English: In the middle of the fortress of St. Petersburg stands the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial place of all the Russian Emperors and Empresses from Peter the Great to Alexander III. The Cathedral was the first church in the city to be built of stone (between 1712-33) and its design is curiously unusual for a Russian Orthodox church.

On top of the cathedrals’ gilded spire stands a magnificent golden angel holding a cross. This weathervane is one of the most prominent symbols of St Petersburg, and at 123 meters (404ft) tall, the cathedral is the highest building in the city.

The salmon coloured building is Peter the Great's Boat House built in 1762-1765. The building was designed to store a national relic, Peter the Great's boat. Peter's small rowboat with a sail, the one he used to learn sailing, was shipped from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1723. The original boat remained here between 1767 to 1931 and is now in the Central Museum of the Navy. An exact replica of Peter's boat was built in 1997 and installed at the Boat House in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy.