St. Petersburg Bridges
Venice of the North is one of the most popular nicknames of St. Petersburg. The city is located on 42 islands. The historic center of St. Petersburg is dissected by numerous rivers and canals and it is hard to walk a hundred steps without crossing some bridge.
All in all there are more than 300 bridges in the city and many of them are masterpieces of architecture and engineering. Such a large number of bridges is normal for a city located on the islands. However, during the reign of еру city’s founder, Peter the Great, there were no permanent bridges in St. Petersburg. Russian Emperor promoted boats as the main mean of transport and citizens had to use boats to get from one part of the city to another. In 18th century St. Petersburg one could see real Venetian gondolas.
Every night from May to late November all bridges across the river Neva open for about 4 hours to let huge ships pass down the river on their way to Ladoga Lake. This unique sight always attracts lots of people, both locals and tourist
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Nordic Travel is the official accommodation agent for St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2010.
