The State Russian Museum is the world’s largest museum of Russian art. It is located in the very center of St.Petersburg, just of the city’s central magisterial, Nevsky Prospekt. The museum is housed in the former Mikhailovsky Palace, a stanning monument of Empire architecture.

The collection of the Russian Museum numbers some 400,000 works and covers the entire history of the Russian fine art from the tenth century to the present day.

It reflects virtually every form and genre of art in Russia, including a unique collection of Old Russian icons, works of painting, graphic art and sculpture, decorative and applied art, folk art and numismatics, as well as world’s finest collection of Russian avaunt-garde.

This а superb palace-and-park ensemble of the late 18 th beginning of the 19 th centuries which was used as a summer residence of the Russian emperor Paul I and his family.

The landscape park, one of the largest in Europe, covers the area of 600 ha. The works on the palace-and park ensemble on the winding banks of the Slavyanka River lasted for 50 years by the famous architects.

The formation of the collections of the Pavlovsky Palace was closely connected with the trip of its owners over Europe in 1781-1782.

The museum also displays an excellent collection of portraits by Russian artists and a number, of Pavlovsk landscape paintings and drawings.

Peterhof is а jewel of the Russian art a town of parks, palaces and fountains. In the past it used it be an exquisite summer residence of the Russian tsars.

From the Grand Palace of Peterhof three monumental cascading fountains (one of them comprising the famous Samson) lead to the Lower Park the real masterpieces in itself with 173 fountains on its grounds. In the territory of the reserve 8 working museums (the Grand Palace, Monplaisir, Catherine’s Block, Marli, Hermitage, the Benois family museum, Cottage and the Bath block) are open to the public.

Fortress of Peter & Paul is as old as the city. Its construction began on May 271703. But soon the fortress lost its military value. From 1717 the fortress became the Russian Bastille and many russian rebels were sentto prison cells inside the fortress. In 1923 the fort became a museum of history and culture.

Fortress of Peter & Paul is a small ancient city in the center of modern megapolis. From each side the fortress is enclosed by water and high gloomy walls. Gobblestoned paths, cells with lattices on windows, fortified bastions.

In a center of the fortress is the oldest church of the city, Peter & Paul Gathedral. There is an angel holding a cross on the cathedrals steeple. This angel became one of the symbol of St. Petersburg. Inside the cathedral burial-vault of Russian Tsars is present. About one-third of the Russian Emperors became victims of rebels and conspiracies.

St. Isaac's cathedral is the biggest temple of St.Petersburg. Its height is 101,5 meters and the golden dome of a cathedral is seen from all points of the city. The cathedral is graced with 112 solid granite columns weighing up to 114 tons each? And about 400 relieves and bronze sculptures. The temple was constructed from 1818 to 1858 under the guidance of architect O.Montferrand.

The inner area of the temple is 4000 sq.m. and can accommodate about 14000 audience. In 1931 the temple becamethe museum.

The interior appearance of the cathedral strikes by its greatness. Paintings and mosaic works of russian and foreign artists decorate the huge arches and the walls of temple. The plafond of cathedral was painted by the great Carl Breullov. The huge doors weighing 10 tons each are decorated with magnificent bronze bas-reliefs.