The first construction of the new Russian capital, the Peter and Paul Fortress, occupies the central position in the architectural ensemble of city center, and the Peter and Paul Cathedral with its high bell tower is one of the main landmarks of Saint Petersburg. The silhouette of the Peter and Paul fortress became the main symbol of the city on the Neva River.
On the 16th of May (27, New Style), 1703 Peter the Great founded a new fortress on Zayachii Island. It was called Saint Petersburg in honor of Saint Peter. This date is recognized as the birthday of the city, which was rapidly developing under protection of the fortress.
The plan of the fortress was worked out by Peter himself who made it in the shape of elongated hexagon with six projecting bastions, connected by curtain walls. The first defensive constructions were made of timber and earth, but in 1706 the construction works of stone buildings started under supervision of architect Tresini. He designed the majority of the fortress constructions, including the gala gates for the entrance to the fortress territory shaped as the triumphal arch.
The ensemble of the Peter and Paul Fortress includes Commandant's House, the Engineers House, the Artillery armory, the Mint, the Treasury, the Guardhouse and other historical constructions. Noteworthy that for the majority of the Peter and Paul Fortress buildings the long-term constructions is typical. Some edifices were created not by one but several generations of talented architects.
Nowadays on the territory of the fortress several interesting museums are functioning. At the Commandant's House visitors can get acquainted with the history of Saint Petersburg since 1703 till 1917

One of the reasons Peter the Great built St. Petersburg on a river delta is because he loved the water so much. So it would be – let’s put it politely – a stupid thing if you didn’t go boating on the canals, rivers and gulf. You really get a different perspective of city from the water and the reflection of the colored sky and palaces are incredible. The rivers and canals wind around city, you can see the fascinating back waters as well as the main attraction. We can offer you several daily water trips along the Neva River, the Gulf of Finland, the city’s canals and even to the fountains of Peterhof.

The State Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble, formed in the 18th and 19th centuries, is extended by the eastern wing of the General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the recently constructed Repository.
Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. Today the Museum is creating its digital self-portrait to be displayed around the world. Computer technologies enable the State Hermitage Museum to provide people from all over the world with wider access to information about the Museum and its treasures.

The State Russian Museum is the world's largest museum of Russian art. It is located in the very center of St Petersburg, just of the city's central magisterial, Nevsky Prospect. The museum is housed in the former Mikhailovsky Palace, a stunning monument of Empire architecture.
The collection of the Russian Museum numbers some 400,000 works and covers the entire history of Russian fine art from the tenth century to the present day. It reflects virtually every form and genre of art in Russia, including a unique collection of Old Russian icons, works of painting, graphic art and sculpture, decorative and applied art, folk art and numismatics, as well as the world's finest collection of Russian avant-garde.

The history of St. Isaac Cathedral dates back to the construction of the small wooden church commissioned by Peter the Great. The church was built in 1710 close to the Admiralty on the place where nowadays the Bronze Horseman stands. It temple was consecrated in the memory of Saint Isaac Dalmatian, the saint patron of Peter the Great. The Emperor loved this church. In St. Isaac's Church on the 19th of February, 1712 Peter the Great and Ekaterina Alexeevna, the future Empress Catherine the Great, got married. In 1723, Peter I signed the special order, according to which the sailors of the Baltic fleet had to swear allegiance only in St. Isaac's Church.
The construction works were started in 1818 and lasted for almost 40 years. People joked that Montferrand was foretold that he would die upon completing the construction of the cathedral that's why he didn't hurry. But in fact soon after the beginning of the works several serous mistakes were found in the designs of Montferrand who was a talented drawer but lacked architectural and design experience. The works were stopped and a special committee was formed that was to correct the project.
St. Isaac's Cathedral is the forth largest domed cathedral in the world, after the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome, the Cathedral of St. Paul in London and the Cathedral of St. Maria in Florence. St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is 101.5 meters high and has the area of 4 thousand square meters, can hold up to 12 thousand people. The interior decor of the cathedral features an abundant use of paintings, mosaic works and sculptures made by well-known Russian artists and sculptors, such as Bryullov, Klodt, Pimenov and others.
Today St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the best Russian cathedrals and one of the most popular museums in Saint Petersburg. The visitors are invited to climb the colonnade of the cathedral and enjoy the breathtaking view of the center of Saint Petersburg from the 43-meter height. In 1988, when Russia was celebrating millennium of Christianity, the cathedral for the first time after a long interval was used for prayer.

One of the most beautiful cathedrals of Saint Petersburg, the Savior-on-the-Blood was erected on the place where Russian Emperor Alexander II was murdered on the 1st of March, 1881. The tsar was mortally wounded by the terrorists from the People's Will revolutionist organization. Already on the next day the Municipal Duma on its extraordinary meeting decided to construct the cathedral to commemorate the tsar-liberator.
The rich mosaics that cover the walls of the cathedral both inside and outside are of a great value. The mosaic panels were made in Frolov's workshop to the originals by outstanding Russian artists, including Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Riabushkin and others. The total area of the mosaic is impressive 7,050 square meters.
The cathedral comprises the place, where the tsar was murdered. One can see the preserved fragments of railings and the pavement and some cobblestones of the carriageway where the Emperor fell bleeding profusely.
The Cathedral of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood is separated from the Mikhailovsky Garden with the railing made in 1903-1907 on the Binclers' manufactory after Parland's sketches. The wrought links with plant ornament reminds the samples of early modern. This railing the decor masterpiece turned into a recognizable symbol of Saint Petersburg.

