Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. In 1914 the name of the city was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, in 1924 to Leningrad, and in 1991, back to Saint Petersburg.In Russian literature, informal documents, and discourse, the "Saint"  is usually omitted, leaving Petersburg. In common parlance Russians may drop "-burg" as well, referring to it as Pieter.Saint Petersburg was founded by the Tsar Peter the Great on May 27 1703. From 1713 to 1728 and from 1732 to 1918, Saint Petersburg was the Imperial capital of Russia. In 1918 the central government bodies moved from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.It is Russia's second largest city after Moscow with 5 million inhabitants and the fourth most populated federal subject.Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and also an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea.Saint Petersburg is often described as the most Western city of Russia, as well as its cultural capital.It is the northernmost city in the world to have a population of over five million. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is also home to The Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world.A large number of foreign consulates, international corporations, banks and other businesses are located in Saint Petersburg.

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Zhivopisny Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans Moskva River in north-western Moscow, Russia. It is the first cable-stayed bridge in Moscow. Opened on 27 December 2007 as a part of Krasnoprenensky avenue. It is also the highest cable-stayed bridge in Europe.The bridge is unique in that most of its length runs along the river, not across it. Thus the bridge and highway it carries will bypass the protected territory of Serebryany Bor island.Total length of an S-shaped deck exceeds 1.5 kilometers, including a 420-meter long, 47-meter wide main section running 30 meters above and along the centerline of river Moskva. The main pylon is a 105-meter high arch across the river, carrying the weight of deck through 78 cablesUnder the top of the arch, there is a disk-like structure that was intended to house a restaurant. The restaurant project is now abandoned due to fire safety concerns and lack of investment.

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Lomonosov Moscow State University, previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU, is the oldest and largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, the university was renamed in honor of its founder, Mikhail Lomonosov, in 1940. It also claims to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy.Currently the university employs more than 4,000 academics and 15,000 support staff. Approximately 5,000 scholars work at the university's research institutes and related facilities. More than 40,000 undergraduates and 7,000 advanced degree candidates are enrolled. More than 5,000 specialists participate in refresher courses for career enhancement. Annually, the university hosts approximately 2,000 students, graduate students, and researchers from around the world.A few more narrowly specialized Moscow colleges, including the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations were split off from MSU at one time or another and have since established strong reputations of their own, arguably even surpassing their parent in terms of prestige and quality of education.The university has well-established contacts with the most distinguished universities in the world, exchanging students and lecturers with the leading international institutions of higher education. It houses the UNESCO International Demography Courses, the UNESCO Hydrology Courses, the International Biotechnology Center, the International LASER Center, courses or seminars on Russian as a foreign language. In 1991 the French University College, the Russian-American University and the Institute of German Science and Culture were opened. The university has awarded honorary degrees to more than 60 scientists, statesmen and politicians from abroad. Many prominent university scholars and scientists in return hold honorary degrees from foreign academies and universities.Moscow State University is one of Russia's most prestigious institutions of higher learning, and has demanding entry requirements for prospective students. Nonetheless, it performs inconsistently in international rankings. While it was placed 77th overall by the Academic Ranking of World Universities and 112th by QS World University Rankings, it was not included among the top 200 universities by recent Times Higher World University Rankings and came in at 296th. On a highly cited and consistent ranking, Moscow State University ranked 43rd in 2008, 44th in 2009-2011, and 45th among 300 Best World Universities in 2012 compiled by Human Resources & Labor Review on Measurements of World's Top 300 Universities Graduates' Performance.[4] Despite its large number of faculties, Moscow State University seems to be strong mostly in natural sciences and mathematics but considerably weaker in other disciplines. Despite the fact that it is still the highest ranked Russian university according to the three international rankings mentioned above, the university was consistently placed outside top 5 nationally in 2010-2011 by Forbes and Ria Novosti / HSE.with both ratings based on data set collected by GU VSHE from Russian Unified State Exam scores averaged per all students and faculties of university.

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The Qolşärif Mosque located in Kazan Kremlin, was reputed to be – at the time of its construction — the largest mosque in Russia, and in Europe outside of Istanbul.Originally, the mosque was built in the Kazan Kremlin in the 16th century. It was named after Qolşärif, who served there. Qolşärif died with his numerous students while defending Kazan from Russian forces in 1552. It is believed that the building featured minarets, both in the form of cupolas and tents. Its design was traditional for Volga Bulgaria, although elements of early Renaissance and Ottoman architecture could have been used as well. In 1552, during the storming of Kazan it was destroyed by Ivan The Terrible.Tatar scholars speculate as to whether some elements of Qolşärif Mosque can be seen in Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. Since 1996 the mosque has been rebuilt in Kazan Kremlin, although its look is decisively modern. Its inauguration on July 24, 2005 marked the beginning of celebrations dedicated to the Millennium of Kazan. It can accommodate 6,000 worshipers.Several countries contributed to the fund that was set up to build Qolşärif Mosque, namely Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. Qolşärif is considered to be one of the most important symbols of Tatar aspirations.Nowadays the mosque predominantly serves as a museum of Islam. At the same time during the major Muslim celebrations thousands of people gather there to pray.The Qolşärif complex was envisioned to be an important cornerstone of Kazan's architectural landscape. Besides the main mosque building it includes a library, publishing house and Imam's office.

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