PETER AND PAUL FORTRESS

Considered the birthplace of St. Petersburg, the Peter and Paul Fortress was founded by Peter the Great in May 1703. Built as a military bastion, in 1872 it became a prison holding political prisoners and opponents of the tsar. The fortress's main architectural feature is the Cathedral of Peter and Paul. Designed by Dominico Trezini, the cathedral is the burial place of many members of the Romanov family, beginning with Peter the Great. The last of the Romanov line, who died in France in 1992, is also buried here. The cathedral's gilded spire, which rises high above the city, is one of St. Petersburg main landmarks.

THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM

This museum holds one of the world's largest and most famous collections with more than 2.7 million works of art. Founded by Catherine the Great in 1764 as a private court museum, today the Hermitage houses a magnificent collection of Western European art including works by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. Its collection of Spanish art is second only to Madrid's Prado, while its collection of French art is the largest outside France. The Hermitage comprises five buildings, one of which is the Winter Palace, the former royal residence. The state reception rooms in the Winter Palace are magnificently decorated, forming the ideal background for the Hermitage's treasures.

ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL

Designed by Auguste de Montferrand, this is the largest church in St. Petersburg and took 40 years to build (1818-1858). 100 kilos of gold were lavished on gilding the dome. The interior is richly embellished with 14 different kinds of marble and malachite. Splendid mosaics, paintings, and sculptures make this cathedral a real masterpiece.

THE RUSSIAN MUSEUM

This museum occupies the former Michael Palace, which was built in the early 19th century for Grand Duke Mikhail, and has one of the largest and richest collections of Russian art ranging from 12th century icons to early-20th-century pieces, including works by Kandinsky, Malevich, Chagal, and Altman.

THE MUSEUM OF ETHNOGRAPHY

This is the country's main ethnography museum. Founded in 1901 as a department of the Russian Museum, it was given independent status in 1934. The Ethnography Museum has a unique collection consisting of 450,000 exhibits portraying the way of life and culture of the many nationalities of the former Soviet Union. There are separate sections devoted to Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, the peoples of the Caucasus, the peoples of the Volga, the Uzbeks, the Turkmen, the Kirgiz and Baltic folk art. Exhibits include valuable carpets, national costumes, weapons, embroidery, bone and wooden artefacts, articles used in religious worship, bridal wear, jewellery made from pearls and coral, and household utensils. These are all genuine pieces in an excellent state of preservation.

THE CRUISER AURORA

The Aurora was launched in St. Petersburg in 1900 and took part in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905 before firing the blank shot that signalled the beginning of the assault on the Winter Palace in October 1917. During the Siege of Leningrad the ship was anchored in the port of Oranienbaum; its guns were removed, taken ashore, and set up on a nearby hill as part of the city's defences against the Germans. In 1948 the Aurora was turned into a museum of the Revolution and given a permanent mooring place at Petrovskaya Embankment.

THE CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION (Church on the Spilled Blood)

Alexander III built the Church of the Resurrection on the spot where his father Alexander II was assassinated. This building is commonly also known as the Church of the Spilt Blood. The church's twisted onion domes, proliferation of mosaics, and asymmetry are a surprising sight in this city of Baroque curves and Classical rigour, but in perfect conformity with the architect's brief, which called for the "purely Russian style of the 17th century".

MENSHIKOV PALACE

Alexander Menshikov, eminent statesman, outstanding general, and close companion and favourite of Peter the Great, was given the whole of Vasilievsky Island by his sovereign in 1707. Here, overlooking the River Neva, he commissioned a lavish residence for himself. Built in approximately 1714 to a design by architects Giovanni Fontana and Gottfried Schodel., the Menshikov Palace was the first large stone structure and the most luxurious building in St. Petersburg at the time. In fact, Peter the Great often used it for state receptions and parties before his own Summer Palace was completed on the opposite bank of the Neva. The Menshikov Palace successfully combines traditional Russian and West European methods and forms of architecture. Its rich and original ornamentation includes Dutch and Russian tiles, wooden panelling, carved and gilded decorations, and sculptured moulding. The interior is distinguished by elegance and simplicity. The impressive low-vaulted vestibule is adorned with columns of the Tuscan order. In the niches of its walls, painted to look like marble, stand early Greek and Roman statues imported by Menshikov from Europe. The grand oak staircase leads to a number of interesting rooms, including the private chambers of Varvara, Menshikov's sister-in-law, and to the Walnut Study, which was Menshikov's favourite room. The palace is now a public museum.

