St. Petersburg Forest Technical University

St. Petersburg Forest Technical University (the former St. Petersburg Forest Technical Academy) is one of the oldest and largest higher schools in forestry and forest industries in the world. It was founded in 1803. At that time it was not an Academy or University but a Forest Institute. It was situated in Tzar’s Village 30 kilometers from St. Petersburg. In the 18^th – 19^th centuries shipbuilding was rapidly developing and it required wood of special quality. A number of foresters were invited from Germany to Russia to train specialists in wood working and forestry.

In 1811 the Forest Institute was transferred from Tzar’s village to Lesnoye, St. Petersburg where it is situated now.

In 1820 field training courses were started in Lisino. Another training area was founded in 1902 in Okhta.

In 1827 the construction of a new building and more intensive tree planting began in the garden of the Institute.

In 1923 the Forest Institute began to specialize in 3 fields: forestry, forest technology and forest economics.

Moscow Forest Institute was joined to St. Petersburg Forest Institute in 1926.

In 1930 the Forest Institute was renamed the Forest Technical Academy. There were 6 faculties in the Academy.

During the WWII many students and teachers of the Academy went to the front. The others worked in the rear and the besieged city. The Academy produced matches as well as gun powder and explosives for the Army.

Nowadays the University trains about 8000 students at 7 faculties. They are: the Faculty of Forestry (trains foresters and landscape gardeners), the Faculty of Forest Engineering (trains specialists in logging), the Faculty of Forest Mechanics (trains specialists in forest machinery), the Faculty of Mechanical Technology of Wood (trains engineers for wood working industries), the Faculty of Economics and Management (trains managers of production) and the Faculty of Landscape Architecture. All branches of forestry and forest industry are represented in the Academy.

Since 1992 the University has been training specialists at 3 levels: Bachelor, Master of Science and Diploma Engineer. It also has the largest post-graduate department in Russia.

At present the University provides full time and by correspondence education.

The University is not only a higher school – it is also a research center. Students can take part in scientific work too.

There is a famous specialized library in the University.

The 4 buildings of the University are surrounded by a beautiful park – one of the largest inside the city. In the park and in the botanical garden of the Academy there some training areas with a lot of tree and plant species.

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial center. It is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million people.
London is situated on the river Thames. At the time of the Roman occupation in the 1^st century A.D. London wasalready a town of considerable importance. In the 9^th century King Alfred madeLondon the capital of his kingdom. The city sufferedgreatly in 1665 – nearly 70,000 Londoners died of the Great Plague. The epidemic was followed by the Great Fire of 1666 which destroyed most of the walled section of the city. After the Great Fire the Rebuilding Act was adopted. According to the Act all constructions had to be made of stone and brick.

The city suffered a great deal during WWII – it was heavily bombed. About 10, 000 people were killed and 17,000 badly wounded.

Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other.
The city is the oldest part of London, its financial and business center. Numerous banks, offices and firms are concentratedhere, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange, and the Old Bailey. Few people livein the City but over a million come to work here. Two wonderful buildings are situatedwithin the City: St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London. The Tower of London used to be a fortress. After it had lost its military significance the Tower of London became a prison and later it was turned into a museum.
Westminster is the center of administration. It includesBuckingham Palace where the Queen lives and the Houses of Parliament. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliamentis famous for its big hour bell, known as “Big Ben”. Westminster Abbey is the place where coronation of nearly all kings and queens has taken place. Many of them are buried here as well as some other famous people of the country (Newton, Ch. Dickens, R. Keepling, etc.)
The West Endis the richest and most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, restaurants, shops, clubs, bars and houses are situated there.
Trafalgar Squareis the geographical center of London. Nelson Column, which stands in the middle of the square, was builtin honor of admiral Nelson. Opposite the Nelson monument is the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. They contain the finest art collections in the world. Not far from the National Galleryis the British Museum famous for its rich library (about 7 million books).
Westminster and the West End are the main tourist attractions in London.
The East End is an industrial district of London. There aremany factories and the Port of London there. The region isdensely populated by working class families. The residents of the East End are called cockneys which means true Londoners, hereditary inhabitants of the area.
The suburbs of Londoncovera vast area. A lot of people live there and travel to the center every day to work. They are called commuters.
London is a cosmopolitan city. People of several races and many nationalities live there.

 

St. Petersburgis one of the largest cities in the world and the second largest city of Russia. Nowadays it is the political, cultural, economic and educational center of Russia. Its population is about 5 million people.

St. Petersburg is situated in the delta of the Neva river.

It was foundedin 1703 by Peter the Great. The first construction of the city was Peter and Paul fortress. The fortresswas constructedto protect the lands which were taken back from Sweden by the Russian army in the Northern war. The day of the fortress foundation is considered to be the birthday of the city.

In 1704 another fortress was built in Kronstadt, so Peter and Paul fortress lost its military significance and was turnedinto prison. The last prisoners of the fortress were the members of the Provisional government. Later it became a museum of the city history.

Peter I decidedto make a new city the capital of the country. In 1712 the city became the capital of Russia. The best architects were invitedto build palaces for the nobility. All streets were straight and houses were to be constructed of stone to prevent fires. In 1918 the capital was transferred to Moscow because it wasdangerous for the Government to stay in the city during the Civil war. Nowadays some administrative institutions have been relocated to St. Petersburg from Moscow but still most of Governmental institutions are situated in Moscow.

When the First World War began in 1914, the German-sounding name, St Petersburg, was changed to Petrograd. After the October Revolution the city was renamed after Lenin – Leningrad.

During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege to it in 1941, and for the next year and a half it was cut off from the rest of the country. No food could be brought in, and thousands of people died of starvation. Daily shelling and air raids destroyed parts of the city. Rebuilding took years.

St. Petersburg can be dividedinto two parts – the old part and so-called “sleeping” districts. They are very different from each other. Much fewer people live in the center of the city than in its sleeping districts. The main places of interest are situated in the center: the Winter Palace, the Hermitage which is one of the largest museums and art galleries in the world, the Russian Museum with a rich collection of paintings and sculptures of Russian artists sculptors, St Isaac's Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the Admiralty building and others. Thousands of tourists come to St. Petersburg from every corner of the world.

The city is calledthe Northern Venice because there are65 rivers, arms and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. It is also famous for its beautiful «White nights».