Hotels in Russia

St.Petersburg

St.Petersburg (known as Petrograd in 1914-1924 and as Leningrad in 1924-1991), the northern capital of Russian Federation, the seaport, the administrative centre of Leningrad region, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, was founded by Russian tsar Peter the Great on the small Zayachy island in the mouth of the Neva river as a fortress on May 27, 1703. The city became the capital of Russia in 1712 up to 1918 when the capital was transfered back to Moscow. The northern geografical location of St.Petersburg (the same latitude as Greenland, Alaska and Chukotka) explains the white nights from June 11 up to July 2 when the sun sets only 9 degrees below the horizon and the faint twilight gradually turns into the dawn. The city was built by the most famous Russian and European architects and nicknamed "the Babylon of the Snows" and "the Venice of the North". The present city is a large industrial, transport, scientific and cultural centre of Russia with a territory of 620 sq.km and a population of 5 million.

The Petropavlovskaya Fortress is a remarkable, historical and architectural memorial in St.Petersburg. The Winter Palace, designed by Rastrelli in the 18th century, the former residence of Russian tsars, located on the Palace Square, is one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the world. The Hermitage with its collection of over 2,5 million exhibits is one of the very finest world art museums. The Russian Museum contains 3 thousand paintings (10th-20th centuries) of Russian artists. The St.Isaac`s Cathedral (1818-1858) is an outstanding monument of the late Russian Classicism. The majestic architectural ensembles in the suburbs are well-known all over the world. Peterhof or Petrodvorets - the former Russian imperial residence, Pavlovsk (18-19th centuries), Pushkino (18-19th centuries) - the former country residence of the Russian tsars, are among them.

Moscow

Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation, was founded in 1147 by prince Yuri Dolgoruky as a fortress on the bank of the Moskva river. Within over 850 years of its history Moscow has developed into the one of the largest cities of the world with a territory of almost 1000 sq. km and a population of about 9 million. It is the economic, political and cultural centre of Russia, the seat of the Russian government. There are a lot of inland and foreign companies, educational and cultural institutions in the city. Moscow is famous for its architectural and cultural monuments of world significance: the Kremlin (15-17th centuries) - the former residence of the Russian tzars is considered to be one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the world, the St.Basil`s Cathedral (1551-1561) - the masterpiece of Russian architecture is located on the Red Square. Moscow is well-known thanks to its theatres and museums. The Bolshoy Theatre (1776) - one of the leading opera and ballet theatres in the world, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Historical Museum, the ancient estate Kolomenskoye (14th century) - one of the residences of the Russian princes and tsars, the Kuskovo estate (18th century) are among them. The Moscow metro is one of the most beautiful in the world.