg is also served by [[Pulkovo Airport|Pulkovo International Airport]],<ref>Rossiya (Pulkovo): [http://www.pulkovo.ru/ Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise]</ref> and by three smaller commercial and cargo airports in the suburbs. There is a regular, 24/7, rapid-bus transit connection between Pulkovo airport and the [[Central Saint Petersburg|city center]]. The city is also served by the passenger and cargo seaports in the Neva Bay of the [[Gulf of Finland]], [[Baltic Sea]], the river port higher up the Neva, and tens of smaller passenger stations on both banks of the Neva river. It is a terminus of the [[Volga-Baltic Waterway|Volga-Baltic]] and [[White Sea-Baltic Canal|White Sea-Baltic]] waterways. In 2004 the first high bridge that doesn't need to be drawn, a {{convert|2824|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long [[Big Obukhovsky Bridge]], was opened. Meteor [[hydrofoil]]s link the city centre to the coastal towns of [[Kronstadt]], [[Lomonosov, Russia|Lomonosov]], [[Peterhof]], [[Sestroretsk]] and [[Zelenogorsk, Saint Petersburg|Zelenogorsk]] from May through October. Saint Petersburg has an extensive city-funded network of [[public transport]] (buses, [[Tramways in Saint Petersburg|trams]], [[trolleybus]]es) and several hundred routes served by ''[[marshrutka]]s''. [[Tramways in Saint Petersburg|Trams in Saint Petersburg]] used to be the main transport; in the 1980s, Leningrad had the largest tramway network in the world, but many tramway rail tracks were dismantled in the 2000s. Buses carry up to 3 million passengers daily, serving over 250 urban and a number of suburban bus routes. [[Saint Petersburg Metro]] underground rapid transit system was opened in 1955; it now has four lines with 60 stations, connecting all five railway terminals, and carrying 3.4 million passengers daily. Metro stations are decorated in marble and bronze. [[Traffic jam]]s are common in the city, because of narrow streets, parking sites along their edges, high daily traffic volumes between the commuter boroughs and the city centre, intercity traffic, and at times excessive snow in winter. Five segments of the [[Saint Petersburg Ring Road]] were opened between 2002 and 2006, and full ring is planned to open in 2010. Saint Petersburg is part of the important transport corridor linking [[Scandinavia]] to Russia and [[Eastern Europe]]. The city is a node of the [[International E-road network|international European routes]] [[European route E18|E18]] towards [[Helsinki]], [[European route E20|E20]] towards [[Tallinn]], [[European route E95|E95]] towards [[Pskov]], [[Kiev]] and [[Odessa]] and [[European route E105|E105]] towards [[Petrozavodsk]], [[Murmansk]] and [[Kirkenes]] (north) and towards [[Moscow]] and [[Kharkiv]] (south). ==Cityscape== [[Image:Neva Vasilyevsky.jpg|thumb]] [[Image:Kazanskij sobor.jpg|thumb]] [[Image:Griboyedov Canal 2.jpg|thumb]] [[Image:Admiralty.jpg|thumb]] [[Image:SPb-tram-Feb 2005-MathewDodson.jpg|thumb]] As of now, Saint Petersburg has no [[skyscraper]]s and a relatively low skyline. Current regulations forbid construction of high buildings in the city center. The 310 m tall [[Saint Petersburg TV Tower]] is the tallest structure in the city, while the 122.5 m [[Peter and Paul Cathedral]] is by far the highest building. However, there is a controversial project endorsed by the city authorities and known as the [[Okhta Center]] to build a 396 m [[supertall]] skyscraper. In 2008 the [[World Monuments Fund]] included the Saint Petersburg historic skyline within the watch list of 100 most endangered sites due to the expected construction, which threatens to alter it drastically.