Pushkin, a small town and one of the most picturesque suburbs of Saint Petersburg is situated 24 km to the south from the Northern capital. Before the October Revolution it was the main summer residence of Russian emperors. Till 1918 the town was called Tsarskoye Selo (literary - "tsar's village"), then it was renamed Detskoye Selo ("children's village"), and since 1937 it bears the name of great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.
For two centuries Tsarskoye Selo stayed the main summer residence of Russian emperors. Its construction was of state significance and the palace and park ensemble was regularly enriched with new edifices created by the best architects of that time. sarskoye Selo was especially loved by Elizaveta Petrovna. During her reign the Catherine Palace named in honor of her mother was rebuilt and extended. Thanks to the best architects of that time Zemtsov, Trezini, Rastrelli and others the modest building was turned into a splendid Baroque palace with rich decor of the facades and interiors.
Catherine the Great also preferred Tsarskoye Selo to all other imperial residences. She commissioned the construction of the Alexandrovsky Palace and the number of annexes to the Great Palace - Agathic rooms, Cameron's gallery, Grand dukes building. The parks of the Tsarskoye Selo were enlarged and adorned with many new buildings and monuments honoring the friends of the Empress.

The world-famous palace, fountain and park ensemble of Peterhof is an outstanding landmark of Russian artistic culture of the 18-19th centuries. Founded in the very beginning of the eighteenth century by Emperor Peter the Great not far from his new northern capital St Petersburg, Peterhof was intended to become the most splendid official royal summer residence.
Credit for its creation should go to a great number of eminent architects, artists, and anonymous folk craftsmen. Its wonderful parks, 176 fountains of various forms and styles and four cascades, majestic palaces, numerous gilded statues of ancient gods and heroes, remarkable collections of sculpture, painting and works of the minor arts make Peterhof a veritable gem of art, often called "Capital of Fountains", unique in the world.
After 1917 the Peterhof ensemble was taken into state custody and turned into architecture and art museum. Nowadays, due to the unforgettable beauty of its fountains, parks and palaces, Peterhof has become the most attractive for numerous Russian and foreign visitors suburban royal park and palace ensemble of the northern Russia's capital. To feel happy, to make their spirits high, people often come to Peterhof and enjoy its magic charms.

The history of Pavlovsk as the splendid palace and park ensemble dates back to the 12th of December 1777 when Catherine the Great gifted a small land, 6 km from Tsarskoye Selo, to her son Paul and his wife Maria Fyodorovna on the occasion of the birth of their first son, the future Emperor Alexander I. The new estate was named Pavlovskoye Village, but shortly after the construction of the palace and park ensemble began under supervision of prominent architects the beautiful estate could hardly be called a village.
In 1779 in Pavlovkoye two small wooden palaces, one in honor of Paul, another in honor of Maria, were built. In 1780 the construction works acquired larger scale as the favorite architect of Catherine the Great, Charles Cameron, was invited to design the ensemble. The foundation stone of the Great Palace was laid on the 25 of May 1782 and already by 1786 the new palace, a marvelous example of Russian Classicism, was erected.
After the tragic death of Paul I Pavlovsk was given over to Maria Fyodorovna who loved this residence very much and did a lot to make Pavlovsk's palace and park even more beautiful.
Nowadays the Palace of Pavlovsk houses the permanent exhibition of Russian portrait. The visitors are welcome to walk through the chambers of Empress Maria Fyodorovna, admire the original interiors and belongings of Russian tsars, created for them by the best artists of that time.

The Yusupov Palace located on Moika Embankment is one of the most beautiful examples of classicism style constructions in Saint Petersburg. Decorated with six-column portico, the palace delights with harmony of proportions and silhouette elegancy. On the site where the palace is situated used to be the mansion that belonged to Prince Shuvalov. In 1760s the mansion was overbuilt and extended to the design of the architect J.-B. Vallen de la Mothe. In 1830 the palace became the property of Prince N. Yusupov, who was one of the richest and the most powerful persons in Russia. He ordered to throw out a new wing and rebuild the gala rooms' suite of the palace. In 1858-1859 such architects as I. Monigetti, A. Stepanov, A. Vaitens and others participated in the palace interiors planning.
The Yusupov Palace features original interiors of the 19th-beginning of the 20th centuries. The rooms are decorated in various styles: baroque (the theater), Empire style (gala halls), Oriental style (the Turkish study), neoclassicism (some rooms of the ground floor) and others. The interiors amaze with rich decorations that includes paintings, carving, marble, mirrors, crystal chandeliers, silk, exquisite furniture and so forth. The Yusupov family possessed extensive collections of paintings, sculptures and applied art objects. Some of them are on the display in the palace exposition.
The palace is worth visiting not only as one of the best monuments of the palace architecture of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century but also from the historical point of view. The palace, to be precise - its cellar, became the setting of the murder of one of the most scandalous figures in Russian history - Grigory Rasputin. Nowadays the cellar where the dramatic events took place houses the exhibition "Grigory Rasputin: Pages of Life and Death". Nowadays the visitors can admire the splendor interiors of one of the most beautiful palaces in Saint Petersburg.