Discover St.Petersburg with Liden & Denz

Tsar Peter the Great

For European standards, St. Petersburg is a relatively young city, founded only in 1703. Its name changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd (1914), to Leningrad (1924), and back to Saint Petersburg (1991). Peter the Great founded the city with the aim to turn St. Petersburg into the Russian capital, once construction was to be completed. He wanted to create a “window to Europe” and a port and a fleet that could compete with the most powerful countries of that time. The Tsar invited architects and engineers from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and northern Europe.

Revolution and war

The city developed quickly and in the 19th century it became a European metropolis equal to Paris, London, Vienna and Berlin. It witnessed the revolutions of 1905 and 1917 and the horrors of Wold War II. The 872-days siege by the German troops between 1941 and 1944 dealt the city an almost fatal blow. But St. Petersburg was never taken and it raised again slowly during the Soviet Union and worked hard to reclaim its former importance.

Rebirth

And so it did! Today, just over 5 million people live in this vibrant and alluring city that offers an incredible amount of events related to any aspect of cultural life. The cultural richness of St. Petersburg is visible in every corner of its vast centre. When you walk down Nevsky prospekt, you find yourself completely surrounded by history, art and culture. In the vast historical centre you will discover beautiful buildings in baroque, classicist, eclectic and art nouveau style that harmonise perfectly with each other.

The White Nights

St. Petersburg is famous for its White Nights. In June, the sun rises around 3am and doesn't set again until midnight. During these weeks, all life takes place outside. A truly marvellous sight that one should not miss.

  • islands
  • bridges
  • rivers and channels
  • museums
  • mio citizens
  • square km

Discover St.Petersburg with us

Our Russian teachers have put together fascinating city tours and other themed cultural activities for you. Some of the excursions are free, others can be booked for a fee. Some events take place in an online format. You can book our activities right here or at our reception desk.
Calendar of events
Selected blog posts about events by Liden & Denz
In addition to the high quality teaching at Liden & Denz, I have particularly enjoyed the many extra-curricular activities they offer for ...
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At "Liden & Denz" you can not only learn languages, but you also have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities that ...
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Last Friday, Anton Semyonov, a Russian accordion player visited Liden and Denz and gave a private performance for the students and staff here. ...
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Ballet is a renowned feature of Russian culture, having been a part of Russia since the 17th century. To this day, the country boasts some of ...
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Student testimonials
Ayla Opats
The trip to Maslenitsa Festival in Pavlovsk was exciting and informative! I definitely recommend to discover St.Petersburg with Liden & Denz!
Tilly Hicklin
The walking tour was a brilliant way to get to know St.Petersburg and it really gave me a sense of the layout of the city. Our tour guide, Varvara, was very informative and was good at explaining the cultural and historical significance of the attractions. There were also plenty of opportunities for questions and photographs!
Claire Burchett
I went on a couple of tours through Liden & Denz and was really impressed with the standard. The tour guides are super enthusiastic and knowledgeable and there was not one dull moment!