St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg: Sankt-Peterburg, Russian pronunciation: is a
city and a
federal subject of
Russia located on the
Neva River at the head of the
Gulf of Finland on the
Baltic Sea. The city's other names were Petrograd (1914–1924) and Leningrad (1924–1991). Founded by
Tsar Peter I of Russia on 27 May, 1703, it was the capital of the
Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1713–1728, 1732–1918). Saint Petersburg is home to more than two hundred museums, many of them hosted in historic buildings. The largest of the museums is the
Hermitage Museum, featuring interiors of the former imperial residence and a vast collection of art. Celebrating the 300th anniversary of its foundation, Saint Petersburg was selected as the main motif in a recent Finnish commemorative coin, the €10
Mannerheim and Saint Petersburg commemorative coin, minted in 2003. The reverse of the coin features a view of Saint Petersburg, with the Peter and Paul Fortress and its three turrets. In the coin the words "St. Petersburg 1703-2003" can be seen.
