St.Petersburg, capital city of the Russian empire, was created on the orders of Peter I, better known as Peter the Great. This tour begins in the grand surroundings of Palace Square. At its centre stands the iconic Alexander Column, celebrating the Russian victory over Napoleon’s armies. On the north side stands the 3-storey turquoise Royal Winter Palace, lined with columns in a neo-classical style. The Small Hermitage on its eastern flank was built for Catherine II and houses the so-called “favourites wing”, where it’s said the Empress kept her lovers. If you turn so you have the Winter Palace at your back, you will be facing the great central arch and huge yellow facade of the General Staff Headquarters, arranged in an enormous arc. Look left at the four-storeyed building topped with colonnades between the third and fourth floors. It was the Guards Regiment until 1917 – it’s still today a military building, headquarters for the Sixth Army Air Force Division.Produced by Audioguides.ruPhoto Nevsky Avenue 01 by Florstein is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0