This issue is devoted to Norhtern capital of Russia - St Petersburg. In spite of that we can't help sharing latest great news with you regarding Moscow - Moscow recently was recognized by World Travel Awards as the best city in Europe to travel to! And very much rightly!
Do you know that hundreds of cats live in Hermitage and the museum celebrates cats' day? How many days one should require to see all the pricess collections? - and a lot more - please read below.

Sincerely,
Helen Isaeva

Interesting facts about Hermitage - world' biggest art gallery

Hermitage is truly considered to be the biggest art gallery in the world. It is 8th most visited museum of the world! The halls and the storages contain 3 million pieces of art and monuments of world culture. There are 350 halls in the museums and one should cover 24 kilometres to pass them. To see all the objects on display one will require 11 years (!) if he spends 1 minute on each item within 8 hours a day.

Hermitage has 24 works by Rembrandt - the biggest collection of the master outside his country- Netherlands. There are 176 sculptures on the roof of the museum - the architect placed them to conceal the chimneys. Hundreds of cats inhabit the museum - officially they get allowence as they keep the museum free from mice - being "on guard" to protect priceless pieces of art. The museum even celebrates a special Hermitage cat holiday in spring. The name of Hermitage comes from the French word "place of solitude". Before the revolution of 1917 the Winter palace where the art collection is located was the Imperial palace of the Romanovs.

Saint Petersburg digest The city metro (underground) turns 65 years this year. The ideas of building the undertground stations appeared prior the WWII but the war delayed the construction and first stations were open in 1955 only. The city metro stations are ones of the deepest in the world due to the fact that the city is located on the water, marsh area and it was impossible to build them close to the land surface. Thus Admiralty station is the 3d deepest station in the world (86 m) after Arsenalnaya in Kiev and Puhung in Pyohgyang.

Street Art Museum is a unique territory of art combining a gallery space, street culture and functioning Laminated Plastics Factory. The museum was founded several years ago after graffity party held in one of the abandoned factory's workshops. Today the territory is divided into two zones - permanent exhibition at the Factory that houses the collection of 50 murals made by modern street artists and a public space where temporary exhibitions re held.

Pskov if the ancient Russian town that makes a perfect 1-2 day trip from St Petersburg. Previously it could be reached by train or car only. Now from Nov 5 regular flights are possible between the 2 cities. L-410 plane can take 16 passengers and the flight duration is 1 hour. Daily filghts are scheduled at weekdays - 09.30 AM St Pet-Pskov, 5 PM - Pskov-St Pet.