1. OPTIONAL PROGRAM Saint Petersburg 22.06 and 26.06.2008

2. Dear Guest! MIR Travel Company is pleased to offer you the CULTURAL PROGRAM during your stay in St.Petersburg, before and after the official conference days. If you are interested in private excursions, please contact us: ea@mirtc.spb.ru ea@mirtc.spb.ru Tel. + 7 812 325 71 22 Fax. + 7 812 315 30 01

3. PROGRAM All rates are given in EURO per person The price includes: Entrance fees to the mentioned museums Entrance fees to the mentioned museums Transportation Transportation Guide service (English language) Guide service (English language) Lunches in the local restaurants (tea/coffee, mineral water included) Lunches in the local restaurants (tea/coffee, mineral water included) DateProgramPrice per person per day, in EUR 22 nd of June Sunday 10.00 – Departure from the hotel. 10.00 – 13.00 - City tour 13.30 – 15.00 – Lunch in the restaurant 15.30 – 16.30 - Visit to St.Peter and St.Paul Fortress 17.00 – Return to the hotel 160 26 th of June Thursday 10.00 – Departure from the hotel 10.45 – 13.30 - Visit to the Hermitage museum 14.00 – 15.00 – Lunch in the restaurant 15.30 – 16.30 Visit to Saint Isaac’s Cathedral 17.00 – 18.00 – Boat trip “Along Rivers and Canals” 19.00 – Return to the hotel 248

4. City tour

5. ► During the tour you will become acquainted with architecture, history and present day life of the former capital of Imperial Russia, the history of the Romanov dynasty. Among the rich parade of sights to be enjoyed will be Palace Square with the Winter Palace, the Square of Arts with the Russian Museum, the Smolny Convent, the famous Nevsky Avenue, the Summer Garden and the Field of Mars. You will enjoy the classical ensemble of the Senate Square with its famous “Bronze Horseman”, the spit of Basil island, many other architectural monuments, gorgeous palaces, marvellous bridges and picturesque embankments.

6. Peter and Paul Fortress

7. ► Peter and Paul Fortress is the first construction of Saint–Petersburg. By the order of Peter the Great it was built here to defend these lands from Sweden, during the war, which lasted 21 years and came down into the history as the Northern War. The first day of the fortress’s construction – 27th of May 1703 – became the Birthday of the whole city. The architect of the fortress was Domenico Trezini, the first architect of the city. For a long period of time the fortress was used as a political prison. The architectural centre of the ensemble of the Fortress is the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The Cathedral is a burial place of Russian Emperors from the time of Peter I. In 1998 the remains of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were buried in the Cathedral.

8. The Hermitage Museum

9. ► Hermitage is one of the largest museums in the world after Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London. Hermitage collection numbers over 3 million exhibits from prehistoric to modern times. The Russian Empress Catherine II founded it in 1764, when she bought a large number of Western European paintings. To house the collection she ordered a new building to be constructed. Now the permanent museum display occupies five buildings (The Winter Palace, The Small Hermitage, The Old Hermitage, The New Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre), which form a brilliant architectural ensemble. The remarkable architects and sculptors of 18th – 19th centuries decorated the museum’s interiors. A number of staterooms, where official ceremonies used to be held, preserve their sumptuous décor. The Hermitage acquires authentic masterpieces by the greatest painters and sculptors of the World, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco, Claude Monet, August Renoir, Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso and Matisse. The Hermitage complex is a veritable spiritual universe created in the course of times and filled with the unique gifts of creativity.

10. Saint Isaac’s Cathedral

11. ► St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the largest cathedral of the city. It is also one of the biggest one–dome cathedrals in the world after St. Peter in Rome and St. Paul in London. It was designed by the French architect A. Montferrand. It took 40 years to construct it. The cathedral is decorated with mosaics, painted ceiling murals, bronze gilt statues. The cathedral is surrounded by 112 monolith granite columns, which were transported from one of the suburbs of the city. St. Isaac’s Cathedral was the main cathedral of the city from the second half of the 19th century. Now the cathedral houses the museum, but for the Major Orthodox holidays Religious services are held here.

12. Boat trip “Along Rivers and Canals”

13. ► ► A relaxing cruise by boat along the Neva River and some other waterways out of the 66 rivers and canals of “Northern Venice”(as St. Petersburg used to be called) is one of the unique ways to discover the city. The main river of the city is the Neva, which is one of the youngest rivers in Europe. The magnificent architectural ensembles, churches, cathedrals and monuments seem to exist in astonishing harmony with the watery element. All the St. Petersburg embankments are faced with granite and each has its own distinctive character.