"The best city ..." a Gorod Sankt-Peterburg Travel Page by eugini2001

When I first visited Leningrad there were no such a beautifull shop windows at the grocery like on the picture.This lady was put on a dress made of table cloth & decorated with artificial fruits & veggies .But city was clean,ancient & friendly! This "Mushroom fountain" is in a Tsar Peter's summer palace garden. Althougth it wasn't so warm my friends made me take a shower in it!I have never seen such a beauty -the creation of man's hand as St.Peterburg in my whole life!

The middle picture is “Kazan” Orthodox Church. When I first came in Leningrad in 1993 it was atheist museum. Last year I prayed over there because it’s a church again. But I’m thankful that it wasn’t destroyed like a lot of other churches in Russia during The Soviet period of its history. It more than beautiful inside! I was told about ghosts who sometimes walk inside of the church at night. A security guy told my friend about his ghost - experience.

Petersburg's history is rich and truly exciting. Founded almost six centuries after Moscow by Peter the Great, St. Petersburg is the cultural center of Russia, boasting some of the world's greatest museums including the renowned Hermitage. Although the city is referred to as the Venice of the North, it is more accurately described as a Vienna on the water. Russian egg-shell yellow and lime green colored baroque and rococo buildings dot the shorelines of immaculately constructed canals that run throughout the city.

St. Petersburg has to offer more than simply the Hermitage Museum and the Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theater. Officially proclaimed the "Cultural Capital of Russia" St. Petersburg is a place, where you need weeks just to see all its major landmarks. One time home to Catherine the Great, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Napoleon, Lenin and current Russian President Vladimir Putin, St. Petersburg is a place of immense historical significance. The city witnessed so many dramatic events that one can hardly believe that St. Petersburg is only 300 years old. The most European city of Russia, it remains Russia's "Window to the West" - just like Peter the Great meant it to be. St. Petersburg has always welcomed foreigners and newcomers from other parts of Russia. Those people created the colorfully diverse cosmopolitan atmosphere which makes St. Petersburg so unique.

In 2003 the city celebrated its 300th anniversary. In the last five years, St. Pete’s legendary palaces, churches, public administration buildings and private mansions had gone through intense restoration in preparation for this truly historic event. The gigantic reconstruction efforts helped to restore more than 180 sites, including the Chariot of Glory, The Guardian Angel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, magnificent St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals and much more. If you missed the anniversary celebrations last year you just have to come to St. Petersburg this summer to experience the magic of the Northern Capital of Russia and enjoy the White Nights season!

In this newsletter we will start acquainting you with the stories behind the most famous attractions of St. Petersburg. Today we will tell you about the enchanting Peterhoff and the Hermitage.