Twinned with Milan since 2 October 1967
Mayor-Governor: Alexander Beglov
Population: 5.500.000 inhabitants
It is located near the delta of the Neva River, on over a hundred alluvial islands divided by countless canals crossed by over 600 bridges.
Its name was changed to Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad in 1924, before returning to the original version in 1991.
It is the main city of north-western Russia and the second center of the Russian Federation by number of inhabitants after Moscow, with which it shares cultural and economic primacy.
St. Petersburg is one of the major trading ports on the Baltic Sea.
In addition to food, textile and chemical production factories, there are large steel, mechanical and shipbuilding workshops and factories for the production of porcelain, rubber, paper, electrical and aeronautical material.
A cultural place of primary importance, it boasts numerous university centers, an Academy of Arts, rich libraries and museums, including the Hermitage and the State Russian Museum which preserve an artistic heritage of global importance.
In the theatrical and musical fields, the Shostakovich Philharmonic and the Mariinsky Theatre, a temple of dance and opera, are worth mentioning.
Valuable monuments also dot the city, mostly in baroque, rococo and neoclassical styles. Its architectural style is unique and represents a wonderful blend of Russian and European cultures and traditions.
Architects from all over Europe, especially Italians, contributed to the construction of most of the most representative buildings.
