St. Petersburg has been the very center of Russian history and culture since Peter the Great founded it at the beginning of the 18th-century. He shipped in foreign architects to construct an elegant western European-style city on the many islands of the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland. It has remained the most European of Russia's cities, drawing its inspiration from the West while Moscow drew much from the East.

The Czars made their home here and installed it as the capital city, thus making it Russia's major cultural center. Its name changed during World War I to the less German-sounding name of Petrograd. It was home to radicals as well as czars, and so the revolution that swept away the old order in 1917 began here, eventually leading to yet another name change, Leningrad.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the name of St. Petersburg was reinstated. Despite the difficulties Russia has experienced in recent years, the city remains an intensely stimulating and cultured place, home to one of the world's top art museums, the Hermitage, and full of wonderfully elegant and harmonious architecture.

The Insight FlexiMap of St. Petersburg is a great travel addition. Here is an innovative laminated folding map that marries durability and convenience with accuracy, utility, and readability.

Produced with state-of-the-art technology, FlexiMaps feature detailed city street and road maps clearly marked with all the sites and services of particular interest to travelers.

Text and photographs offer a wealth of valuable tourist information including "10 sights you shouldn't miss," plus information on transportation, visas, currency, important telephone numbers, emergency services, and more.

Price: $7.95