My native city - Saint-Petersburg Автор: Палий Н.С г.

St.Petersburg is quite a young city. It was founded on May the 16-th 1703 by Peter I.

St Petersburg is rightly considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city itself is even often called an open-air museum because the streets are full of beautiful architectural ensembles and monuments. A lot of remarkable architectural monuments are well- known all over the world. St Petersburg is a city of great historical, cultural and political importance.

The beginning of the City In the beginning of the 18-th century Swedes occupied a large territory from Ladozskoe Lake to Neva. So Russia was separated from the Baltic Sea almost 100 years. This fact had an influence on political, cultural and economical development of the country. The liberation of Baltic Sea shores and the Neva land become a sharp necessity for Russia.

Nienchance The war between Russia and Sweden of years became the beginning of such liberation. When the Russians took Nienchance, they decided not to strengthen this fort, but chose another place for one of the island, where the fortress was found and called Saint Petersburg. It happened in 1703, on May the 16-th, and the date became the birthday of the city.

Peter and Paul Fortress The building of the fortress was going very fast. Thousands of soldiers and serfs from all over the country worked here. They lived and worked in terrible conditions, and hundreds of them died because of cold, hunger and exhausting work. But the fortress of wood and earth was built by the autumn of Further, when the Peter and Paul’s Cathedral was erected, the fortress was called Petropavlovskaya, but the city got the name Saint Peterbsburg.

The Peter and Paul’s Cathedral The Cathedral of Peter and Paul with the 122 metre high steeple is designed by architect Domenico Trezzini in In 1924 the fortress was turned into a museum. A weathervane in the form of an angel with a cross is standing on the top of the steeple. The winds spread about 4 metres Russian tsars from Peter I to Nicholas II were buried here.

The Neva St. Petersburg is placed in the Neva delta on several islands. Now the Neva delta consists of about 42 islands. The largest of them are Vasiliyevsky, Petrogradsky and Kristovsky. The Neva length is 74 kilometers, the Great City occupies 30 kilometres of them. Mainly (преимущественно) the depth of the river is 8-11 metres, but near the right bank, opposite Arsenalnaya Street the Neva’s depth reaches 25 metres.

Rostral Columns The ensemble of two32- meter high Rostral Columns are situated on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island. They were constructed by the architect Thomas de Thomon in Originally they were used as lighthouses for ships coming to St.Petersburgh. The columns are decorated with ship prows (нос судна), naiads and huge sculptures symbolizing Russia’s biggest rivers: the Volga, the Dnieper, the Neva and the Volkhov. Rostral Columns

Vasilievsky Island (the Strelka) The Birzha Menshikov Palace The Stock Exchange Building is located on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island (the Strelka). From 1730 to 1880 there was a port there. Earlier the building of the Stock Exchange for trade deals was built there by the architect Thomas de Thomon. The Palace of the first St Petersburg’s Governor-general Alexaner Menshikov was built in 1710 by the architects Fontana and Shadel. When it was finished in 1727 it became the biggest palace in St Petersburg.

Academy of Fine Arts The classic styled building of the Academy of Fine Arts was constructed by architects Valline de la Mothe and Kokorinov between 1764 and The Academy of Fine Arts was established in 1757 and played a great role in the development of the Russian art. Kunstkammera The building was built in for the Kunstkammera, the astronomical observatory and the collection of Peter I.

The Admiralty The Admiralty building we see today was built between 1806 and 1823 by the architect Adrian Zakharov. Earlier it was designed as a dockyard where some of the ships of Russia’s Baltic fleet were built. The weather-vane “the little ship” is on the spire of the Admiralty. This ship is one of St Petersburg’s symbols, because St.Petersburg a great sea and river port. There are two granite lions on the Neva embankment. These lions are opposite the yellow and white building of Admiralty.

The Winter Palace On the left bank of the river the Winter Palace, the former residence of the Russian tsars, stands in Palace Square. It is the central and the most picturesque square of the city. The Winter Palace was created by Rastrelli in the 18-th century. On the roof of the blue and white palace there are many statures of men, vases, triumphal cars and horses. Nowadays it is the well known museum – the Hermitage and has the richest collection of pictures in the world. The main street of the city, Nevsky Prospect, begins from this place.

