by Charity Buntz

Created on: October 09, 2008   Last Updated: October 21, 2008

A city rich in history of all forms including politics, art, science and most certainly military, St. Petersburg, Russia has many sights to see for those of different interests. Quickly becoming a prime tourist location, St. Petersburg has been attracting more and more vacationers. With its abundant night life and many historical attractions, travelers will likely not find themselves without anything to do in this populous city.

Founded in 1703, the city celebrates its birthday each May. Populated with almost 5 million people, "The City of St. Peter" has also carried the names of Petrograd and Leningrad. The city was renamed St. Petersburg, its original name, in June of 1991.

In this brief synopsis of "The Venice of the North," we will cover everything from sights to see, places to eat and shopping and entertainment. But first, we'll start with 10 interesting facts I bet your friends don't know about St. Petersburg, Russia (at least not all 10 of them!).

1) The city was named after St. Pete, not the founder, Peter the Great

2) St. Petersburg served as Russia's capital city from 1712 to 1918

3) All monthly property costs are combined on a single bill which includes gas, electricity, water, trash removal, heating, etc. and it's quite reasonably priced!

4) St. Petersburg, Florida was named in honor of St. Petersburg, Russia by Russian-born railroad builder Piotr Dementyev.

5) A .5 Liter of beer is less expensive than a 2 liter of soda, 2 liters of water and a liter of juice

6) It will cost you 5 to 20 roubles to use a poorly cared for public restroom

7) Prostitution is not referenced in the Russian constitution rendering in neither illegal or explicitly legal

8) A fully refurbished 2-3 bedroom flat in St. Petersburg could cost you as little as 160,000 USD

9) If you say the words "thank you" as you pay your restaurant waitress, you will probably not receive your change!

10) Miss Universe 2002 was won by St. Petersburg native, Oxana Fedorova

For those who are not familiar with Russian politics, let's review the government basics. A Federal subject of Russia, St. Petersburg is led by a governor. The current governor, Valentina Matviyenko, was nominated by the President of Russia and approved by local legislatures as dictated by the new 2004 federal law. Valentina is currently the only female to lead a federal subject of Russia. True to Russian reputation, an assassination attempt on Matvivenko's life was thwarted in May of 2007. Within the last couple of decades

Russia has seen

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next Page >>