St Petersburg, Russia
Saint Petersburg is Russia’s second largest city, with a population just under 5 million people and during its tumultuous history has been formerly known as both Petrograd and Leningrad. The city was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great and was the former home of the ruling Tsars and was the focal point of Russian culture. The city was renamed Petrograd during the first World War then named Leningrad in 1924 in honour of the communist revolutionary, V.I. Lenin. Located near the Baltic sea, the city was severly damaged during the Second World War and its people starved from blockades. It then took a back seat to Moscow during the Soviet era but has since reclaimed its crown somewhat and for many, its is the more pleasurable city of the two to visit and is felt to be the most cosmopolitan.
The city has been home to such giant figures of Russian culture such as Gogol, Tchaikovsky and Dostoyevsky, it has also been at the centre of some of the country’s most significant historical events such as the end of Tsarist rule, the Bolshevik Uprising and the 1917 Revolution. The city is home to dozens of museums including the wondrous Hermitage Museum/Winter Palace which is very much the city’s premium attraction, which holds over 3 million pieces including works by Dan Vinci, Rembrandt and Reubens. Other architectural delights include the Kazan Cathedral and the Peter and Paul Fortress. A trip to Vasilievsky Island is a must, to see dozens more museums, galleries and parks. In a city famed for its Arts and Culture, you couldn’t miss out on a visit to the Ballet or Opera and the Mariinsky Theatre is perhaps the most well known.