The main Russian port on the Baltic Sea, St. Petersburg was founded on water in 1703 by the will of Emperor Peter the Great, who became a Bronze Rider. Imperial capital for 2 centuries, the city remains the country's cultural centre with flagships such as the Mariinsky Theatre, a temple of opera and dance, the Russian Museum (Orthodox icons, works by Kandinsky...) and the immense Hermitage Museum. Like a northern Venice, bordered by the Neva River and the Obvodny Canal, bathed by the Fontanka and Moika rivers, the centre of St Petersburg is built around the Nevsky Prospekt, a wide and chic shopping avenue, lined with historic monuments. Also a lot of charm and remarkable monuments on Vasilievsky Island. The initial nucleus of the city, Petrograd is home to the famous Peter and Paul Fortress. You can also admire the bulbous and richly decorated church of Saint Sauveur-sur-le-sang versed and that of Saint-Nicolas-des-Marins. Much less lavish is the northern suburb of the Soviet era where the Finnish Railway Station is located. Finally, we must see the district located south of St. Petersburg with its industrial and Stalinist architecture. Great! Great! The Narva Arc de Triomphe, the Chesme church and the Poulkovo observatory are located there. The Soviet authorities had planned to move the city centre south. This was not done. St. Petersburg sumptuous under the snow when the Fontanka freezes, attracts many visitors, in summer, during its Nights blanches. The sun does not set and the celebrations follow the shows.
