Saint Petersburg, Russia - Did You Know?

• SP is often called the "Northern Venice". SP lies on 44 islands compared to Venice's 118.
• SP is one of the largest cities near the North Pole. Due to it's being just six degrees from the North Pole, SP experiences The "White Nights" period from June 11th until July 2nd.
• In the early 1800's smoking was forbidden on city streets. Only in 1865 was smoking again allowed.
• A law enacted in 1857 dictated that houses maybe only as tall as the width of the street that they are on.
• Peter The Great would not permit bridges to be built across the Nova river so that they would not impede shipping traffic. A floating pontoon bridge was the first bridge in SP in 1727.
• The widest bridge in SP is the Blue Bridge, in St. Isaac's Square; it is exactly 100 meters wide.
• The longest bridge in SP is the Nevskiy Bridge, connecting Nevskiy Square with Zanevskiy Prospect; it is almost 1000 meters long and has a center sections which can be raised to allow ships to pass through.
• The first motion picture shown in Russia was shown in SP on May 4th, 1896.* SP is often called the "Northern Venice". SP lies on 44 islands
• compared to Venice's 118.
• SP is one of the largest cities near the North Pole. Due to it's
• being just six degrees from the North Pole, SP experiences The
• "White Nights" period from June 11th until July 2nd.
• In the early 1800's smoking was forbidden on city streets. Only
• in 1865 was smoking again allowed.
• A law enacted in 1857 dictated that houses maybe only as tall as
• the width of the street that they are on.
• Peter The Great would not permit bridges to be built across the
• Nova river so that they would not impede shipping traffic. A
• floating pontoon bridge was the first bridge in SP in 1727.
• The widest bridge in SP is the Blue Bridge, in St. Isaac's
• Square; it is exactly 100 meters wide.
• The longest bridge in SP is the Nevskiy Bridge, connecting
• Nevskiy Square with Zanevskiy Prospect; it is almost 1000 meters
• long and has a center sections which can be raised to allow
• ships to pass through.
• The first motion picture shown in Russia was shown in SP on May
• 4th, 1896.

Architecture - Early

• Other than Versailles, SP was the first city built according to a master plan. This resulted in a very good arrangement of roads and streets.
• Until middle of the 17th century, Russian architects were rare and it was mostly foreign architects who designed the city. These included the likes of Domenico Trezzini (Swiss), Gaetano Chiaveri (Italian) and Mario Fontana (Italian), Jean Baptiste Leblond (France) and Johann Schluter.
• Famous Russian architects during this time included Mikhail Zemtzov, Ivan Korbov, Timofey Usov and Peter Yeropkin who was a member of the Commission which was set up in 1737 to direct the planning of the construction.
• Yeropkin is known to be famous for devising the system of roads radiating from the Admirality building in the center of the city.
• Peter The Great wanted "his" city to be different than Moscow. In 1714 Peter issued a directive that all mason work cease in Russia so that the stone masons would be available to come to SP. Peter also directed every one who arrived in SP to bring several hundred pounds of stones when arriving by cart.
• Three types of houses were were built: for commoners a one story house with four windows in the front; for middle class, also a one story but with more windows and an attic; for the nobility, brick two story mansions were built. These mansions had an ornate entrance with a balcony overhanging it.

Sightseeing

• Revolution Square
• Peter and Paul Fortress
• Lenin park
• Kirov Avenue
• Kirov Islands
• Vasilyevskiy Ostrov (Island)
• University Embankment
• Leutenant Schmidt Embankment
• The Summer Garden
• The Field of Mars
• Palace Square
• Decembrist's Square
• St. Isaac's Square
• Labour Square
• Theater Square
• Lenin Square
• Taurida Palace
• The Smolniy
• Nevsky Avenue
• Arts Square
• Strikes Avenue
• Strikes Square
• Kirov Square
• Komsomol Square
• Moscow Avenue
• Peace Square
• Moscow Gate Square
• Moscow Square
• Victory Square
• The Hermitage
• The Russian Museum
• Piskarovskoye Cemetery
• The SP Metro