24 Facts about Moscow and St Petersburg

The Russian State Library (Moscow) is the biggest in Europe and the second in the world after the U.S. Library of Congress. Tweet This

9 million commuters ride the Moscow metro every day. That’s more than London and New York combined. Tweet This

312 km is the total length of 12 Moscow metro lines. 185 stations serve around 10,000 trains. Tweet This

Moscow actually has more billionaires than any other city in the world. Tweet This

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The name Red Square derives from the word “krasnyi”, which used to mean “beautiful”. Tweet This

Moscow and Beijing both claim to have the largest McDonald’s restaurant in the world (700 seats each.) Tweet This

Moscow’s cathedral of Christ the Saviour is the world’s tallest Eastern Orthodox church. Tweet This

“Alexander and Natalie” (in the famous Arbat Street) is the only fountain with drinking water in Moscow. Tweet This

Tsar Kolokol, the world’s largest bell, is in Kremlin. It weighs 223 tons! Tweet This

Congested Moscow traffic made some wealthy Russians hire fake ambulances to beat the jams. Tweet This

Moscow’s Fallen Monument Park hosts many unwanted Soviet statues. Tweet This

A restaurant in Moscow is staffed entirely by identical twins. Tweet This

The total length of the Kremlin walls is 2,235 m (7,333 ft.) Tweet This

The Moscow State University has 6 identical “twins” scattered in Moscow: two are hotels, two – administrative buildings, and two – blocks of flats. Tweet This

St. Petersburg was known as Petrograd from 1914 to 1924 and Leningrad from 1924 to 1991. Tweet This

The Neva River in St. Petersburg is the shortest and the deepest European river. Tweet This

The deepest Russian metro station is 86 m (almost 300 ft.) under the surface. It’s Admiralteyskaya station (St. Petersburg). Tweet This

St. Petersburg is the only city in Russia named after a saint. Tweet This

In St. Petersburg, every day a 122 mm gun shoots to mark midday. Tweet This

In St. Petersburg alone, there are 221 museums, 2,000 libraries, 80 theatres, 100 concert halls, 45 art galleries, and 62 cinemas. Tweet This

There are over 170 operating fountains in Peterhof palace, located in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. Tweet This

10% of St. Petersburg territory is covered by water. Tweet This

The Hermitage is one of the world’s largest museums, displaying three million works of art. Tweet This

Metronome ticking (dubbed the Leningrad’s heart) was played on local radio during the Siege (1941-1944) so that all residents knew the city was still alive. Tweet This