Below is a Guide to Russian Cities. Russia is the largest country in the World by land.
Former Soviet Union covered 1/6th of all landmass, and Russia inherited majority of it.
Moscow is now over 850 years old. For the first time
it appeared in the chronicle under 1147 during the reign of Russian prince Yuri
Dolgoruky. And in the second half of the 15th century Moscow became the capital
of Russian state. Kremlin is a historical center of Moscow, one of the most
beautiful architectural ensembles of the city.
On May 27, 1703, after Russian troops had seized the
strategically important Nienschantz Fortress on Zayachy Island (in the broadest
part of the Neva estuary) Peter the Great ordered to build the Peter and Paul
Fortress there. This day now is celebrated as the birthday of St. Petersburg.
During the very first years palaces and mansions appeared along the Neva, vast
squares and parks were laid out, and monuments rose. Following the will of one
man and labor hundreds of thousands of people worked day and night to create the
city that is now called the northern Palmyra and the Venus of the North.
In
1712 Peter the Great transferred the capital of the Russian state from Moscow to
St. Petersburg
Novgorod is one of the most ancient Russian cities. It is known since 859 A.D. and from
the end of the10th century it has been the second important city in the the
ancient Slavic state. Located on the link of the main trade routs coming from
Siberia to the Central parts of Russia, Novgorod soon became prosperous trade
and cultural center. It was also the center of literacy of that period. Many
ancient manuscripts were found there.
Pkov is also one of the most
ancient Russian cities which is known since 903 A.D. It became the part of
Russia and one of its cultural centers in 1348. During 13-17th centuries it
served as a strong fortress on the western frontier. Nowadays its an important
cultural, commercial and industrial Russian city.
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