Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city after Moscow, with five million inhabitants in 2012 and an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. It is politically incorporated as a federal subject (a federal city). Situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, it was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27 1703. In 1914, the name was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd in 1924 to Leningrad and in 1991 back to Saint Petersburg. Between 1713 and 1728 and in 1732–1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of imperial Russia. In 1918, the central government bodies moved to Moscow.
Saint Petersburg is one of the modern cities of Russia, as well as its cultural capital. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to The Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world.Many foreign consulates, international corporations, banks, and businesses have offices in Saint Petersburg.
圣彼得堡是俄罗斯第二大城市，仅次于莫斯科, 拥有五百万常住居民，是俄罗斯在波罗的海的一个重要港口。它现在是一个俄罗斯联邦直辖市。位于涅瓦河沿岸,在波罗的海的芬兰湾, 这座城市是由沙皇彼得大帝于1703年5月27日创建。1914年, 圣彼得堡改名为彼得格勒，1924年再次更名为列宁格勒，1991年列宁格勒改回圣彼得堡。1713-1728年和1732 - 1918年, 圣彼得堡是俄罗斯帝国首都。1918年,中央政府机构搬迁到莫斯科。
圣彼得堡是俄罗斯的现代化都市之一, 也是俄罗斯的文化之都。圣彼得堡的历史中心和相关组纪念群构成联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产。圣彼得堡有世界最大的艺术博物馆之一，冬宫博物馆。许多外国领事馆、跨国公司、银行和企业都在圣彼得堡设有办事处。
History
Swedish colonists built Nyenskans, a fortress, at the mouth of the Neva River in 1611。
Peter the Great was interested in seafaring and maritime affairs, and he intended to have Russia gain a seaport in order to be able to trade with other maritime nations.
On May 1703, during the Great Northern War, Peter the Great captured Nyenskans, and soon replaced the fortress. On May 27，1703,on Zayachy (Hare) Island, he laid down the Peter and Paul Fortress, which became the first brick and stone building of the new city.
In 1725, Peter died at the age of fifty-two. His endeavours to modernize Russia had met with opposition from the Russian nobility—resulting in several attempts on his life and a treason case involving his son. In 1728, Peter II of Russia moved his seat back to Moscow. But four years later, in 1732, under Empress Anna of Russia, Saint Petersburg was again designated as the capital of the Russian Empire. It remained the seat of the Romanov dynasty and the Imperial Court of the Russian Tsars, as well as the seat of the Russian government, for another 186 years until the communist revolution of 1917.
In 1810, Alexander I established the first engineering Higher learning institution, the Saint Petersburg Main military engineering School in Saint Petersburg. Many monuments commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleonic France in the Patriotic War of 1812, including the Alexander Column by Montferrand, erected in 1834, and the Narva Triumphal Gate.
With the emancipation of the serfs undertaken by Alexander II in 1861 and an Industrial Revolution, the influx of former peasants into the capital increased greatly. Poor boroughs spontaneously emerged on the outskirts of the city. Saint Petersburg surpassed Moscow in population and industrial growth; it developed as one of the largest industrial cities in Europe, with a major naval base (in Kronstadt), river and sea port.
历史
1611年，瑞典殖民者在涅瓦河河口建造以一座要塞Nyenskans
彼得大帝对航海和航海事业非常感兴趣，所以他准备让俄罗斯得到一个海港，以便发展海上贸易。
1703年5月，在大北方战争期间，彼得大帝攻占了Nyenskans，并且马上派兵驻防。1703年5月27日，他在兔子岛上举行了奠基仪式，开始建设彼得保罗要塞。从此揭开了建筑这座新城的序幕。
1725年，彼得逝世，享年52岁。他改造俄罗斯的努力遇到了来自俄罗斯贵族的反对--导致几次对他的刺杀企图和一场涉及他儿子的谋反案件。1728年，彼得二世迁都莫斯科。但是4年以后，也就是1732年，在女皇安娜的统治期间，圣彼得堡再次成为俄罗斯帝国的首都。之后，圣彼得堡一直都是罗曼诺夫王朝和俄罗斯沙皇的宫廷，同时也是俄罗斯政府的所在地，一直持续了186年，直到1917年社会主义革命。
MUST GO
Bronze Horseman
The Bronze Horseman is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in the Senate Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Commissioned by Catherine the Great, it was created by the French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet. The name comes from an 1833 poem of the same name by Aleksander Pushkin, which is widely considered one of the most significant works of Russian literature. The statue is now one of the symbols of Saint Petersburg.
