The Petrovskaya embankment – a beautiful place where you can observe the Neva river, the Hermitage on the opposite side, the Summer Garden and much more.

It is a perfect place not only for me and other locals to look at the picturesque city panorama from, but it also was the first place where Peter I would look at how the Peter & Paul fortress was constructed and the new city was born.

The cabin of Peter the Great is considered to be the first house in St. Petersburg. It was built within 3 days in May 1703 especially for the Russian Tsar, but it doesn’t have any luxury items. The main requirement was to be located at a place where Peter I could control the construction process of the fortress and see the Russian fleet. That’s why the wooden house covers only 60 square meters and has only 3 rooms. The Tsar spent every summer there from 1703 till 1708 to supervise the construction of the new capital of his empire.

When entering the house, guests can see the furniture and dishes of Peter the Great, personal things, as well as some documents from those times. There’s no need for a tour guide. The best way to visit it is to combine it with the visit of the Peter & Paul fortress, or to drop by while walking along the embankment.