<ref>[http://wmf.org/watch2008/watch.php?id=S8352 St. Petersburg Historic Skyline, Russian Federation]</ref> Unlike in Moscow, in Saint Petersburg the historic architecture of the city center, mostly consisting of Baroque and neoclassical buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, has been largely preserved, although a number of buildings were demolished after the Bolsheviks' seizure of power, during the Siege of Leningrad and in recent years. The oldest of the remaining building is a wooden house built for Peter I in 1703 on the shore of the Neva near Trinity Square. Since 1991 the [[Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments]] in Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast have been listed by [[UNESCO]] as a [[World Heritage Site]]. The ensemble of [[Peter and Paul Fortress]] with the [[Peter and Paul Cathedral]] takes dominant position on Zayachy Island along the right bank of the Neva river. Each noon a cannon fires a blank shot from the fortress. The [[Saint Petersburg Mosque]], the largest [[mosque]] in Europe when opened in 1913, is situated on the right bank nearby. The spit of [[Vasilievsky Island]], which splits the river into two largest armlets, the [[Bolshaya Neva]] and [[Malaya Neva]], is connected to the northern bank ([[Petrogradsky Island]]) via the [[Exchange Bridge]] and occupied by the [[Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns]]. The southern coast of Vasilievsky Island along the Bolshaya Neva features some of the city's oldest buildings, dating from the 18th century, including the [[Kunstkamera]], [[Twelve Collegia]], [[Menshikov Palace]] and [[Imperial Academy of Arts]]. It hosts one of two campuses of [[Saint Petersburg State University]]. On the southern, left bank of the Neva, connected to the spit of Vasilievsky Island via the [[Palace Bridge]], lie the [[Russian Admiralty|Admiralty Building]], the vast [[Hermitage Museum]] complex stretching along the [[Palace Embankment]], which includes the baroque [[Winter Palace]], former official residence of Russian emperors, as well as the neoclassical [[Marble Palace]]. The Winter Palace faces [[Palace Square]], the city's main square with the [[Alexander Column]]. [[Nevsky Prospekt]], also situated on the left bank of the Neva, is the main avenue of the city. It starts at the Admiralty and runs eastwards next to Palace Square. Nevsky Prospekt crosses the [[Moika]] ([[Green Bridge]]), [[Griboyedov Canal]] ([[Kazansky Bridge]]), [[Garden Street]], the [[Fontanka]] ([[Anichkov Bridge]]), meets [[Liteyny Prospekt]] and proceeds to [[Uprising Square]] near the [[Moskovsky Rail Terminal]], where it meets [[Ligovsky Prospekt]] and turns to the [[Alexander Nevsky Lavra]]. [[The Passage]], [[Catholic Church of St. Catherine]], Book House (former [[Singer Manufacturing Company]] Building in the [[Art Nouveau]] style), [[Grand Hotel Europe]], [[Gostiny Dvor]], [[Russian National Library]], [[Alexandrine Theatre]] behind [[Mikeshin]]'s statue of Catherine the Great, [[Kazan Cathedral]], [[Anichkov Palace]] and [[Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace]] are all situated along that avenue. The Alexander Nevsky Lavra, intended to house the relics of [[St. Alexander Nevsky]], is an important center of Christian education in Russia. It also contains the [[Tikhvin Cemetery]] with graves of many notable Petersburgers. On the territory between the Neva and Nevsky Prospekt the [[Church of the Savior on Blood]], Mikhailovsky Palace housing the [[Russian Museum]], [[Field of Mars (Saint Petersburg)|Field of Mars]], [[St. Michael's Castle]], [[Summer Garden]], [[Tauride Palace]], [[Smolny Institute]] and [[Smolny Convent]] are located. Many notable landmarks are situated to the west and south of the Admiralty Building, including the [[Trinity Cathedral, Saint Petersburg|Trinity Cathedral]], [[Mariinsky Palace]], [[Hotel Astoria]], famous [[Mariinsky Theatre]], [[New Holland Island]], [[Saint Isaac's Cathedral]], the largest in the city, and [[Decembrists Square]] with the [[Bronze Horseman]], 18th century equestrian monument to Peter the Great, which is considered among the city's most recognizable symbols. Other symbols of Saint Petersburg include the [[weather vane]] in the shape of a small ship on top of the Admiralty's golden spire and the golden angel on top of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The Palace Bridge [[drawbridge|drawn]] at night is yet another symbol of the city. Every night during the navigation period from April to November, 22 bridges across the Neva and main canals are drawn to let ships pass in and out of the Baltic Sea according to a schedule.<ref>Schedule for main drawbridges across the Neva river (Official Russian schedule): [http://www.mr-spb.ru/info/most/]</ref> It wasn't until 2004 that the first high bridge across the Neva, which doesn't need to be drawn, [[Big Obukhovsky Bridge]], was opened. There are hundreds of smaller [[bridges in Saint Petersburg]] spanning across numerous canals and distributaries of the Neva, some of the most important of which are the [[Moika]], [[Fontanka]], [[Griboyedov Canal]], [[Obvodny Canal]], [[Karpovka]] and [[Smolenka]]. Due to the intricate web of canals, Saint Petersburg is often called [[Venice of the North]]. The rivers and canals in the city center are lined with granite embankments. The embankments and bridges are separated from rivers and canals by [[granite]] or [[cast iron]] [[parapet]]s. Southern suburbs of the city feature former imperial residences, including [[Peterhof]], with majestic fountain cascades and parks, [[Tsarskoe Selo]], with the baroque [[Catherine Palace]] and the neoclassical [[Alexander Palace]], and [[Pavlovsk]], which contains a domed palace of [[Paul I of Russia|Emperor Paul]] and one of the largest English-style parks in Europe. Some other residences situated nearby and making part of the world heritage site, including a castle and park in [[Gatchina]], actually belong to [[Leningrad Oblast]] rather than Saint Petersburg. Another notable suburb is [[Kronstadt]] with its 19th century fortifications and naval monuments, occupying the [[Kotlin Island]] in the Gulf of Finland. ===Museums=== [[Image:Hermitage interior.jpg|thumb]] Saint Petersburg is home to more than two hundred museums, many of them hosted in historic buildings. The largest of the museums is the [[Hermitage Museum]], featuring interiors of the former imperial residence and a vast collection of art. The [[Russian Museum]] is a large museum devoted to the Russian fine art specifically. The apartments of some famous Petersburgers, including [[Alexander Pushkin]], [[Fyodor Dostoevsky]], [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]], [[Feodor Chaliapin]], [[Alexander Blok]], [[Vladimir Nabokov]], [[Anna Akhmatova]], [[Mikhail Zoshchenko]], [[Joseph Brodsky]], as well as some palace and park ensembles of the southern suburbs and notable architectural monuments such as St. Isaac's Cathedral, have also been turned into public museums. The [[Kunstkamera]], with its collection established in 1714 by Peter the Great to collect curiosities from all over the world, is sometimes considered the first museum in Russia, which has evolved into the present-day Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. The [[Russian Ethnography Museum]], which has been split from the Russian Museum, is devoted to the cultures of the peoples of Russia, the former Soviet Union and Russian Empire. Other notable museums include the Naval Museum hosted in the building of the [[Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns|former stock exchange]] and [[Zoological Museum of the Russian Academy of Science|Zoological Museum]], the [[Varshavsky Rail Terminal|Railway Museum]], Museum of the Siege of Leningrad, Museum of the History of Saint Petersburg in the Peter and Paul Fortress and Artillery Museum, which in fact includes not only artillery items, but also a huge collection of other military equipment, uniform and decorations. ===Parks=== [[Image:The