Russia's great Imperial city, St Petersburg is a dazzling cornucopia of extravagant palaces, cathedrals, theatres and galleries that reflect the opulence of the Tsarist period. Dreamt up by Peter the Great some 300 years ago, St Petersburg was intended as a symbol of Russia's wealth and sophistication, and blossomed from barren swamp to scintillating modern city under the watchful eye of the Romanovs.