Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербург) is one of the world’s most beautiful cities and one of the most important cultural centers in Europe. St. Petersburg is also called the "Northern capital of Russia", the "Venice of the North" and the "Window to Europe".
Saint Petersburg has a population of 4.8 Mio people (2010) and is the second largest city in Russia, after Moscow, and the world’s most northern city with more than one million residents.
Saint Petersburg is situated in north-western Russia at the mouth of the Neva River at the East end of the Gulf of Finland. It is the main Baltic Sea harbor in Russia.
Laying the foundation stone for St. Petersburg in 1703, tsar Peter the Great, who was very fond of Europe, had two purposes in view: first, to establish the civilized European lifestyle in Russia and, second, to show the world that his countrymen were not just peasants and barbarians. Thousands of workers gave their lives building the magnificent city on a swampland. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why St. Petersburg also has this somewhat depressive atmosphere which one can clearly feel reading Dostoevsky novels.
From the 18th till the beginning of the 20th century St. Petersburg was the capital of the Russian empire. The historic centre of Saint Petersburg and related groups of monuments were included in UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.
The city that used to be a political and cultural centre of Russia for more than 200 years is still very impressive and hasn’t lost its appeal.
In Mai 2003 the magnificent czar’s residence on the Neva celebrated its 300th anniversary.
St. Petersburg is also famous for its wonderful White Nights.
Names of the city:
Saint Petersburg: 1703 -1914
Petrograd: 1914 -1924
Leningrad: 1924 -1991
Saint Petersburg: again since September 6, 1991
Regardless of its official name, the Russians call St. Petersburg just "Piter" (russ.: Питер).
The Day of the City is celebrated each year on May 27.
To call St. Petersburg dial ++7 812 subscriber number
Standard time zone: GMT/UTC +3 hours during Summer Time (Daylight Saving Time) and +4 hours during Winter Time. Russia abolished Winter Time in 2011.
Time difference during Summer Time:
- to London -3 hours (ex. St. Petersburg 10 pm = London 7 pm)
- to Central Europe -2 hours (ex. St. Petersburg 10 pm = Berlin/Paris/Rom 8 pm)
- to New York -8 hours (ex. St. Petersburg 10 pm = New York 2 pm)
to Sydney +7 hours (ex. St. Petersburg 10 pm = Sydney 5 am)
International airport: Pulkovo
Distance from St. Petersburg to…
about 660 km (by car) | |
…Berlin | about 2030 km (by car) |
…London | about 3000 km (air distance) |
…Paris | about 3000 km (by car) |
Interesting facts:
- Number of bridges: over 580
20 of them at night in summer to let big ships pass
(7 of the 20 bridges are over the river Neva) - Number of museums: over 200
- Number of theatres: over 80
- The Metro of St. Petersburg is the world’s deepest subway (about 100 m deep).
TIP: Use the Metro to get around and marvel at wonderfully designed stations, also called "people’s palaces". The station Awtowo (red line number 1) is one of the most beautiful ones. - St. Petersburg has the world’s biggest tram system. In 2007 the tram celebrated its 100th birthday.
TIP: Go on a round trip with the historical tram line number 5. The trip starts in Srednij Prospekt to far from the metro station "Vasileostrovskaya".
Where to stay in St. Petersburg:
A selection of well located hotels in different price categories