Grand Cascade - Peterhof.jpg|thumb]] Saint Petersburg is home to numerous parks and gardens, some of the most famous of which are situated in the southern suburbs, including one of the largest [[English garden]]s of Europe in [[Pavlovsk]]. Sosnovka is the largest park within the limits of the city proper, occupying 240 ha. The [[Summer Garden]] is the oldest one, dating back to the early 18th century and designed in the regular style. It is situated on the southern bank of the Neva at the head of the Fontanka and is famous for its cast iron railing and marble sculptures. Among other notable parks are the Maritime Victory Park on [[Krestovsky Island]] and the Moscow Victory Park in the south, both commemorating the victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, as well as the Central Park of Culture and Leisure occupying [[Yelagin Island]] and the Tauride Garden around the [[Tauride Palace]]. The most common trees grown in the parks are the [[English oak]], [[Norway maple]], [[green ash]], [[silver birch]], [[Siberian larch]], [[blue spruce]], [[crack willow]], [[Tilia|lime]]s and [[poplar]]s. Important dendrological collections dating back to the 19th century are hosted by the [[Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden]] and the Park of the Forestry Academy. ==Culture== {{Main|Society and culture in Saint Petersburg}} [[Image:The Mariinsky Theatre.jpg|thumb|The Mariinsky Theatre of Saint Petersburg, Russia]] [[Image:Mariinsky2.jpg|thumb|The stage of the Mariinsky Theatre was a filming location for [[The Nutcracker]], [[Swan Lake]] and other movies]] [[Image:Mariinsky Original Tsars Box.JPG|thumb|The original ''Tsar's Box'' of the Mariinsky Theatre was filming location for ''[[Anna Karenina (film, 1997)|Anna Karenina]]'' and other movies]] ===Music=== Among the city's more than fifty theaters is the world-famous [[Mariinsky Theater]] (also known as the [[Kirov]] Theater in the USSR ), home to the [[Mariinsky Ballet]] company and opera. Leading ballet dancers, such as [[Vaslav Nijinsky]], [[Anna Pavlova]], [[Rudolph Nureyev]], [[Mikhail Baryshnikov]], [[Galina Ulanova]] and [[Natalia Makarova]], were principal stars of the Mariinsky ballet. [[Dmitri Shostakovich]] was born and brought up in Saint Petersburg, and dedicated his [[Symphony No. 7 (Shostakovich)|Seventh Symphony]] to the city, calling it the "Leningrad Symphony." He wrote the symphony while in Leningrad during the Nazi siege. The 7th symphony was premiered in 1942; its performance in the besieged Leningrad at the Bolshoy Philharmonic Hall under the baton of conductor [[Karl Eliasberg]] was heard over the radio and lifted the spirits of the survivors.<ref>Where a symphony silenced guns: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2005/oct/16/classicalmusicandopera.russia.stpetersburg]</ref> In 1992 a reunion performance of the 7th Symphony by the (then) 14 survivors was played in the same hall as they done half a century ago.<ref>Orchestral manoeuvres (part one): [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/life/story/0,6903,605454,00.html]</ref> The [[Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra|Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra]] remained one of the best known symphony orchestras in the world under the leadership of conductors [[Yevgeny Mravinsky]] and [[Yuri Temirkanov]]. The Imperial Choral Capella was founded and modeled after the royal courts of other European capitals. Saint Petersburg has been home to the newest movements in popular music in the country. The first [[jazz]] band in the Soviet Union was founded here by [[Leonid Utyosov]] in the 1920s, under the patronage of [[Isaak Dunayevsky]]. The first jazz club in the Soviet Union was founded here in the 1950s, and later was named [[jazz club]] [[Kvadrat]]. In 1956 the popular ensemble [[Druzhba (band)|Druzhba]] was founded by [[Aleksandr Bronevitsky]] and [[Edita Piekha]], becoming the first popular band in the 1950s USSR. In the 1960s student rock-groups [[Argonavty]], [[Kochevniki]] and others pioneered a series of unofficial and underground rock concerts and festivals. In 1972 [[Boris Grebenshchikov]] founded the band [[Aquarium (group)|Aquarium]], that later grew to huge popularity. Since then the "Piter's rock" music style was formed. In the 1970s many bands came out from "underground" and eventually founded the [[Leningrad rock club]] which has been providing stage to such bands as Piknik, [[DDT (band)|DDT]], [[Kino (band)|Kino]], headed by the legendary [[Viktor Tsoi]], [[Igry (band)|Igry]], [[Mify]], [[Zemlyane (band)|Zemlyane]], [[Alisa (band)|Alisa]] and many other popular groups. The first Russian-style happening show [[Pop mekhanika]], mixing over 300 people and animals on stage, was directed by the multi-talented [[Sergey Kuryokhin]] in the 1980s. Today's Saint Petersburg boasts many notable musicians of various genres, from popular Leningrad's [[Sergei Shnurov]] and [[Tequilajazzz]], to rock veterans [[Yuri Shevchuk]], [[Vyacheslav Butusov]] and [[Mikhail Boyarsky]]. The [[White Nights Festival]] in Saint Petersburg is famous for spectacular fireworks and massive show celebrating the end of school year. ===Movies=== Over 250 international and Russian movies were filmed in Saint Petersburg.<ref>International Movie Database: [http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=St.%20Petersburg,%20Russia&&heading=18;with+locations+including;St.%20Petersburg,%20Russia]</ref> Well over a thousand feature films about tsars, revolution, people and stories set in Saint Petersburg were produced worldwide, but were not filmed in the city. First film studios were founded in Saint Petersburg in the 1900s, and since the 1920s [[Lenfilm]] has been the largest film studio based in Saint Petersburg. The first foreign feature movie filmed entirely in Saint Petersburg was the 1997 production of Tolstoy's ''[[Anna Karenina (film, 1997)|Anna Karenina]]'', starring [[Sophie Marceau]] and [[Sean Bean]], and made by international team of British, American, French and Russian filmmakers. The cult comedy [[Irony of Fate]] (also Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!) is set in Saint Petersburg and pokes fun at Soviet city planning. The 1985 film [[White Nights (film)|White Nights]] received considerable Western attention for having captured genuine Leningrad street scenes at a time when filming in the [[Soviet Union]] by Western production companies was generally unheard of. Other movies include [[GoldenEye]] (1995), [[Midnight in Saint Petersburg]] (1996), and [[Brother (1997 film)| Brother]] (1997). [[Eugene Onegin#Film|Onegin]] (1999) is based on the [[Pushkin]] poem and showcases many tourist attractions. Several international film festivals are held annually, such as the [[International Film Festival in Saint Petersburg]], since its inauguration in 1993 during the White Nights.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} ===Literature=== Saint Petersburg has a longstanding and world famous tradition in literature. [[Dostoyevsky]] called it “The most abstract and intentional 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 Saint Petersburg' in ''Universe and the Mind'', these writers were inspired from symbolism from within the city itself. The effect of life in Saint 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 Saint 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 Saint Petersburg to haunt other characters as well as other fantastical elements, creating a surreal and abstract image of Saint Petersburg. Twentieth century writers from Saint Petersburg, such as [[Vladimir Nabokov]], Andrey Bely and [[Yevgeny Zamyatin]], along with his apprentices, The [[Serapion Brothers]], created entire new styles in literature and contributed new insights to the understanding of society through their experience in this city. [[Anna Akhmatova]] became an important leader for Russian poetry. Her poem ''Requiem'' focuses on the tragedies of living during the time of the Stalinist terror. Another notable 20th century writer from Saint 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 Saint 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".