When the serene twilight covers Saint-Petersburg city you can see the unity of great past with grandiose future embodied in a huge ship with scarlet sails. It sails along the Neva, welcomed by the drawbridges’ wings and by thousands of school-leavers.
Saint-Petersburg is always ready to welcome international political and economic forums, held in imperial entourage and supplied with rich cultural events.
As it used to be in times of Peter I, Saint-Petersburg is still at a crossroads of many sea routes. Snow-white ferries take thousands of tourists to hospitable banks of the Neva. With the new possibility of 72 hours visa-free stay even more tourists from Europe can take the pleasure of the panoramas of the city. Saint-Petersburg has become an important city for cruise tourism, and has united many European naval capitals. Saint-Petersburg attract not only those who enjoy cruise tourism, but also those who prefer catching salted Baltic wind with their sails. The famous international regattas, such as Volvo Ocean Race and “Sails of the White Nights” are often held in Saint-Petersburg. Many new ships that are now wearing flags of different countries of the world were born here, in Saint-Petersburg shipyard.
During festive occasions you can see the Russian Navy ships in the Neva delta together with the “Aurora”, and legendary barques “Sedov” and “Krusenshtern” proving the status of Navy Capital of Russia.
Harmonious architecture, European elegancy, combination of different styles and époques make Saint-Petersburg a unique capital.
More than 170 museums welcome their visitors. One the most famous is the Hermitage, proud of its numerous collections of paintings and sculpture, masterpieces of world significance. Tiziano and Rubens, Manet and Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Roden and many other famous artists and sculptors are represented in numerous galleries of the Heritage. Not far from the Hermitage you can find the Russian Museum with collection of Russian visual arts: iconography, work of Brullov, Kiprensky, Shishkine, Nikitine, Borovikovsky and many others.
It is not by chance that Saint-Petersburg is called cultural and theater capital. A whole theater world can be discovered in the city, it was founded by empress Elisabeth. More than a hundred theaters open their doors to the audience every evening. International art festivals, music and theater festivals such as “Golden Mask”, “Stars of the White Nights” and many others attract not only the older generation, but also young people. Many of the theatrical troupes have worldwide recognition, for example, the Mariinsky theater, Big Drama Theater Tovstonogov, Theater of Europe.
Literary world of Saint-Petersburg is closely connected with names of great poets and writers, such as Pushkine, Dostoevsky, Gogol, Blok, Nabokov. Numerous excursions can tell you about their life and works.
All together, this makes the rich heritage of the marvelous city.
