Russia's second largest city, St. Petersburg, is one in a group of seven cities that are frequently called “The Venice of the North”; it shares this title with Amsterdam, Bruges, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Manchester, and Stockholm. All these cities are located in Northern Europe and have a network of canals like Venice.
The city remains Russia's cultural centre, with venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre featuring opera and ballet, as well as the State Russian Museum displaying art ranging from Orthodox icons to works by Kandinsky. St. Petersburg is home to The Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world.
Passers-by walk on the beach by the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The embankment of the Fontanka River in St. Petersburg.
View of the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
View of the Prachechny (Laundry) Bridge from the embankment of the Fontanka River in St. Petersburg.
The lattice of the Summer Garden and Prachechny (Laundry) Bridge in St. Petersburg.
Tram on the Troitskiy (Trinity) Bridge in St. Petersburg.
View of Vasilyevsky Island from the embankment of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The statue "Hares" (symbol of Hare Island) on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
People sunbathe on the beach of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The Russian State Mint on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The Fontanka River Embankment in St. Petersburg.
The beach of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The figure of an angel at St. Peter’s and Paul’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
View of a building complex in the Solyanoy Gorodok, or Salt Town, area from the Fontanka River embankment in St. Petersburg.
The embankment of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