<ref>Joseph Brodsky. Less Than One: Selected Essays, 1986</ref> ===Sports=== {{Main|Sport in Saint Petersburg}} [[Image:Стадион Петровский.jpg|thumb|[[FC Zenit Saint Petersburg|FC Zenit]]'s home [[Petrovsky stadium]]]] Saint Petersburg hosted part of the [[Association football|football]] tournament during the 1980 [[Summer Olympics]]. The 1994 [[Goodwill Games]] were held here. The first competition here was the 1703 [[Rowing (sport)|rowing]] event initiated by Peter the Great, after the victory over the Swedish fleet. [[Yachting]] events were held by the Russian Navy since the foundation of the city. [[Equestrianism]] has been a long tradition, popular among the Tsars and aristocracy, as well as part of the military training. Several historic sports arenas were built for Equestrianism since the 18th century, to maintain training all year round, such as the [[Winter Stadium in Saint Petersburg|Zimny Stadion]] and [[Konnogvardeisky Manezh]] among others. [[Chess]] tradition was highlighted by the 1914 international tournament, in which the title "Grandmaster" was first formally conferred by [[Russian Tsar Nicholas II]] to five players: [[Emanuel Lasker|Lasker]], [[Jose Raul Capablanca|Capablanca]], [[Alexander Alekhine|Alekhine]], [[Siegbert Tarrasch|Tarrasch]] and [[Frank Marshall|Marshall]], and which the Tsar had partially funded. [[Kirov Stadium]] (now demolished) was one of the largest stadiums anywhere in the world, and the home to [[FC Zenit Saint Petersburg]] in 1950-1989 and 1992. In 1951 the attendance of 110,000 set the record for the [[Soviet]] football. In 2007 Zenit became champions of the [[Russian Premier League]] and won [[UEFA_Cup_2007-08 | UEFA Cup 2007–08 season]]. Zenit now plays their home games at [[Petrovsky stadium]] ===Notable people=== {{Main|List of people from Saint Petersburg}} As Russia's political and cultural center for 200 years, and its second-largest city, a great many politicians, businessmen, artists, writers, athletes and scientists were born and/or have lived in Saint Petersburg. ===Honors=== An [[asteroid]], [[2046 Leningrad]], discovered in 1968 by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] astronomer [[Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova]], is named after the city, when its name was Leningrad.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schmadel |first=Lutz D. |title=Dictionary of Minor Planet Names |pages=p. 166 |edition=5th |year=2003 |publisher=Springer Verlag |location=New York |url=http://books.google.com/books?q=2046+Leningrad+UD1 |isbn=3540002383}}</ref> ==Education and science== {{Expand-section|date=June 2008}} {{See|List of higher education and academic institutions in Saint Petersburg}} ==Sister cities== {{Main|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia#Cities starting with S}} ==Gallery== <center><gallery> Image:Peterhof summer.jpg|[[Peter the Great]]'s Palace, built in 1714-1725 in [[Peterhof]] Image:Menshikov palace.jpg|[[Menshikov Palace]], the seat of the first [[Saint Petersburg Governorate|Governor]] Image:Narva Triumphal Gate.jpg|[[Narva Triumphal Gate]] at the Stachek Square. Image:Sankt-Petersburg Eremitage by night.JPG|The [[Winter Palace]] was stormed by Bolshevik communists at night in October 1917 Image:Pantserkruiser Aurora.jpg|The cruiser [[Russian cruiser Aurora|''Aurora'']], symbol of the [[October Revolution]], now a museum Image:Sergey Kirov monument in Saint Petersburg.jpg|The monument to Sergey Kirov on Kirov Square