LOCATION: St. Petersburg, the Venice of the North

St. Petersburg is Russia's second largest city, with a population of five million.  It is home to palaces and churches that date to the era of the czars and is the setting for summer's White Nights, when the sun barely sets.  The city's change in names reflects Russia's often turbulent history.  It has been Petrograd and Leningrad and only recently, with the demise of Russia's communist system, has it reclaimed its original title.  The story of Russia, from the czars through the totalitarianism of Stalin to the recent struggles toward democracy and a free-market economy, is embedded in the city.  To visit it now is to observe firsthand a crucial period in Russian history.

Interesting links:

Photos: http://www.seelrc.org/gallery/

Last revised: 24 August 2007