The statue's pedestal is the enormous Thunder Stone, the largest stone ever moved by humans.The stone originally weighed about 1500 tonnes, and was carved down to 1250 during transportation to its current site.
Palace Square
Palace Square, connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersburg and of the former Russian Empire. Many significant events took place there, including the Bloody Sunday massacre and parts of the October Revolution of 1917.
The earliest and most celebrated building on the square, the baroque white-and-azure Winter Palace of the Russian tsars, gives the square its name. Although the adjacent buildings are designed in the Neoclassical style, they perfectly match the palace in their scale, rhythm, and monumentality.The opposite, southern side of the square was designed in the shape of an arc by George von Velten in the late 18th century. These plans came to fruition half a century later, when Alexander I of Russia envisaged the square as a vast monument to the 1812-1814 Russian victories over Napoleon and commissioned Carlo Rossi to design the bow-shaped Empire-style Building of the General Staff (1819–29), which centers on a double triumphal arch crowned with a Roman quadriga.
In the centre of the square stands the Alexander Column (1830–34), designed by Auguste de Montferrand. This red granite column (the tallest of its kind in the world) is 47.5 metres high and weighs some 500 tons. It is set so well that it requires no attachment to the base.
The eastern side of the square comprises Alessandro Brullo's building of the Guards Corps Headquarters (1837–43). The western side, however, opens towards Admiralty Square, thus making the Palace Square a vital part of the grand suite of St Petersburg squares.
Petergof
The Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These palaces and gardens are sometimes referred as the "Russian Versailles". The palace-ensemble along with the city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. Through most of the Soviet era, it was known as the Kirov Theatre. Today, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, Mariinsky Opera and Mariinsky Orchestra. Since Yuri Temirkanov's retirement in 1988, the conductor Valery Gergiev has served as the theatre's general director.
必去景点
青铜骑士雕像
青铜骑士是一个彼得大帝骑士雕像，位于俄罗斯圣彼得堡的国会广场。在凯瑟琳大帝主持下，法国雕塑家Étienne Maurice Falconet创造了一座雕像。这个雕像的名字来自亚历山大普希金创作的，一首脍炙人口的同名诗歌。现在，这座雕像成为了圣彼得堡市的象征。
冬宫广场，连接涅瓦大街和皇宫大桥对面的瓦西里岛，是圣彼得堡市同时也是俄罗斯帝国的中心广场。许多重要的事件都发生在这里，包括1917年革命的血腥周日大屠杀。
广场上最早也是最宏伟的建筑，沙皇的巴洛克式冬宫，赋予了这座广场的名字。虽然附属建筑是新古典主义风格，但是他们都配合得很完美，不论是规模，节奏和纪念性。冬宫的对面，也就是广场的南部是George von Velten18世纪设计的拱门。这些计划由半个世纪后的亚历山大一世完成，作为1812-1814年取得拿破仑战争胜利的纪念。亚历山大指派Carlo Rossi设计了弓形帝国风格的总参谋部，坐落在双重凯旋门的中间。
在广场中央矗立的是 Auguste de Montferrand设计的亚历山大记功柱。这个红色花岗岩立柱高达47.5米，重达500吨。整个立柱很完美，不需要附属基座。
广场的东部是Alessandro Brullo设计的近卫军团总部。西边是海军广场，因此奠定了冬宫广场成为圣彼得堡最重要广场的地位。
彼得夏宫
