Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject (a federal city) of Russia located on the Neva Riverat the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. In 1914 the name of the city was changed to Petrograd, in 1924 to Leningrad and in 1991 back to Saint Petersburg. In Russian literature and informal documents the "Saint" is usually omitted, leaving Petersburg. In common parlance Russians may drop "-burg" as well, leaving only Peter. Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27 [O.S. 16 May] 1703. From 1713 through 1728 and from 1732 it was the capital of the country until 1918 when the central government bodies moved from Petrograd to Moscow. It is Russia's second largest city after Moscow with 4.6 million inhabitants. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural centre, and an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea.
A postcard from Saint Petersburg, (Evgenia)
Date of dispatch : 2009-10-15
Country: Russia
In my mailbox on October 23th, 2009