Saint-Petersburg is the Northern capital of Russia, its cultural, historical and architectural center! Saint-Petersburg was named in honor of patron saint of Peter The Great, who founded the city more than 300 years ago and for more than 200 years (till 1917) it was Russian capital. Peter the Great modeled the city after European capitals and it has been referred as Russia's "Window into Europe" for a long time.
St.Petersburg was founded on the 27th of May 1703. That day the six- bastion fortress was ceremonially laid on the Zayachy Island in the broadest part of the Neva estuary. The laying of the Fortress became a culmination in the succession of events that lasted several centuries.
The city is located in the delta of the Neva river on the shore of the Gulf of Finland on the 60° of the northern latitude. It is the world's largest megalopolis situated this far to the North.
St.Petersburg is divided into numerous islands by rivers and canals and is often called as the "Northern Venice". Saint-Petersburg together with its palaces, museums, theatres, distant suburbs and their parks is renowned piece of the world's cultural heritage.
Peter the Great conceived the idea of a regularly planned city with well-defined layout developed to clear designs. Domenico Tresini was the first architect who made the General Layout of the city center. His designs were used for construction of the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, the Building of the Twelve Boards, and the laying of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, that appeared to be of the prime importance for the city development and the ideology.
Jean Batist Leblon was the architect who developed the General Layout of St.Petersburg. During that period such buildings as the Menshikov Palace, and the Kunstamera were constructed; the outstanding sculptor and architect B.F.Rastrelli worked in the city. The combined efforts of these architects lead to the specific style of St.Petersburg baroque.
From May 25-26 and till July 16-17 you can enjoy magnificent White nights on the bank of the Neva River, that last over 50 days. June 21-22 are the longest days. The sun hardly hides behind the horizon, and you can not find even the brightest stars in the night sky.
The nature of the White Nights (Beliye Nochi) can be explained by the geographical location of St. Petersburg. It is the world's most northern city with a population over 1 million. St Petersburg is located at 59 degrees 57' North (roughly on the same latitude as Oslo, Norway, the southern tip of Greenland and Seward, Alaska). Due to such a high latitude the sun does not go under the horizon deep enough for the sky to get dark. The dusk meets the dawn and it is so bright that in summer they do not turn street lighting on. If the weather is cloudy you might not see any White Night, though on a clear day you can get a feel for a White Night even in mid-July.
Time.
St.Petersburg belongs to the Moscow standard time zone (MST), which differs from the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT):
Summer MST = GMT + 4 hours.
Winter MST = GMT + 3 hours.
Territory.
As of 1993 the territory of the city is 606 square kilometers, and 1439 square kilometers with the suburbs. The length of the city from North to South is 44 kilometers, and 25 kilometers from West to East. According to the last census that took place in 1997, there are 4 780 000 people in St.Petersburg.