彼得夏宫是由彼得大帝下令建造的，位于俄罗斯圣彼得堡Petergof的一系列宫殿和花园。这些宫殿和花园有的时候被誉为俄罗斯的凡尔赛宫。这个宫殿建筑群连同市中心被列入联合国世界遗产名录。
马林斯基剧院
马林斯基剧院是俄罗斯圣彼得堡的一座古老的歌剧和芭蕾舞剧院。1860年开放，马林斯基剧院成为了俄罗斯19世纪最富盛名的剧院，柴可夫斯基等艺术大师的杰作都在这里首演。现在，马林斯基剧院是马林斯基芭蕾舞团，马林斯基歌剧团，和马林斯基交响乐团的基地。自从1988年尤里.特米加诺夫退休之后，瓦列里.加吉耶夫成为了剧院的总指挥。
Museums
Saint Petersburg is home to more than two hundred museums, many of them hosted in historic buildings. The largest of the museums is the Hermitage Museum, featuring interiors of the former imperial residence and a vast collection of art. The Russian Museum is a large museum devoted specifically to Russian fine art. The apartments of some famous Petersburgers, including Alexander Pushkin, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Alexander Blok, Vladimir Nabokov, Anna Akhmatova, Mikhail Zoshchenko, Joseph Brodsky, as well as some palace and park ensembles of the southern suburbs and notable architectural monuments such as St. Isaac's Cathedral, have also been turned into public museums.
博物馆
圣彼得堡有超过200所博物馆，大多数都是在历史建筑里。最大的博物馆是冬宫博物馆，主要展示了前帝国故居的内部和一大批艺术收藏品。俄罗斯博物馆是一个大型的展示俄罗斯精致工艺的博物馆。一些名人故居，包括普希金，陀思妥耶夫斯基，布洛克，纳博科夫，阿赫玛托娃，左琴科，布罗茨基以及一些宫殿和公园构成了城市的南郊，一些著名的纪念物比如伊萨克大教堂，也成为了公共博物馆。
Education
There were 1024 kindergartens, 716 public schools and 80 vocational schools in Saint Petersburg. The largest of the public higher education institutions is Saint Petersburg State University, enrolling approximately 32,000 undergraduate students; and the largest non-governmental higher education institutions is the Institute of International Economic Relations, Economics, and Law. Other famous universities are Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University ,Herzen University, Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance and Saint Petersburg Military engineering-technical university.
圣彼得堡有1024所幼儿园，716所公立学校和80所职业学校。最大的公立高等教育机构是圣彼得堡国立大学，每年录取32000名本科学生;最大的私立高等教育机构是国际经济学院。其它的知名大学包括圣彼得堡国立技术大学，赫尔岑大学，圣彼得堡国立财经大学和圣彼得堡军事工程大学。
Transportation
Saint Petersburg is a major transport hub. The first Russian railway was built here in 1837, and since then the city's transport infrastructure has continued to develop and keep pace with the growth of the city. Petersburg has an extensive system of local roads and railway services, maintains a large public transport system that includes the Saint Petersburg tram and the Saint Petersburg Metro, and is home to a number of riverine services that convey passengers around the city efficiently and in relative comfort.
The city is connected to the rest of Russia and the wider world by a number of federal highways and national and international rail routes. Pulkovo Airport serves the majority of air passengers departing from or arriving to the city.
交通
圣彼得堡是重要交通枢纽。1837年，俄罗斯的第一条铁路就是在这里修建的，并且从此以后，城市的基础设施随着城市的发展不断完善。彼得堡有一个广泛的公路和铁路系统，维持一个大型的公交系统包括城轨和地铁，同时也有一个舒适高效的轮渡系统。
圣彼得堡通过大量联邦高速公路和国内国际铁路，与俄罗斯的其它地方和全世界连接起来。普尔科沃机场是圣彼得堡的主要机场，大部分的乘客都是通过普尔科沃机场来到这里，或者从这里离开的。
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