Saint Petersburg
SAINT PETERSBURG INTRODUCTION
1 Audio file
The city was founded on May 27, 1703, when Peter the Great ordered excavations to commence for the Peter and Paul Fortress on Hare Island, in the middle of the Neva River, at the point where the...
THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE
1 Audio file
Most of the specialties you can enjoy here are very popular throughout the country, and you’ll find endless variations. Classic accompaniments to any dish are yogurt and sour cream, which bring...
PETER AND PAUL FORTRESS
3 Audio file
The fortress was founded as a military citadel during the Great Northern War, which lasted from 1700 to 1721. Peter the Great had a splendid cathedral built within; it was here that he wanted his...
NEVSKY PROSPEKT
2 Audio file
Nevsky Prospekt is 4.5 kilometers long, starting out from the Admiralty in Palace Square, crossing the Moyka, Fontanka and Neva rivers to the railway station and ending at the Alexander Nevsky...
PALACE SQUARE
1 Audio file
Originally a military zone, it was turned into an area used for celebrations and banquets by Tsar Peter the Great. The 18th century saw the construction of the palaces you can admire today,...
HERMITAGE
15 Audio file
The initial core of this priceless collection of artworks dates back to 1764, when Empress Catherine the Great purchased an impressive number of paintings from a Berlin merchant, including works by...
ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL
2 Audio file
The basilica we can admire today is the fourth to be built on the same site, where Peter the Great had already erected a church dedicated to his patron saint. As the city grew, however, Tsar...
KUNSTKAMERA
1 Audio file
The building was designed by Georg Johann Mattarnovy, in a mix of architectural styles typical of Northern Europe that Tsar Peter the Great was so fond of that it became known as Petrine Baroque....
SUMMER GARDEN
2 Audio file
There were fountains, marble busts, gilded sculptures, a maze, a beautiful artificial cave, groves, hedges, and aviaries. Of the buildings erected later, only the Summer Palace of Peter the Great has...
YUSUPOV PALACE
1 Audio file
The palace was initially built around 1776, by the French architect Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe, but over the following decades it was repeatedly altered, expanded and enhanced by the work of...
KAZAN CATHEDRAL
1 Audio file
The construction of the cathedral, which began in 1801 and lasted for ten years, was commissioned by Tsar Paul I to replace the Church of the Nativity of Mary.
In accordance with the wishes of the...
CHURCH OF THE SAVIOR ON SPILLED BLOOD
1 Audio file
Work on the church began in 1883, and continued for 24 years, above all on the extraordinary decoration of the interior, consisting of almost 7,000 square meters of mosaics by 32 of the finest...
PETERHOF
5 Audio file
Shortly after founding St. Petersburg, Peter the Great planned to build a country residence, but had to postpone its construction as a result of the Great Northern War, decisive for imposing Russian...
TSARSKOYE SELO
3 Audio file
In 1937, the estate was officially named Pushkin, to mark the centenary of the death of the great Russian poet and writer, who attended high school and later composed some of his works here.
The main...
ALEXANDER NEVSKY MONASTERY
1 Audio file
The monastery was founded in 1710 at the behest of Tsar Peter the Great, who named it after Alexander Nevsky, Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir, a Russian saint and national hero.
Following the...
RUSSIAN MUSEUM
1 Audio file
If you have time, however, I suggest you buy a ticket to visit the other locations, all of them in the city center, to admire the interiors of these beautiful buildings: the Marble Palace, the...