St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is a city of magic beauty, a city of white night , broad straight avenues, green parks, countless bridges and canals. The greatest architects of the 18-th and 19-th centuries created magnificent ensembles in our city. St.Petersburg reminds some visitors of Rome others of Paris, Vienna or Amsterdam. But really there is no city in the world like St. Petersburg It s bridges, canals, granite embankments, railings, museums make our city one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If you come to the Neva embankment you will certainly see St.Peter and Paul Fortress, Which is considered to be the birthplace of the city. The city started from the small Zayachy Island. It attracted Peter'sattention because of its strategies position. It was here that on the 27th of May 1703 Peter the First laid the foundation of the Fortress. The Fortress has six bastions connecting with straight walls but this fortress has never play a military role. Even in Peter'stime it was used as a political prison. And among its first prisoners was Peter'sown son Alexey who plotted against his father. For this reason Alexey was sentenced to death. But on the eve of the execution he was found dead in his own cell. Many famous people were prisoners in St.Peter'sAnd Paul Fortress, among them- Dostoyevsky, Chernyshevsky, Corky. In 1924 the Fortress was turned into museum. The cathedral inside the Fortress has also been turned into museum. The cathedral was built by the architect Domenico Trezini between 1712-1733. The Cathedral is 122,5m high. The spire is 40m high. It is crowned with a cross. The wings of the angel spread about 40m high. It is crowned with a weathercock in the form of an angel with a cross. The wings of the angel spread about 4m. Inside the cathedral you can see a beautiful icon stand designed by Ivan Zarubny. After the death of Peter the Great, the cathedral became the pantheon for the royal family. 42 members of Romanoff s family including 11 ruling tzars are buried there. Another place, which is certainly worth seeing, is St.Isaak s cathedral. It took 40 years to build this cathedral. It is 101,5 m high. It is the third highest cupola cathedral in the world. The first is the St.Peter'scathedral in the world. The first is the St.Peter'scathedral in Rome and second is St.Pauls in London. The total area of the interior of the cathedral is 4000 sq m. The cathedral was named after St.Isaaks because Peter'sbirthday coincided the day of monk of Dalmatia who was canonized. The first church of St.Isaak was built on Peter'sorder soon after St.Petersburg was founded. It was a small wooden building, which was destroyed soon, and then a stone building was erected. It was built close to the river and because of the weak ground it began to sink. Then finally it was destroyed by the fire. Then it was decided to build a new church of St.Isaak father from the Neva. It was built by architect Rinaldy. But it was not impressive enough to be a main church of the capital. So a competition was announed and the French architect Monferran won it. In St. Petersburg there are а lot of places то enjoy. Among them the Kazan Cathedral, Nevsky Avanue, the Summer Garden, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, Palace Square, the Trimpluar Arch, the Alexander Column, the Academy of Arts, the Smolny Convent, the Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Decembrist s Square the Bronze Horseman, the Field of Mars, the Church of Savior on the Spilt Blood, Alexander Pushkin Museum- Flat, the Spit of Vasiliyevsky Island, the Rostral Columns. Alexander Pushkin loved our city very much and wrote many beautiful poems, devoted them to St. Petersburg One of then I d like to recite.

I love you, citadel of Peter s
I love your elegant austerity of line,
Your broad Neva, whose gracious waters
Mid- granite- clad embankment shine.

I love your traceries iron of gate and railing,
The moonless brilliance of the light
That sheds a beauty never paling
Upon your meditative night.

When, neither lamp or candle hiding
I sit composing verse or reading, 
And slumbering mansions towering high,
Stand clear against the lucid sky.