During your stay at the University of St. Petersburg you have the chance to discover one of the most beautiful city in the world. St. Petersburg is rightly known as the cultural centre of Russia. The city is home to more than 170 museums, probably the most famous is the Hermitage.
The collection of the Hermitage consists of more than 3 million exhibits. The exhibition halls and galleries stretch over 19 km. The Russian Museum Russian Museum hosts a permanent exhibition that offers a good overview of Russian art from the 11th century up to the present. The collection of paintings and icons is one of the best in the world, and the sculpture collection covers various artistic styles.
St. Petersburg is famous for its theatre and music ensembles, e.g. high-class Mariinskij Theatre Mariinsky Opera and Ballet House, the Big Drama Theatre Big Drama Theatre, the Russian Philharmonic Society of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society named after D. D. Shostakovitch and many more. Each year, more than 20 international art festivals as well as about 80 music and theatre festivals and some hundreds exhibitions and premieres take place.
Upon request, the faculty is more than happy to organize excursions to the Hermitage, Russian Museum, Peter and Paul Fortress or the Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Some of the historic palaces and parks of St. Petersburg are included in the UNESCO world cultural heritage list. More than three million tourists visit the "captial of fountains", the State Museum of Peterhof Peterhof every year. Its parks from the 18th century are a good example for Russian architecture and landscape design from a fascinating time.
The world-famous parks and palaces of Peterhof are located 29 km west of St. Petersburg and display a wonderful harmony of architecture and sculptures, gardening and engineering. The original idea of ensembles, layout and artistic concept was developed by Peter the Great. The palace in Pavlovsk is an excellent example for Russian architecture of the late 18th and early 19th century. It is one of the historic monuments of the Russian State.
Of all sights surrounding St. Petersburg, the Lomonosov Palace is the most interesting. Its authenticity makes it particularly delightful. The park and palace were created at the same time and are typical for the 18th century.
The architecture and historic monuments in Kronstadt showcase almost three century of Russian history. The city was built according to plans of Peter I, for that time, it has unseen proportions.
At the beginning of the 19th century, it was the point of departure for Russian seafaring for scientific research, development of trade relationships with other countries as well as exploration of new sea routes. Furthermore, Kronstadt was the cradle of various inventions and discoveries in science, technologie, military and sea tactics. Alexander Popov invented here the first radio in 1895.
The parks and palaces of the tsar residence of Gatschina, 45 km south of St. Petersburg, are amongst the most beautiful of the Early Russian Classicism. The facade of the palace is made of local limestone. The architects of the palace were Antonio Rinaldo and Vincenzo Brenna, Italian stucco artists and Russian decorators created the corresponding interior decoration. The vast park, laid out as one of the first in Russia with lakes and ponds, is uniquely planted with coniferous and deciduous trees.
Zarskoe Selo (formely: Puschkin), located 25 km south of St. Petersburg, has been the summer residence of the Russian tsar family.
The city Velikij Novgorod, 180 km southeast of St. Petersburg, is on of the oldest cities and cultural centres of Russia. There are very valuable archeological objects and excavations in Velikij Novgorod are unique witnesses of Russian history.
Currently, you have the choice between various trips and sightseeing in St. Petersburg. As student at the University of St. Petersburg you can take advantage of special offers. On the weekends, sport events are organized where lecturers and students meet on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. There they go in for sports together or just relax and chat. Every month, there is a typical Russian evening with singing and Russian specialties.
Learn more about the past of St. Petersburg and experience the White Summer Nights. The faculty for Russian offers a weekly excursion program. If there is sufficient demand, you may participate in many sightseeings and trips. The cost for such excursions are not included in the travel price. It must be be paid in St. Petersburg and depends on the group size on the particular date. The excursion groups may consist of not more than 20 people. All excursions can be booked in Russian or many other common languages.
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