Everything you always wanted to know about St. Petersburg, Russia.

Somebody in St. Petersburg totally killed me at chess. Against Russians I usually lose.

St. Petersburg, Russia is a beautiful city.

It would be so nice if Russia and America were best friends. That's the way it should be, and that's the way it will be eventually.

Wikipedia - Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city after Moscow, with 5 million inhabitants in 2012, part of the Saint Petersburg agglomeration with a population of 6.2 million (2015). An important Russian port on the Baltic Sea, it has a status of 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 27 May [O.S. 16 May] 1703. During the periods 1713–1728 and 1732–1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of Imperial Russia. In 1918, the central government bodies moved to Moscow, which is about 625 km (388 miles) to the south-east.

Saint Petersburg is often considered Russia's 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.

The city's traditional nicknames among Russians are the Window to the West and the Window to Europe. The northernmost metropolis in the world, St. Petersburg is often called the Venice of the North or Russian Venice because of its structure which consists of many water corridors, as the city is built on swamp and water. Furthermore, St. Petersburg has strongly European-inspired architecture and culture, which is combined with the city's Russian heritage. Another nickname of St. Petersburg is The City of White Nights because a natural phenomenon which arise due to the closeness to the polar region and ensures that in summer the nights of the city do not get completely dark for a month. Just as Venice is associated with romance, in St. Petersburg the White Nights have a high value for love couples.