Architecture in Saint Petersburg (1 of 3)
Peter's intention was to build a city that rivalled Paris and Rome for architectural splendour. He envisioned grand avenues, weaving waterways and magnificent palaces. While he did not live to see this dream become a reality, he made a pretty good start. And his successors - especially Empresses Anna, Elizabeth and Catherine - carried out their own even more elaborate versions of their forebear's plan. Today, central St Petersburg is a veritable museum of 18th- and 19th-century architecture, with enough baroque, classical and empire-style extravagances to keep you ogling indefinitely.
