Topic for Discussion: St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG

The beautiful city of St. Petersburg is built on water, which gives magical and romantic atmosphere. Poets and writers often call it "The Northern Venice", "The Pearl of the Baltics". The city was born and grew up on 42 islands. Now they are linked by 363 bridges. It stretches along the Neva River.

It was the Tsar's fancy to build a city on a swampy land at the mouth of the Neva river. Peter I believed that the new city would provide a port for trade through the Baltic Sea giving Russia a "window on Europe".

In May, 1703 Tsar Peter I founded a fortress on a small island called Zayachy. The fortress was named after Saint Peter and it gave its name to the future northern capital of Russia.

At the beginning of its construction the city charged everyone an obligatory tribute. Those who arrived by carriage were to bring three stones, and those who came by river or sea-ten stones.

Many famous European and Russian masters did their best work while constructing the city. Palaces, cathedrals, buildings of rare beauty rose along straight avenues and streets, squares and parks.

The first monumental ensemble of the city, Peter and Paul fortress, attracts lots of tourists. The Cathedral of Peter and Paul fortress built by architect Tresini in 1712-1733 became the necropolis of Russian tsars.

St. Petersburg displays remarkable richness of architecture. Its Winter Palace, the Kazan and St. Isaac's Cathedrals, Vorontsov and Stroganov Palaces are world famous.

Museums are the city's pride. One of the most famous museums, the State Hermitage, is situated here. Its collection boasts of tsars' treasures, works of world-known artists, and paintings from private galleries of Yusoupovs, Stroganovs, Sheremetevs, Shuvalovs and others. Some 2,5 million masterpieces of various epochs, countries and nations are located in more than one thousand halls. It is one of the largest museums in Europe.

St. Petersburg has played a vital role in Russian history. It was the scene of the February and October Revolutions in 1917 and was fiercely defended during World War II. It was renamed three times -Petrograd, Leningrad and, again, Saint Petersburg. Now, the city plays an important role in Russian economy, culture and international cooperation.

Great Federico Fellini, who once visited St. Petersburg said, "I'm happy that I was born in Italy and worked in Rome, but, probably, I would be twice as happy if fate would let me have a nook in Russia, in St. Petersburg. I fell in love with this city. Somehow, I understand it". If you have a chance to visit this great city, you'll fall in love with it, too.