It is well known that St. Petersburg is one of the greatest and most beautiful cities in the world, the historical and cultural importance of which is as big as that of Paris, London or Rome. "Northern Palmira", "Northern Venice"... A lot of the most poetic names have been given to Russia's second capital.
The founder of St. Petersburg was Peter the Great, who laid the first stone of the Peter- and-Paul Fortress on the May 16, 1703 on Hare Island, thus inaugurating a new city. In 1712 St. Petersburg became the Capital of the Russian State, the center of its political and cultural life. The best architects, sculptors and artists were invited here and created the city's unique look. Broad wonderful squares, wide avenues, including the main street - Nevsky Avenue - rich palaces of Russian aristocrats, majestic cathedrals and government buildings sprang up everywhere. The Peter-and- Paul Cathedral, the building of 12 Collegias, St. Nicholas Church, Winter Palace, Smolny Cathedral, the Senate and Sinod, the Smolny Institute, St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals, Nickolas and Mariinsky Palaces, built to the designs of architects Tresiny, Chevokinsky, Rastrelli, Rossi, Kvarengui, Monferan, Shtakenshnaider and others, make the city unique. It is ornamented by brilliant sculptures of Russia's statesmen - the famous Bronze Horseman, the monument to Peter the Great, the monument to the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, the monuments to great army leaders, Mikhail Kutuzov and Barclai-de-Tolli and so many more. Here the brilliant composers - Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Glinka - created their music; illustrious poets and painters also worked here. St. Petersburg's gems are its palaces - the grand summer residences of Russian tzars such as Peterhof, Tzarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk and Lomonosov. The legendary cruiser Aurora, the Smolny Institute and the Mars Field tell about three Russian revolutions.
Everyone knows about the 900-day siege of Leningrad during the World War II. Over 500,000 of its victims are buried in the memorial Piskarev Cemetery.