THE CATHERINE PALACE AND PARK AT PUSHKIN

The Catherine Palace ranks as one of the masterpieces of world art. Located in the town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo) 25 kilometres south of St. Petersburg, the original palace was built at the beginning of the 18th century by Braunstein. In 1710 the estate and small palace were given by Peter the Great to his second wife, Catherine. Then, in 1752, Bartolomeo Rastrelli was asked to expand and entirely redesign the palace. The wonderful Baroque building we see today is the result of this work. The palace contains a series of magnificent rooms, including the famous Picture Gallery with over 100 works by Flemish, Italian, and French artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, and, of course, the Baroque Great Hall, where official balls and receptions were held. The latter is the largest room in the palace and has an area of 860 square metres. The adjoining parks add to the palace's splendour. Several are adorned with enchanting pavilions, including the Grotto Pavilion, the Hermitage, and the Chinese Pagoda. Alexander Pushkin, Russia's most celebrated poet, lived here in Tsarskoe Selo at the beginning of the 19th century, hence the town's present-day name. Connected to the palace by an arch is the lycee where Pushkin went to school.

THE PALACE AND PARK AT PAVLOVSK

With respect to its decoration and the quality of its interior furnishings, this palace is the most elegant of the summer palaces around St. Petersburg. Pavlovsk is 3 kilometres from Pushkin on land which was originally used as royal hunting grounds before being given by Catherine the Great to her son Paul in 1777. Decoration of this Classical-style palace was commenced by Charles Cameron and completed by the Italian artist Vincenzo Brenna, who was entrusted with the task of turning the building into an imperial residence after Paul I's accession in 1796. The Greek Hall is embellished with green Corinthian columns, making this ballroom perhaps the most exquisite room in the palace. The park at Pavlovsk is one of the largest and most beautiful landscape parks in all Europe.

THE GRAND PALACE AND PARK AT PETERHOF

The Peterhof Grand Palace is one of the oldest summer palaces outside St. Petersburg and, given its seaside location, perhaps the most exotic. Peterhof means "Peter's Court". In 1714 Peter the Great started building on an elevated site overlooking the Gulf of Finland, determined to have a palace and garden that would outshine those at Versailles. And indeed, the upper park ":is no less beautiful than that of the King of France". As we see it now, the Great Palace still has the exterior planned by Peter's daughter, Empress Elizabeth I. Elizabeth had the initial building altered and enlarged by the architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The park is especially notable for its wide variety of fountains. Elsewhere (at Versailles, for instance) all the surviving fountains are Classical in design. Not so at Peterhof, where the fountains are designed with extravagance and great playfulness. On the slope between the upper and lower parks is the celebrated Great Cascade. The statue of Samson and the Lion symbolizes the Russian victory over the Swedes at Poltava (1709). During World War II, the estate was occupied by the Germans and all of the buildings and fountains destroyed. Since then, nearly all the damage has been repaired and the palace and fountains have been restored to their original splendour.

THE CHINESE PALACE AT LOMONOSOV

The Chinese Palace is one of the main features of beautiful Oranienbaum Park. The town of Lomonosov, located on the Gulf of Finland, was founded by Peter the Great's closest companion, Alexander Menshikov, in 1707. At that time it was called Oranienbaum (subsequently, in 1948, it was renamed after the "Father of Russian Science", Mikhail Lomonosov). The Rococo Chinese Palace was built by Rinaldi, and its exquisite interior with its suite of beautiful ceremonial rooms has stood virtually untouched since 1769. Rinaldi also built a two-storey pavilion where Catherine the Great held royal banquets. To one side of this is a 1,745-foot slope down which people used to slide on sleds. Hence the pavilion is called "the Sliding Hill". Unlike all other palaces outside St. Petersburg, those at Oranienbaum escaped damage during World War I. They are direct witnesses of the lives of Peter III and Catherine II.

