Information about the city of Saint-Petersburg
Status: the city is an administrative center of Leningrad Region,
administrative center of the North-West Federal District.
It is situated in the north-west of the Russian Federation, on the coast of
the Finnish gulf of the Baltic sea, in the Neva river delta.
Phone Code: +7 812
There are two airports in Saint Petersburg: Pulkovo 1 and Pulkovo 2.
The first serves domestic flights and some of the charter flights, the second
serves international flights. Both airports are situated in 9 km. to the south
of St. Petersburg, not far from each other. One can get to the city from the
airport's terminals by taxi, by rout taxi or by bus.
There are five railway stations in St. Petersburg: Moskovsky, Ladozhsky,
Finlyandsky, Vitebsky and Baltisky. All railway stations with the exception of
Ladozhsky, are situated in the city centre or not far from it. Baltisky and
Finlyandsky stations serve only commuter trains (the first from Gatchina, Oranienbaum,
Luga, the second from Vyborg and Sestroretsk). Moskovsky station receives the
trains from Moscow, from the south of Russia and from the countries of the
Commonwealth of Independent States. The trains from Baltic republics, Kiev and
Odessa arrive to Vitebsky station and the trains from Helsinky, Arkhangelsk,
Murmansk, Vologda, Vorkuta, Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and transit trains from
Moscow arrive to Ladozhsky station.
Economy
Saint-Petersburg is one of the most important economical centers of the
Russian Federation. The city economy is mainly based on industry and tourism.
Following the results of the year 2004 the city ranks fourth in Russia
(after Moscow, Tyumen region and Moscow region) by the volume of the gross regional
income. In 2004 these figures made up 518,89 milliard rubles or 3,6 % of the gross
national income.
Industry
Industry in Saint-Petersburg is based on heavy industry. There are such giants
of machinebuilding as Kirovsky Plant, Leningradsky Metal Plant, "Electrosila",
plant of turbine blades (all three plants are included in the company "Silovye
Mashiny (power machines)"), Izhorsk plants (Kolpino, "OMZ" company), Nevsky Plant
etc.
Transport machine building is developed: "Vagonmash" (produces metro cars),
Peterburg Tram-Mechanical Plant, bus assembling plant "Skania-Piter". In 2005-2006
an automotive plant of Toyota company was built, there are currently being
under construction the "General Motors" plant and, in Kamenka district, in the
north-west of the city, plants of "Nissan" and "Hyondai" companies. It is being
planned or currently built a number of enterprises, producing automotive parts.
So, taking into consideration the "Ford" plant in Vsevolozhsk, which is near
Saint-Petersburg, the set expression "Russian Detroit" is becoming common with
reference to Saint-Petersburg.
Saint-Petersburg is the largest in Russia center of naval and civil
shipbuilding and shiprepairing, the following shipyards are operating: "Severnaya
Verf", Baltic Plant, Admiralteiskaya Verf, Kanonersky Plant, Nevsky Shipbuilding
Plant.
Machine tool building, instrument making, optics production (LOMO), electric
appliances (Leningrad Electromechanical Plant) and electronic equipment production
are also developed. The great volume of industrial production is formed by the
enterprises of defence industry.
The city has well developed ferrous (Izhora Pipe Plant of "Severstal"
company) and non-ferrous metallurgy (plant "Krasny Vyborzhets"), chemical, light
and polygraphic industries.
Saint-Petersburg is the biggest center of Russian brewery. The five
brewery plants of the city produce nearly one fifth of all beer in Russia, besides,
the all leading brewery enterprises in Russia are presented. The headquarter of
the largest Russian brewery company "Baltica" is located here (one of the main
income sources to the city budget). There are a number of other food enterprises:
"Petmol (milk)", meat processing plants, confectionery, fish processing enterprises,
mineral and carbonated water plant "Polustrovo" and a lot of others.
Culture
Architectural ensembles of the XVIII - XIX centuries:
- Peter and Paul Fortress
- Alexander-Neva Laura
- Smolny Institute
- Palace Square with Winter Palace
- Nevsky Prospect
- Strelka (spear) od Vasilievsky Island with the Exchange Building
- Decembrists Square with the monument to Peter the Great (opened in 1782)
- Architect Rossi street and Ostrovsky square
- Arts square
Museums: over 200 museums and their branches (Hermitage, Russian Museum,
Central Naval Museum, Science and Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts,
Museum of the City Sculpture, Museum of the History of Saint-Petersburg, Museum
of Anthropology and Ethnography n.a. Peter the Great (Kunstkamera) etc.).
Theatres: there are more than 70 theatres working in Saint-Petersburg,
(including Mariinsky Theatre, Opera and Ballet Theatre n.a. M.P. Musorgsky,
Legitimate Drama Theatre n.a. A.S. Pushkin, Big Legitimate Drama Theatre n.a.
G.A. Tovstonogov, Saint-Petersburg Academical Theatre of Comedy n.a. N.P. Akimov,
Small Legitimate Drama Theatre (Theatre of Europe), Open-Air Theatre, "Baltiisky
Dom", Theatre n.a. V.F. Komissarzhevskaya).
The number of architectural masterpieces, museums and beautiful sculptures
ranks Saint-Petersburg first to Russia if not to Europe. All buildings of any
historical importance, beginning from Pushkin times, are on their places as they
were 100-200 years ago. There are about 200 museums (only Hermitage has 3 million
exhibits).
Useful information about the city is presented by our partners
|
 "CitySpb" portal
|
 Project "Our Piter"
|
|
 St.-Petersburg.ru portal
|
|
|
 "Peterburg Online" portal
|
Hotel reservation
