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About Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703, and was the capital of Russia from 1712 till 1922 (but in 1914, it was renamed to Petrograd, then in 1924 - to Leningrad, and in 1991 the city got back its historical name). It has rich history, beautiful architecture, and lots of cultural sites. Among its most popular attractions are the Hermitage, the Russian museum, Mariinsky Theatre, the Peter and Paul Fortress, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, and the Summer Garden, to name just a few.

The first Russian University was founded by Peter the Great as well in Saint Petersburg in 1724, and initially bore the name of Academic University. Later on it changed its name several times, and was called Saint Petersburg University when Georgy F. Voronoi studied and then worked there, and Leningrad University when Boris N. Delaunay was its Professor. At present, it is well-known as Saint Petersburg State University.

Nowadays Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia, and the fourth largest one in Europe; its population exceeds 5 million. It has several rivers and channels, the main of which is the Neva River, and is situated on 42 islands connected to each other with hundreds of bridges. Because of that, Saint Petersburg is also called Northern Venice.

Season Attractions

Saint Petersburg is famous for its "white nights" - the period from late May to late July, when it does not get dark in the night. Since navigation is open at that time, several bridges over the Neva River are raised between approximately 1.30am and 5am to let the ship pass, and every night, many people come to see the raising process, and then walk along Neva or around the city center. Moreover, there are several boat agencies that offer short tours in late evening, providing their guests an opportunity to watch from nearby the most beautiful bridges being raised.

From May 24 till July 14, Mariinsky Theatre will hold the XXI Music festival "Stars of White Nights" considered one of the best in the world (its program will be announced later). If you are fond of opera or ballet, or classical music, you might want to book in advance a ticket for some performance or concert at the Main Stage (in the historical building dated by 1860), or the beautiful Concert Hall (opened in 2006), or the New Stage (to be opened in early May).

Outskirts

On the outskirts of Saint Petersburg, there are several beautiful parks and palaces - former tsars' summer residences. Among those are Peterhof with its fountains and palaces, Pushkin and the Catherine Palace with its Amber room, Pavlovsk with its picturesque park and the elegant palace, and many others. These places can be easily reached from the city by either suburb trains (in Rissian, such train is called "электричка" - "elektrichka") or by commercial minibuses. In addition, Peterhof can be reached by high-speed boats, which depart from the Hermitage and the Bronze Horseman ("Медный всадник") - a monument to Peter the Great located between Saint Isaac's Cathedral and the Neva River close to the quay.

Weather

In Saint Petersburg, July is the hottest month of the year. The fisrt half of July is usually sunny; the average daily and nightly temperature is 25°C (77F) and 17°C (63F), respectively. However, some days may happen to be rainy, and on hot days, there is also a possibility of showers.



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