Today we return to the past, back to the city’s first days, with a visit to the place where St Petersburg was founded, by the Tsar Peter the Great. The Peter and Paul Fortress was soon turned into a political prison. There, the son of Peter the Great, Prince Alexei, writer Radischev, Decembrists and revolutionaries were held as prisoners. The Cathedral, designed by the Italian architect, Tresini, contains the remains of Russian rulers since 1725.

Then we go back to the twentieth century and visit a real warship named “Aurora”, which marked the start of the Revolution one hundred years ago when if fired a blank shot at the Winter Palace (then the residence of the Provisional Government), giving the signal to the rebellious workers, soldiers and sailors of the city to storm the palace. That moment triggered a dramatic episode in Russia’s history and was the start of over 70 years of Communist leadership.

We visit Finlandsky railway station, most famous for having been where Vlamidir Lenin returned to Russia from his exile in Switzerland on 3 April 1917 ahead of the October Revolution.

We also see Smolny institute, which was chosen by Lenin as the Bolshevik headquarters during the October Revolution. It was Lenin’s residence for several month, until the national government was moved to Moscow’s Kremlin in March 1918.

Daily by noon people gather at the Peter and Paul Fortress to hear cannon fight.