SanktPeterburg

SanktPeterburg, commonly anglicized as Saint Petersburg, is Russia's second-largest city and an important cultural and economic center in the northwest, located on the Neva River where it enters the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. Founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great as a “window to Europe,” it served as the imperial capital from 1712 to 1918 and remains a major political, educational, and commercial hub.

The city features a dense historic center with canals and bridges and is famed for its Baroque and Neoclassical architecture. The historic core forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1990 as the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments of Leningrad.

SanktPeterburg hosts world-class cultural institutions such as the Hermitage Museum, housed in the Winter Palace, the Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Isaac's Cathedral, and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. The Peter and Paul Fortress and Palace Square are among its emblematic sights. The city centers on art, science, and education.

In contemporary times, SanktPeterburg is a major port and industrial center with sectors including shipbuilding, machinery, and information technology. It is home to several universities, notably Saint Petersburg State University, and serves as a major transportation hub with an international airport and extensive rail connections.