THE PALACE AT GATCHINA

Gatchina is a small town 40 kilometres to the east of St. Petersburg. Designed by Rinaldi, Gatchina Palace was built in 1766 - 1781 and given by Catherine the Great to her son Paul, who then transformed it into a Prussian-style military fortress. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the town was the tsar's summer residence. The palace sustained heavy damage during World War II, but has since been restored. A number of rooms are now open to the public, including the Marble Dining Room, majestically designed in the Classical style; the Throne Room, which is adorned with splendid tapestries; and an entrance hall used by the palace guards. Gatchina has a beautiful landscape park adorned with ribbons of small lakes, numerous statues, paths, fountains, and pavilions.

THE HERMITAGE THEATRE

The Hermitage Theatre was designed by Quarenghi along antique lines. It has a semicircular amphitheatre of rising tiers of seats and is truly one of the best stages in the city. The auditorium is decorated with Corinthian semi-columns; between these Quarenghi placed sculptures of Apollo and the nine Muses as well as bas-reliefs of famous musicians and poets. The theatre opened for its first season on November 16th, 1785. Highly privileged guests entered the theatre through a covered passage built by G. Veldten across the Zimnaya Kanavka (Winter Canal). The entire 18th-century European and Russian repertoire was performed on this stage. However, after the death of Catherine II in 1796, performances here ceased. All attempts to revive the theatre in the 19th century failed. Until the early 1980s the Hermitage Theatre was used as a lecture hall, while other premises were occupied by various museum departments, laboratories and depositories. After reconstruction and restoration, the Hermitage Theatre re-opened in 1989.

THE MARIINSKY THEATRE

The Mariinsky has been the home of Russian ballet and opera since the 1860s and is a Mecca for both Russian and international artists. Reconstructed by Kavos, the theatre opened in 1860. Over the years, it has undergone several changes of name. Originally called the "Mariinsky" (after Marina, wife of Tsar Alexander II), it was renamed the 'Kirov' in 1919 before reverting to its original name in 1992. The Mariinsky has a splendid, richly decorated auditorium which is one of the most beautiful in the world. Audiences here have been fortunate to see regular performances by famous ballet-masters and ballet dancers such as Anna Pavlova, Marius Petipa, Galina Ulanova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Rudolf Nureyev.

MUSSORGSKY OPERA AND BALLET THEATRE

Built to a design by the architect Alexander Bryullov in 1830 - 1833, the Mussorgsky was originally called the "Mikhailovsky" after the brother of Tsar Nicolas I, Michael. It opened on November 8th, 1833. Before the Revolution, touring French court-performers gave private performances to small groups of aristocrats at the theatre. Since 1918 the Mussorgsky Maly Opera House has been one of the centres of Soviet musical art under famous ballet-masters such as Yakobson and O. Vinogradov. The current Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer, N. Boyarchikov, calls the theatre a "laboratory of modern choreography", although the repertoire is in fact more classical than contemporary. In St. Petersburg today the Mussorgsky is second only to the Mariinsky Theatre.

PHILHARMONIA

The St. Petersburg Philharmonia, the oldest philharmonic hall in Russia, is almost 200 years old. Its history dates to 1802, when the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society, the first such society in Europe, was established. This society organized the world premiere of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in 1824. The building housing the Philarmonia was constructed in 1839 to a design by the architect P. Jacot (the facade was designed by Carlo Rossi) for the St. Petersburg Assembly of Nobles. The Large Hall here is one of the best concert halls in Europe, a venue at which musicians find it a great honour to perform. Recently, the Philharmonia's concert life has undergone considerable changes with many new names appearing in its concert programmes. But, as the famous musician and literary critic I. Andronikov has said, this is still "one of the best places on earth".