St. Petersburg, commonly known as "Petersburg", is located in the northwest of Russia, on the Baltic Sea coast, is a municipality directly under the Russian Federation, and the capital of Leningrad Oblast is also located in this city.
St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia after Moscow, the second largest political and economic center in Russia, the central city of the northwest region of Russia, and an important water and land transportation hub in Russia.
St. Petersburg has no skyscrapers, its skyline is relatively low, and current regulations prohibit the construction of high-rise buildings in the city center. The 310-meter-high St. Petersburg TV Tower is the tallest building in the city, while peter and Paul Cathedral, which is 122.5 meters high, is by far the tallest building.
The historic buildings in the center of St. Petersburg, mostly Baroque and neoclassical buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, are numerous in historical places of interest.
On the left bank of the Neva River south of Vasilievsky, past the Palace Bridge, is the Admiralty Building, and the huge Hermitage Museum complex stretches along the palace riverfront, including the Baroque Winter Palace, formerly the royal palace of the Russian Empire, and the neoclassical marble palace.
In front of the Hermitage is a semicircular city's main square, Hermitage Square, as well as Alexander's Column.
St. Petersburg is home to many famous landmarks, including St. Isaac's Cathedral, Trinity Cathedral, Mariinsky Palace, Astoria Hotel, Mariinsky Theatre, Yusupov Palace, New Holland Island, and Privy Council Square.
The 18th-century bronze knight statue of Peter the Great in the square is considered the most recognizable symbol of the city.