The main attractions of St. Petersburg: a review, history and interesting facts

There are many cities in the world that every traveler should visit. One of them is Peter. This extraordinary place has long been called a treasury of monuments and legends. The list of popular sights of St. Petersburg is endless. There are a lot of palaces and monuments, known throughout the world. If you are going to visit this city, then our article is for you.

Winners

Everyone who comes here wants to visit the main sights of St. Petersburg. The rating of these places is quite difficult, but you can pay attention to the reviews of tourists. Thanks to them, we will form our own, conditional rating. In the first place, as always, is the Winter Palace. We will talk about it later. The second place is occupied by the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral. Then there are two more famous churches - the Cathedral of Our Savior on Blood and Kazan.

The fifth place was Palace Square, after it a large museum - the Hermitage. The seventh line is occupied by the Peter and Paul Fortress, then - the cruiser "Aurora". The list of "most important sights of St. Petersburg" is closed by the famous Bronze Horseman and the State Russian Museum.

Of course, this is not all. There is not enough and Nevsky Prospekt with Anichkov Bridge, the Kunstkamera and the Champ de Mars. Tourist will not be difficult to find the main attractions of St. Petersburg. The list can be continued for hours and sent to the Pushkin museum-museum on the Moika, to the Rostral columns, to the University embankment or to the house of Peter the Great.

A little bit more

In St. Petersburg, there are a lot of significant places where everyone can go. Here there is an occupation for everyone: visiting museums, theaters, exhibitions and major concerts. This place has long been considered the center of the fusion of two cultures: Slavic and European. Despite the fact that St. Petersburg is a huge city, it is a tourist center, which has been friendly and hospitable for already 3 centuries.

Previously, we learned the popular rating of attractions, and now we will deal with each of them. We learn interesting facts and fascinating stories, which hide behind themselves monuments, cathedrals and palaces.

In the rich

Perhaps the main attraction of Peter is the Winter Palace. Here a long time, from 1762 to 1904, was the residence of the emperors. This palace is considered the most expensive and eclectic in St. Petersburg. His birth can be identified in 1754, when the famous Rastrelli undertook to erect something magnificent and grandiose.

Initially, the palace was built for Elizabeth Petrovna, but it was completed already under Catherine II. At the end of the construction the palace contained more than a thousand rooms. Throughout the centuries, the interior of the palace has changed, and only the Jordanian staircase remained from the initial version. It got its name because it was through it that the whole imperial family passed for the rite of the water consecration, supposedly to the "Jordan", which was called the ice-hole in the ice of the Neva.

Over time, the Little Hermitage was built nearby, where the works of Catherine the Great began to be kept. Further to the palace were built the present Old Hermitage and the theater. And in the 19th century, the New Hermitage appeared on Millionnaya Street. The Winter Palace became a kind of center of the whole architectural complex.

Higher than clouds

The main attractions of Peter have prepared for tourists many more interesting stories. The next in our rating is St. Isaac's Cathedral. In addition to being the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg, it is also one of the highest domed structures in the world.

The history of this cathedral began with a small wooden church in honor of Isaac. In 1712 it was in it that Peter married with his second wife. Later the temple was made stone. After a while, a third project was created, which did not correspond to the general style of development. It was decided to make a perestroika. Only after 9 years the project of the young architect Auguste Montferrand was adopted.

For four decades the work on the cathedral continued. For facing, it took 43 rocks of minerals. In addition to granite, there are gray, green and yellow marble, jasper, porphyry, etc. Due to its size, the cathedral can accommodate 12 thousand people.

In memory of the deceased emperor

In 1881, on March 1, Alexander II was mortally wounded, then it was decided to build a wooden chapel at this place. It so happened that the grief did not bypass other gubernias, and from there donations began. The collected funds decided to build a large temple - the Savior on the Spilled Blood.

