Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a Russian city, which was informally known as Piter and formerly known as Petrograd and Leningrad. Founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 as a "window to Europe," the city is the administrative center of Leningrad Oblast and of the Northwestern Federal District. Served as the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years, it is now the second-largest city in Russia and the third largest in Europe. Saint Petersburg has long been a center of education in Russia. It is also a major European cultural center and the most important Russian port on the Baltic. The city's administration is composed of the Governor, of the City Government, headed by the Governor and of the other Bodies of Executive Power in the city.

Transportation: Saint Petersburg, a major transport hub is the center of the local road and railway system. It has a seaport and many river ports that provide access to the city. Six major railway stations serve the city from various directions. Three beautiful, old-fashioned trains such as the Sibelius, the Repin and the Tolstoi operate on Helsinki, Finland via Vyborg, Kouvola and Lahti. Pulkovo Airport in the city deals with both domestic as well as international flights. The city also has the tram network for public, which is the world's largest in terms of track length. The Saint Petersburg Metro system that includes four lines is another mode of transportation.

Hotels: The city serves variety of hotels from luxury type to small budget class hotels. Grand Hotel Europe, located in the heart of the city provides the guests with all up to date amenities. Okhtinskaya Hotel, Okhtinskaya Hotel, Corinthia Nevskij Palace, Grand Hotel Emerald, Grand Hotel Europe, Kempinski Moika 22, Radisson SAS Royal, Ambassador Angleterre, Arbat Nord, Admiralteyskaya, Andersen, Dostoevsky, 5th Corner and Arkadia are the other famous hotels in the city, which serve as hosts to all kinds of tourists from far and wide.

Tourist Attractions: The city draws in tourists from the entire globe with its charm and beauty.

Places of Attraction: The Neva River gives a unique and class attraction to the city. The water bodies around the city gave it the title 'Venice of the North'. Tourists often gather here to watch the 'white nights' as well as the bridges drawn and lowered for the ship to pass up and down the river. It is also known as the city of palaces as the city holds many palaces like Summer Palace, Summer Garden, Kikin Hall and the Menshikov Palace, Winter Palace, Stroganov palace, the Vorontsov palace, the Anichkov Palace and Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace.

The city also has number of churches which are attracted by pilgrims. St Isaac's Cathedral is the largest church in the city and one of the biggest domed buildings in the world.

COUNTRY	Russian
LOCATION	Located in northwestern Russia on the delta of the Neva River at the east end of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea.
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES	Latitude 59º56'0? N, Longitude 30º20'0? E
AREA	1439 sq. km
POPULATION	4,661,219

Saint Petersburg Government is of federal nature. The Government in Saint Petersburg Russia, functions according to a charter adopted in 1998 by the city legislature. The executive body of Saint Petersburg government is headed by a Governor and supported by Saint Petersburg City Administration. The legislature of Saint Petersburg is unicameral.

Russia Saint Petersburg Executive

Saint Petersburg executive is headed by Governor Vladimir Yakovlev who is aided by a team of Vice-Governors. Saint Petersburg Governor is nominated by the Russian President under approval from local legislators. The Governor is the Chairman of the Saint Petersburg Government. The Vice-Governors head a Committee each, namely:

• Head of Governor's Chancery - Executive Vice-Governor Yury Antonov
• Chairman of Juridical Committee - Executive Vice-Governor Michael Mikhailovsky
• Head of Foreign Relations Committee - Executive Vice-Governor Gennady Tkachyov
• Head of Press and Public Relations Committee - Executive Vice-Governor Alexander Potekhin
• Chairman of the Housing Department - Executive Vice-Governor Alexander Smirnov (temporary assignment)

The Chairman of the City Department of Saint Petersburg also is a member of the executive body. Venjamin Petukhov is the present head of the City Department.

Saint Petersburg City Districts

For administrative convenience the city of Saint Petersburg is divided into eighteen districts, namely: Petrodvortsovy, Krasnoselsky, Moskovsky, Pushkinsky, Kolpinsky, Fruzensky, Nevsky, Tsentralny, Krasnogvardeysky, Kalininsky, Vyborgsky, Kurortny, Primorsky, Petrogradsky, Vasileostrovsky, Admiralteysky, Kirovsky, and Kronshtadtsky.

Each of these districts is subdivided into municipal towns, municipal settlements, and municipal okrugs. There are 9 municipal towns, 21 municipal settlements and 81 municipal okrugs within Saint Petersburg city.

Saint Petersburg Banks cater to the commercial and monetary needs of the residents, and business houses of St. Petersburg city. Banks in Saint Petersburg are either owned by the state, or private owners, or by share holders. Multi-national banks also have operations in Saint Petersburg. Saint Petersburg bank functions include retail banking, corporate banking, foreign currency exchange, deposit services, loans, and debit and credit card services.

The leading Saint Petersburg commercial banks include:

Petersburg Social Commercial Bank (PSCB) - Founded in 1993, this regional bank belongs to the Russian Federation Pension Scheme. From 1994 PSCB has been catering to the needs of the Russian Federation Pension Funds in St. Petersburg. Their main office in St. Petersburg is located in 3/2 Furaznii Street.

Viking Bank - Established in 1998, Viking Bank is the first private investment bank to be set up in Russia. This bank works closely with Netherlands and the Scandinavian nations. The main branch of Viking Bank

in the city of St. Petersburg is in Vladimirsky pr., 17.

Bank Menatep Saint Petersburg - This bank located in Nevskiy pr.,1, is a joint stock commercial bank. In 1997 Menatep Bank of St. Petersburg was among the top 50 banks in Russia.

Billboard of Saint Petersburg - This commercial St. Petersburg bank operates from Bolshoy Sampsonievskiy pr., 32.

International Bank of Saint Petersburg (IBSP) - The IBSP is a joint-stock bank set up in 2000. It was earlier founded as Peterburgskiy Lesopromyshenny Bank in 1991. IBSP is a member of Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX), National Trading System (NTS), and Association of Russian Banks. This bank is located in 5 Krapiviy, St. Petersburg 194044.

Citibank - This multinational bank has set up its first commercial branch in Saint Petersburg in 182 Moskovsky Avenue.

Saint Petersburg Banks offer foreign currency exchange services to tourists through most of the commercial branches.