пятница, 19 сентября 2014 г.

Saint Petersburg



                      SAINT PETERSBURG



S.P. is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the “Window in Europe”. S.P.was the capital of Russia from 1712 till 1918. The city was built on the swampy land at the mouth of the Neva River.The prominent Russian and European architects worked here.
When the World War I began in1914, the German sounding name St.Petersburg was changed to Petrograd. After the October Revolution the city was renamed after Lenin. In 1991 the old name St.Petersburg was returned to the city,
During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege to it in 1941and next two years and a half the city was cut off from the rest of the country. No food could be brought in and people died of starvation. Daily shelling air raids destroyed parts of the city. Thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years.
The city is famous for its magnificent architectural ensembles of 18th and 19th centuries. The city began with the Peter and Paul Fortress built to protect the Neva banks from Swedish invasion. It became a prison. Now it’s a museum. The centre of S.P. is Palace Square with the Hermitage. It was designed by Rastrelli and was built on the left bank of the Neva River. In the centre of Palace Square there is the Alexander Column (48 meters high). The column is devoted to the victory over Napoleon in 1812 and was design by Monferrand. Among the historical monuments around the Hermitage there is Bronze Horseman in the centre of Senate Square. This monument was designed by Falconet and devoted Peter the Great. Visitors can also admire the Admiralty, the Kazan Cathedral and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. They are the masterpieces of the world architecture. The city is often called the Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers, arms and canals with artistically decorated iron bridges. One of the most beautiful is the Anichkov Bridge.
ST. Petersburg inspired many of our great poets, writers, painters, sculptors, composers and actors. Much of the life and work of  Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Repin and Kramskoi was connected with the city.
My favourite place in the city is the Summer Garden. It’s the oldest and most fascinating park. Rare trees, bushes and flowers grow there. Beautiful marble statues made by Italian sculptors and a famous cast iron grille decorate the Summer Garden. I like walking or reading a book here. It seems to me that in this  romantic place I feel the spirit of the city.

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