of Saint Petersburg Image:Blokada 03.jpg|Civilians struggled to survive during the Nazi siege of Leningrad Image:Destroyed flat in st petersburg.jpg|Survivors of the Nazi bombings of Leningrad in WWII Image:Nevsky under fire.jpg|Bombings of the [[Nevsky prospekt]]. Nazi bombings killed thousands of civilians in Leningrad Image:Pribaltiyskaya hotel.JPG|Hotel [[Pribaltiyskaya (hotel)|Pribaltiyskaya]] Image:Hotel Astoria winter.jpg|[[Hotel Astoria]] in winter Image:Quarenghi smolny.jpg|[[Quarenghi]]'s original design for the [[Smolny]] Institute, the office of the [[list of heads of Saint Petersburg government|Governor]] Image:Trinity Bridge.jpg|The [[Trinity Bridge (Saint Petersburg)|Trinity Bridge]] Image:Griboyedov Canal 2.jpg|[[Griboyedov Canal]] Image:Neva Bridge Bolsheohtinskiy.jpg|Peter the Great's bridge (former Bolsheokhtinsky) Image:Neva Vasilyevsky.jpg|[[Kunstkamera]], [[Palace Bridge]], a rostral column and the spire of [[Peter and Paul Cathedral]] Image:Summer Palace Saint Petersburg.jpg|Peter's [[Summer Palace (Russia)|Summer Palace]] in the [[Summer Garden]] Image:St-Michael-Castle.jpg|[[St. Michael's Castle]] Image:SPb St.Simeon church.jpg|The church of Sts. Simon and Anna, the patrons saints of [[Anna of Russia|Empress Anna]] (1734, designed by [[Mikhail Zemtsov]]) Image:Saint Petersburg Mosque minaret.jpg|[[Saint Petersburg Mosque]] (opened in 1913) Image:Admiralty.jpg|Spire of the [[Russian Admiralty]] Image:Arch of New Holland.jpg|Arch of the [[New Holland Island]] Image:Russian Museum.jpg|The [[State Russian Museum]], former [[Mikhailovsky Palace]] Image:Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg, Russia.jpg|Nevsky Prospekt at night Image:Alexandratheater.JPG|Alexandrine Theatre is the oldest Russian Drama theatre, named after Pushkin Image:Gorny.jpg|The building of the Mining Academy (1811) is a [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] masterpiece by [[Andrey Voronikhin]] Image:VO Universitet 12 Kollegiy 15-04-2004.jpg|The [[Twelve Collegia]] building of Saint Petersburg State University Image:Pulkovo observatory.jpg|The [[Pulkovo Observatory]] </gallery></center> ==See also== *[[Treaty of Saint Petersburg]], a list of the treaties concluded in Saint Petersburg. *City directory of [[Ves Petersburg]] ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==Further reading== *Amery, Colin, Brian Curran & Yuri Molodkovets. ''St. Petersburg''. London: Frances Lincoln, 2006. ISBN 0711224927. *Bater, James H. ''St. Petersburg: Industrialization and Change''. Montreal: McGuill-Queen’s University Press, 1976. ISBN 0773502661. *Berelowitch, Wladimir & Olga Medvedkova. ''Histoire de Saint-Pétersbourg''. Paris: Fayard, 1996. ISBN 2213596018. *Buckler, Julie. ''Mapping St. Petersburg: Imperial Text and Cityshape''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005 ISBN0691113491. *Clark, Katerina, ''Petersburg, Crucible of Revolution''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995. *Cross, Anthony (ed.). ''St. Petersburg, 1703-1825''. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. ISBN 1403915709. *George, Arthur L. & Elena George. ''St. Petersburg: Russia's Window to the Future, The First Three Centuries''. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1589790170. *Glantz, David M. ''The Battle for Leningrad, 1941-1944''. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2002. ISBN 0700612084. *Hellberg-Hirn, Elena. ''Imperial Imprints: Post-Soviet St. Petersburg''. Helsinki: SKS Finnish Literature Society, 2003. ISBN 9517464916. *''Knopf Guide: Sat. Petersburg''. New York: Knopf, 1995. ISBN 0679762027. *Eyewitness Guide: St. Petersburg. *Lincoln, W. Bruce. ''Sunlight at Midnight: St. Petersburg and the Rise of Modern Russia''. New York: Basic Books, 2000. ISBN 0465083234. *Orttung, Robert W. ''From Leningrad to St. Petersburg: Democratization in a Russian City''. New York: St. Martin’s, 1995. ISBN 0312175612. *Ruble, Blair A. ''Leningrad: Shaping a Soviet City''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. ISBN 0877723478. *Shvidkovsky, Dmitry O. & Alexander Orloff. ''St. Petersburg: Architecture of the Tsars''. New York: Abbeville Press, 1996. ISBN 0789202174. *Volkov, Solomon. ''St. Petersburg: A Cultural History''. New York: Free Press, 1995. ISBN 0028740521. *St. Petersburg:Architecture of the Tsars. 