Saint Petersburg Governorate

Northwestern Federal District, is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. It covers most of Northwest Russia. Its population was 13.6 million, of which 83.5% was urban, living in an area of 1,687,000 square kilometers (651,000 sq mi), according to the 2010 Census. The current Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District is Alexander Gutsan, who was appointed to the post after previously serving as Deputy Prosecutor General. He replaced former Envoy Alexander Beglov, who was removed from the position and made acting Governor of Saint Petersburg.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of 1700s and early 1920s it served as a prison for political criminals. It has been a museum since 1924.Today it has been adapted as the central and most important part of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History. The museum has gradually become virtually the sole owner of the fortress building, except the structure occupied by the Saint Petersburg Mint (Monetniy Dvor).

The Peter and Paul Cathedral (Russian: Петропавловский собор) is a Russian Orthodox cathedral located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is the first and oldest landmark in St. Petersburg, built between 1712 and 1733 on Hare Island along the Neva River. Both the cathedral and the fortress were originally built under Peter the Great and designed by Domenico Trezzini. The cathedral's bell tower is the world's tallest Orthodox bell tower. Since the belfry is not standalone, but an integral part of the main building, the cathedral is sometimes considered the highest Orthodox Church in the world. There is another Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul Church in St. Petersburg, located in Petergof.

The Grand Ducal Burial Vault (Russian: Великокняжеская усыпальница) is the purpose-built mausoleum of the Grand Dukes and Duchesses of Russia in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Neo-Baroque domed structure is frequently mistaken for a part of the Peter and Paul Cathedral due to architectural similarities. A covered passageway leads from the mausoleum to the cathedral, where the Russian emperors and empresses are buried. The building was designed by David Grimm in 1896. It was constructed in order to remove the remains of some of the non-reigning Romanovs from the cathedral, where there was scarcely any room for new burials. Antony Tomishko and Leon Benois were responsible for the actual construction work. The interior is richly decorated with marble, mosaics and ormolu. Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia was the first to be interred in the mausoleum in 1908. The bones of eight other royals were brought to the vault from the cathedral. The last prerevolutionary burial, that of Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia, took place seven years later. The mausoleum was expected to hold up to sixty tombs, but by the time of the Russian Revolution there were only thirteen. The Soviets destroyed the uniform tombs with a view to converting the building into a city history museum; the tombs were later restored. Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich was buried in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum in 1992. The remains of his parents, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna, were transferred from Schloss Rosenau three years later. His wife, Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, was buried there in 2010.

The Monument to Peter I in the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is a bronze statue by Mihail Chemiakin. It was designed and cast in the United States in the 1980s and donated by Chemiakin to the city. It was installed on 6–7 June 1991.The monument is 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) tall and is installed on a granite base with a height of 0.36 m (1 ft 2 in). It depicts Peter sitting on a throne and resembles the wax figure of Peter by Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli (1725). Chemiakin made the head of the statue using the mask of Peter's face taken by Rastrelli in 1719, six years before Peter's death, and this fact is mentioned at the base of the statue. However, he enlarged his other body parts, presenting Peter in a grotesque manner. Therefore, the statue was initially criticized by locals, and had to be guarded to prevent vandalism. Later, Chemiakin's view became gradually accepted.Chemiakin worked on the statue for eight years and made three versions, two others being located in Normandy, France, and in Claverack, New York, where Chemiakin lived at the time. According to Chemiakin, the idea for making a statue originated from his friend Vladimir Vysotsky. Chemiakin started with the 1:1 proportions of the Rastrelli's wax figure, but gradually elongated the body, approaching the style of Russian icons.

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments is the name used by UNESCO when it collectively designated the historic core of the Russian city of St. Petersburg, as well as buildings and ensembles located in the immediate vicinity as a World Heritage Site in 1991. The site was recognised for its architectural heritage, fusing Baroque, Neoclassical, and traditional Russian-Byzantine influences.

Zayachy Island (Russian Заячий остров, literally Hare Island) is an island in the Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is separated by the Kronverksky Strait from Petrogradsky Island to the north, to which it is connected by the Kronverksky and Ioannovsky bridges.

Saint Petersburg Mint (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́ргский моне́тный двор) is one of the world's largest mints. It was founded by Peter the Great in 1724 on the territory of Peter and Paul Fortress, so it is one of the oldest industrial enterprises in Saint Petersburg. It is a part of the Goznak state-owned corporation.

The Kronverksky Strait (Russian: Кронверкский пролив) is a narrow channel separating Petrogradsky and Zayachy islands in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It forms an arc approximately 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) long, about 50 metres (160 ft) wide and 4 metres (13 ft) deep. To the south is Zayachy Island, which is dominated by the Sts. Peter and Paul Fortress, and to the north is the Kronverk on Petrogradsky Island. It is spanned by the Kronverksky Bridge to the east and the Ioannovsky Bridge to the west. The Ioannovsky Bridge was the first bridge built in Saint Petersburg. It was originally constructed in 1703 as a floating wooden bridge, but was reinforced and rebuilt of sturdier materials over the years.

Kronverkskoye Municipal Okrug (Russian: муниципа́льный о́круг Кронверкское) is a municipal okrug of Petrogradsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia. Population: 20,513 (2010 Census); 21,256 (2002 Census).The okrug borders Bolshoy Avenue in the north, Kamenny Island Avenue in the east, the Neva River in the south, and Vvdenskaya Street and Kronverksky Avenue in the west. Places of interest include the Peter and Paul Fortress, Leningrad Zoo, and the Artillery Museum.

The Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps (Russian: Военно-исторический музей артиллерии, инженерных войск и войск связи), also known simply as the Artillery Museum, is a state-owned military museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Its collections – consisting of Russian military equipment, uniforms and decorations – are hosted in the Kronverk (a crownwork of the Peter and Paul Fortress) situated on the right bank of the Neva near Alexander Park. The museum is managed by the Russian Ministry of Defence.

The Kronverk (Russian: Кронверк, from the German word for "crownwork") is a ground fortification for the Sts. Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Kronverk is situated on Petrogradsky Island, across the small island of the fortress proper (separated by the Kronverksky Strait). It was built in 1705–08, with reconstructions in 1752 and 1800. Strictly speaking, it is on its own island: Artillery Island (Kronverksky Island), which is separated from the rest of Petrogradsky Island by the Kronverksky Canal. On 13 July 1826, five participants of the Decembrists' conspiracy were hanged on the eastern rampart of the Kronverk (in 1975, an obelisk was installed on the supposed site of execution).Today, it houses the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps, which is also known as the Artillery Museum.