If you calculate by population, the largest city in Russia is the capital Moscow, with a population of 12 million. The second largest city is St. Petersburg, an important port city in the northwest, with a population of about 5.3 million.
Near the Baltic Sea, St. Petersburg is a federal municipality of Russia and the capital of Leningrad Oblast. Many important institutions of the Russian Federation are located in the city, including the Federal Constitutional Court, the Heraldic Office, the Naval Command and the Parliament Building of the CIS Federation.
In May 1703, Peter the Great began the construction of St. Petersburg, which in 1712 was made the capital of the Russian Empire. It was not until 1922, after the founding of the Soviet Union, that the capital was moved to Moscow. After Lenin's death, St. Petersburg was renamed Leningrad, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was renamed its original name.
During World War II, Leningrad was besieged by German forces for 872 days, resulting in the death of more than 1.5 million people from starvation. After the war, the Soviet Union awarded the city the honorary title of "Heroic City".
The old capital of Russia
As the old capital of Russia, St. Petersburg is deeply imprinted by history. Many celebrities were born here, including most of the tsars, poets Blok, mathematician Perelman, actress Pavlova, and presidents Putin and Medvedev.
In 1990, the "Historical Center of St. Petersburg and its associated monuments" was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, including 36 city historic buildings and more than 4,000 cultural monuments.
We know that very few large cities are listed as a world cultural heritage as a whole, which also reflects the peculiarities of St. Petersburg.
Because of this, tourism in St. Petersburg is very developed, receiving an average of about 7 million tourists a year, half of whom are foreigners.
In St. Petersburg, visitors can not only visit the Winter Palace of the Tsarist Period, but also visit well-known attractions such as the Museum of Ethnography of Mankind, the Mariinsky Theater, the Russian National Library, the Russian Dinosaur Resurrection Museum, and the Russian Museum.
The city's architectural styles are also diverse, including Baroque architecture, neoclassical architecture and traditional Russian Byzantine architecture.
Skyscrapers are prohibited
In order to protect cultural relics and monuments, the city of St. Petersburg has enacted strict laws and regulations, and in the downtown area, the construction of skyscrapers is strictly prohibited. Therefore, in St. Petersburg, we can see a very low skyline with a very wide view, which is very pleasing to the eye.
Of course, this is also thanks to the transfer of the capital to the city of Moscow. If St. Petersburg were still the capital of Russia, many skyscrapers would have been built, and the protection of historical buildings would not be so perfect.
Currently, the tallest building in the center of St. Petersburg is Peter and Paul Cathedral, with a height of about 122.5 meters. It is an Orthodox church that was built in 1712, when St. Petersburg had just been built. At the top of the church is an angel holding a cross, which became an important symbol of St. Petersburg.
Inside the cathedral, the remains of almost all Russian tsars and empresses, from Peter the Great to Nicholas II, whose family were buried here in July 1998, are also preserved.
Peter and Paul Cathedral
Interestingly, in 2008, the then municipal authority attempted to violate the ban by building a skyscraper about 396 meters high in the city center called the Lahta Center.
As soon as the news came out, the authorities were met with strong criticism and opposition. As a compromise, the construction address of the Lahta Center was moved to the suburbs and the height was increased to 463 meters. The building is now the tallest building in Russia and Europe and the 15th tallest in the world.
Lahta Center
The Lahta Center has a total building area of more than 400,000 square meters and is equipped with offices, co-working centers, sports centers, children's science centers, conference centers and medical centers, as well as leisure and entertainment venues such as restaurants, viewing platforms, museums and so on.
All in all, apart from the capital, Moscow, St. Petersburg is Russia's most important economic, political, cultural, and transportation center, carrying russia's centuries-old history.