360 pages. Abbeville Press, 1996. ISBN-10: 0789202174 *Saint Petersburg: Museums, Palaces, and Historic Collections: A Guide to the Lesser Known Treasures of St. Petersburg. 2003. ISBN 1593730004. *Нежиховский Р. А. ''Река Нева и Невская губа'', Leningrad, Гидрометеоиздат, 1981. ==External links== {{Commonscat|Saint Petersburg}} *[http://www.st-petersburg.ru/en/ Official presentation of Saint Petersburg] *[http://eng.gov.spb.ru/ Official Portal of the City Government: Saint Petersburg] *[http://www.encspb.ru/en/ Encyclopaedia of Saint Petersburg] *[http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=545:destination-st-petersburg&catid=155:travel&Itemid=185/ article in Helsinki Times] *{{Wikitravel|Saint Petersburg (Russia)}} *[http://www.alexanderpalace.org/petersburg1900/ Saint Petersburg in 1900] *[http://www.tcaup.umich.edu/stpetersburg/index.html Saint Petersburg in Architecture] *[http://wmf.org/watch2008/watch.php?id=S8352 The World Monuments Fund's 2008 Watch listing for Saint Petersburg] {{Subdivisions of Russia}} {{Hero Cities}} {{World's most populated urban areas}} [[Category:Baltic Sea]] [[Category:Coastal cities]] [[Category:Federal cities of Russia]] [[Category:Former national capitals]] [[Category:Hero Cities of the Soviet Union]] [[Category:Port cities and towns in Russia]] [[Category:Saint Petersburg]] [[Category:Settlements established in 1703]] [[Category:World Heritage Sites in Russia]] {{Link FA|de}} {{Link FA|fi}} {{Link FA|ro}} [[af:Sint Petersburg]] [[als:Sankt-Petersburg]] [[ar:سانت بطرسبرغ]] [[an:San Petersburgo]] [[az:Sankt Peterburq]] [[ba:Санкт-Петербург]] [[be:Горад Санкт-Пецярбург]] [[be-x-old:Санкт-Пецярбург]] [[bs:Sankt Peterburg]] [[br:Sankt-Peterbourg]] [[bg:Санкт Петербург]] [[ca:Sant Petersburg]] [[cv:Санкт-Петербург]] [[cs:Petrohrad]] [[cy:St Petersburg]] [[da:Sankt Petersborg]] [[de:Sankt Petersburg]] [[et:Peterburi]] [[el:Αγία Πετρούπολη]] [[myv:Ине-Петрань ош]] [[es:San Petersburgo]] [[eo:Sankt-Peterburgo]] [[eu:San Petersburgo]] [[fa:سن پترزبورگ]] [[fo:St. Pætursborg]] [[fr:Saint-Pétersbourg]] [[ga:Cathair Pheadair]] [[gl:San Petersburgo - Санкт-Петербург]] [[xal:Санкт-Петербург]] [[ko:상트페테르부르크]] [[hy:Սանկտ Պետերբուրգ]] [[hsb:Pětrohród]] [[hr:Sankt Peterburg]] [[io:St Peterburg]] [[id:St. Petersburg]] [[os:Бетырбух]] [[is:Sankti Pétursborg]] [[it:San Pietroburgo]] [[he:סנקט פטרבורג]] [[jv:St. Petersburg]] [[ka:სანქტ-პეტერბურგი]] [[sw:Sankt Peterburg]] [[la:Petropolis]] [[lv:Sanktpēterburga]] [[lb:Sankt Péitersbuerg]] [[lt:Sankt Peterburgas]] [[jbo:la censa rokci tcadu]] [[hu:Szentpétervár]] [[mk:Санкт Петербург]] [[mr:सेंट पीटर्सबर्ग]] [[ms:Saint Petersburg]] [[nl:Sint-Petersburg]] [[ja:サンクトペテルブルク]] [[no:St. Petersburg]] [[nn:St. Petersburg]] [[nrm:Saint Pétersbourg]] [[uz:Sankt-Peterburg]] [[pms:San Peroborgh]] [[nds:Sankt Petersborg]] [[pl:Sankt Petersburg]] [[pt:São Petersburgo]] [[crh:Sankt Peterburg]] [[ro:Sankt Petersburg]] [[qu:Sankt Peterburg]] [[ru:Санкт-Петербург]] [[scn:San Pietruburgu]] [[simple:Saint Petersburg]] [[sk:Petrohrad]] [[cu:Санкт-Пєтєрбоу́ргъ]] [[sl:Sankt Peterburg]] [[sr:Санкт Петербург]] [[sh:Sankt Peterburg]] [[fi:Pietari (kaupunki)]] [[sv:Sankt Petersburg]] [[tl:Santo Petersburg]] [[ta:சென் பீட்டர்ஸ்பேர்க்]] [[tt:Санкт-Петербург]] [[th:เซนต์ปีเตอร์สเบิร์ก]] [[vi:Sankt-Peterburg]] [[tg:Санкт-Петербург]] [[tr:St. Petersburg]] [[uk:Санкт-Петербург]] [[vec:San Pieroburgo]] [[vo:Sankt-Peterburg]] [[wa:Sint Petersbork]] [[wuu:圣比得斯堡]] [[zh:圣彼得堡]]