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St. Petersburg, city and port, extreme northwestern Russia. It is a major historical and cultural center, as well as Russia’s second largest city. For two centuries (1712–1918) it was the capital of the Russian Empire. Its historic district was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990.

Ranking of the top 18 things to do in St. Petersburg. Travelers favorites include #1 Hermitage Museum and the Winter Palace, #2 Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and more.

The city of Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27 May 1703. It became the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1712–1728, 1732–1918). Saint Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917 .

St. Petersburg is known for some of its popular attractions, which include: Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood; The State Hermitage Museum; Hermitage Theater; Museum of Soviet Life Style; The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral

St. Petersburg - Russian Empire, Tsar Peter, Cultural Hub: Settlement of the region around the head of the Gulf of Finland by Russians began in the 8th or 9th century. Known then as Izhorskaya Zemlya or, more commonly, as Ingermanland or Ingria, the region came under the control of Novgorod, but it long remained thinly populated.