St. Petersburg, a pearl of Russia

The Peter and Paul Fortress  (Petropavlovskaya Krepost) is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706-1740. In the early 20th century, it was still used as a prison by the tsarist government. Today it has been adapted as the central and most important part of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History

Saint Petersburg is the most Westernized city of Russia, as well as its cultural capital. It is the northernmost city in the world with a population of over one million

The Palace Bridge 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

The Bronze Horseman is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Commissioned by Catherine the Great, it was created by the French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet. The name comes from an 1833 poem of the same name by Aleksander Pushkin, which is widely considered one of the most significant works of Russian literature. The statue is now one of the symbols of Saint Petersburg.

The Alexander Column also known as Alexandrian Column, is the focal point of Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The monument was raised after the Russian victory in the war with Napoleon's France. The column is named for Emperor Alexander I of Russia, who reigned from 1801-25.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg. This Church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in March 1881 .The church was built between 1883 and 1907. The construction was funded by the imperial family

The Winter Palace was the official residence of the Russian monarchs from 1732 to 1917. Situated between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square, adjacent to the site of Peter the Great's original Winter Palace, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and altered almost continuously between the late 1730s and 1837, when it was severely damaged by fire and immediately rebuilt

Palaces and churches of St. Petersburg strike imagination. The complex of palaces in Peterhof is known as the Russian Versailles

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to The Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world

Saint Petersburg has significant historical and cultural heritage and is thus considered a highly attractive tourist destination

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