What cities of Russia are you proud of? Can you introduce one of them?

6. What cities of Russia are you proud of? Can you introduce one of them?

Every year a lot of foreign people come to Russia to get acquainted with Russian culture with Russian customs in traditions. Russia has always been a country of mystery attractive for foreigners. There are lots of village towns and cities famous for the crafts (for example painted boxes in Palekh) wooden tableware in Khokhloma and toys in Dymkovo thousand of foreigners visit Russia to enjoy the typical Russian loghouses. But there are hero – cities and towns in our country. I want to tell you some words about the city of military fame St. Petersburg. It’s city had different names St. Petersburg, Petersgrad, Leningrad and now St. Petersburg. At first it was called St. Petersburg during the Revolution Petrograd after the Revolution Leningrad. In 1990 it was renamed St. Petersburg. After the war it developed greatly. During the war it was surround by fashists so – called blokada (in English - siege). It was under siege during 3 years.

Modern St. Petersburg is the second largest Russian city after Moscow. The city lies on the either side of the Neva and on the coast Gulf of Finland. It lies on the site of former marshes. The Neva is a wide river but not very long. It runs from the lake of Ladoga into the Baltic Sea. St. Petersburg lies on 42 islands, 363 bridges cross the rivers and canals in the city. At night some bridges rise over the Neva and let the large ships pass up and down the river. St. Petersburg is rightly considered one of the finest cities of the world. “Venice of the North” is the poetic name given to St. Petersburg by its visitors. It may be called the city of museums. It has about 50 historical art and memorial museums. Among them is the Hermitage one of the world’s largest art Galleries and Museums of the history of culture. Among them is the State Russia Museum with its outstanding collection of works of Russian Art. There are many places of interest in the city. The Peter and Paul Fortress is one of them. It is considered to be the birthplace of the city. The fortress was built to protect the lands along banks of the Neva from Sweden. Later it has become a historical museum. The fortress is a remarkable monument of architecture. Palace Square is the main Square of the city. It reminds us many important historical events. In the centre of the Square there is the column called the Alexander Column.

A lot of famous people of S.P. were born in S.P. For example, the great composer Dmitry Shestakovich, the great poet Olga Forsh, the great scientist Dmitry Mendeleev, the great politician Anatoliy Sobchak, the leaders of our country Putin and Medvedev and so on.

Sorry to say I haven’t been to St. Petersburg yet, but I hope to visit that beautiful city I have heard a lot of the Vasilyevsky islands and its outstanding buildings. The oldest of them is the Menshikov Palace, the building of St. Petersburg State University and of course I have heart a lot about the Winter Palace, the city’s tallest building for a long time. Private houses should be at least 2 meters lower then the Palace. When one walks along Palace Square one may admire the Admiralty with its beautiful golden ship and St. Isaac’s cathedral. And of course if you find yourself in the busy Nevsky Avenue you realize that you are really in the very heart of St. Petersburg. My desire to visit that beautiful city is great.