The project was 24 years old, and in 1907 he was born. When Soviet power replaced czarist Russia, financial support was completely suspended. In the late 30's it was decided to dismantle the temple. But because of the war, the pressing issues have fallen into the background. The church of the Resurrection of Christ was opened in full only by the end of the 90s, after major repairs.

Inside, the church looks as bright as outside. This is due to the fact that originally only the elite could go to the temple, so today you can see a magnificent collection of gems, inlaid marble floor and the most fateful place where the emperor was killed. Also from that tragic day, the stones of the pavement, to which the monarch fell, were preserved.

Treasure chest

Like many emperors of Russia, Pavel Petrovich was brought to Europe at the time. He could not look at the St. Peter's Roman Cathedral and upon his arrival wanted to see such an architectural marvel at home. The main sights of Peter already at that time were grandiose. But the emperor announced a competition, and therefore, it was necessary to create something even more fascinating.

Kazan Cathedral replaced the obsolete church of the Nativity of the Virgin. His main task was to preserve the military relic - the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. The competition was won by the architect Voronikhin, but the cathedral was only laid after the murder of the emperor.

For all time, the cathedral has become a repository of military mining. This brought the banners of the French army after the war, also kept the keys to the fortresses received in the campaigns.

Collection of all tourists

In our ranking on the fifth place was Palace Square. This is a favorite place for tourists and townspeople, here often organize mass events and concerts. Also this place can rightly be considered an architectural ensemble, which was built in the 18th century.

The name near the square appeared due to the Winter Palace, which is located here. In addition, here is located the main headquarters, founded in 1819. It harmoniously goes into the arch, which, in turn, is crowned with a chariot that drives the goddess Nick.

Also on the Palace Square is the famous Alexander Column, which is a popular attraction. It appeared in 1834 thanks to Montferrand. The column was erected in honor of the victory over Napoleon, and the tablet thanked Alexander the First on behalf of all of Russia. To this day, this structure is held only by its weight and gravity

The square has collected the main historical sights of St. Petersburg and amazes with its scale and architectural beauty.

The greatness of culture

The Cultural and Historical Museum appeared in 1764. Then it was only a private collection of the empress. 220 paintings, she placed in the distant apartments of the Winter Palace and called the Hermitage a "place of solitude." For centuries, the collection of works has increased, and now the museum occupies 6 historical buildings. You can safely say that the main attractions of St. Petersburg can be found not only on the streets of the city, but also in the Hermitage.

Defender of the city

An unusual place can be considered the Peter and Paul Fortress. It also hid in itself all the main sights of Peter: powerful fortress walls, bastions and ravelines, unusual ceremonial gates, buildings of the Mint, Engineering and Commandant's houses.

In the center of the whole architectural ensemble there is a magnificent Peter and Paul Cathedral. Nearby tourists can visit the Museum of the history of the city, various exhibitions and exhibitions.

Marine achievements

Do not bypass the tourists side and the cruiser "Aurora". This ship-museum attracts travelers from the shore. The greatness of the cruiser strikes, so it became not just a museum, but a symbol of the city. "Aurora" defended the Russian fleet in two wars and did it successfully enough, so no wonder that it managed to become one of the main attractions.

Glory to Peter

The Bronze Horseman is considered the most popular monument to Peter the Great. Catherine II for a long time consulted with artists that they helped her with the appearance of sculpture. But here the artist - Falcone - neglected all wishes and created a monument the way he himself saw it.

The sculpture was very expressive and memorable. Peter the First looks like a strong, purposeful and unshakable ruler.

World record holder

The State Russian Museum completes our symbolic rating of the sights of St. Petersburg. In addition to being the first museum of fine arts in Russia, it is also the largest in the world. It was opened in the distant 1898 by the decree of Nicholas II.

Now here are more than 320 thousand exhibits. The most ancient belongs to the 11th century. In addition, the Russian Museum is a complex consisting of seven buildings, among them the Benois Wing, the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Marble Castle and other sights.