Culture

A cultural highlight at the end of the R1 cycle route is St. Petersburg.

From the 18th to the early 20th century it was the capital of the Russian Empire and it remains the most important harbour location of Russia.

The entire historical city centre has been designated a world heritage site by UNESCO.

The special thing about St. Petersburg is the fact that so many architectural monuments have been preserved from the major periods of its history.

Peter the Great, Tsarina Elisabeth, Catherine the Great, Catharine II., Tsar Alexander II., Stalin and Lenin are only some of the famous people who helped to create the St.

Petersburg we see today, with many wonderful buildings such as the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Winter Palace, the Smolny Monastery, Catharine’s Palace, Academy of Arts, Mariinsky Theatre, Petersburg University, as well as a copy of the legendary Amber Room, and the innumerable outdoor statues and buildings of western, northern, and east European architectural styles.