World Heritage Destination Rated: 2006

Score: 67

A Place in the Balance

"Still sadly in need of much repair work, but the city itself is fascinating and retains great swatches of historic buildings. Evocative."

"There is a very concerted effort to restore the grandeur that was the historic St. Petersburg. From Michael's Castle to the many historic parks, the entire historic core seems to be under restoration of some sort."

"Leaders in St. Pete are doing a very good job of maintaining the site's integrity in the face of crass Russian commercialism. Many restoration projects have been completed, and slowly the central city is receiving a facelift. It will be a long process to reverse 70 years of neglect. This city is a treasure and local leaders appear aware of it."

"Considering the conditions of St. Petersburg a decade ago and the improvements made in the intervening years, we must be hopeful. A recent visit indicates that restoration of the city is in progress, however, there needs to be massive restoration of the Hermitage and other museums."

"The 20th-century history of St. Petersburg is of prime importance, and its interpretation should not be lost in a policy that focuses too much on static preservation of buildings."

"The historic city has notorious problems with surface transport and serious water quality problems.The federally protected iconic buildings are in better shape than the vernacular heritage, while the privately owned buildings are better maintained than those owned by the city."

• Atlas
• Terrain
• Aerial
• Hybrid