The Hermitage The treasures of the Hermitage, the largest museum in our country, are famous throughout the world. The State Hermitage comprises the complex of five buildings:  The Winter Palace  The Small Hermitage  The Old Hermitage  The Hermitage Theatre  The New Hermitage They were built and designed in different times and by different architects. But the oldest and the largest is the Winter Palace. It served as a repository of great art since the time of Catherine II.

Palace Square The General Staff building together with the Winter Palace forms a world famous architectural ensemble of Palace Square, the main square of St Petersburg. The Alexander Column was designed by the architect Montferrand and built between 1830 and 1834 to glorify Russian’s victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.

St.Isaac’s Cathedral is one of the finest cathedrals in Europe. It is a unique monument of Russian architecture. It was the largest building of its time. It was built by the architect A. Montferrand. St.Isaac’s Cathedral is made of grey marble; the monolithic columns are of red granite. The famous monument to the founder of St. Petersburg Peter the Great is set up on Decembrists Square. It is known as The Bronze Horseman. It was created by the French sculptor Falconet. It was opened in The Bronze Horseman is a symbol of our city.

In 1704, a year after the founding of St.Petersburg, the first garden of the city was laid out. Peter the First hoped to have the best garden in Europe. He designed the first project of the planning of the park. Many architects and masters of park planning worked there. Letny (Summer) Garden Straight symmetrical paths and alleys crossed the territory of the park. Trees and bushes, which were put in here, were cut. There were decorative summer- houses, a grotto, pavilions, sculptures of white marble, bought in Venice, fountains and artificial ponds.

Nevsky Prospect Nevsky Prospect, Petersburg’s main street, begins at the Admiralty and runs almost 5 kilometres to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. Nevsky Prospect is so straight that standing near Moskowsky railway station we can see the Admiralty building very well. There are a lot of cafes, restaurants, hotels and different shops on Nevsky. We can see many artists here and there. They draw portraits and offer to buy small and large pictures.

The Kazan Cathedral is a monument to the Patriotic War of The great Russian Field Marshal M.Kutuzov was buried there. There are also a lot of trophy French banners and keys from the cities taken by the Russian army. The Kazan Cathedral was constructed by Voronikhin in the first decade of the 19-th century. The Cathedral has a colonnade of beautiful columns. The Kazan Cathedral

The Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral was build as a memorial on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was killed on March the 1, It was built by architect Parland in the style of Russian churches of the16-th and the 17-th centuries. The Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedra has unique decorations. They include icons and panels made of majolica. The State Russian Museum was opened in It is a treasury of the Russian culture. The Russian Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It has one of the best collections of paintings of Russian and Soviet artists. The Russian Museum is called Mikhailovsky Palace. It was designed by the architect Rossi and built in

The City of Bridges St.Petersburg is known as a City of Bridges. It is not surprising because the city is situated on more than 42 islands. Nowadays there are more than 500 bridges. Bankovsky Bridge The bridge’s four famous golden griffins, or winged lions, are representations of mythological creatures reputed as guardians of treasure. Anichkov Bridge is over the Fontanka River where it crosses Nevsky Prospekt. It is one of the most beautiful bridges in St.Petersburg. It was constructed in The most impressive aspect of Anichkov Bridge is the group of four sculptures. The sculptures known as “The Horse Tamers” were executed by Clodt. Lviny Bridge was created in the first quarter of the 19-th century. The iron columns are connected by the chains holding the bridge. The columns are decorated with sculptures of lions by which explain the name of the bridge.

Being the second largest city in Russia after Moscow, Petersburg is not only an important seaport but it is also known for the oldest factories, scientific and educational establishments, theatres, libraries. It is famous for granite embankment, unique historical monuments, museums and bridges. Petersburg is an important seaport, airport and also a modern railway centre. St. Petersburg is a cultural capital of Russia. The city itself is even called an open-air museum because the streets are full of beautiful architectural ensembles and monuments.

St. Petersburg is rightly considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. St. Petersburg is a city of great historical and cultural importance. And it is well-known all over the world. And especially during the magic time of the White Nights. The period of white nights continues from June the 11-th to July the 2- nd. It is the best time in St.Petersburg. White Nights give a peculiar charm to the city. The city has the population of about 5 million. The weather is not extremely cold even in winter. There is much rain, fog, mist in autumn, winter and spring. The sun doesn’t often shine. But the city is beautiful at all times of a year.