Twelve Colleges

St Petersburg

LoginSave

Completed in 1744 and marked by a statue of scientist-poet Mikhail Lomonosov (1711–65), the 400m-long Twelve Colleges is one of St Petersburg’s oldest buildings. It was originally meant for Peter’s government ministries, but is now part of the university, which stretches out behind it. Within these walls populist philosopher Nikolai Chernyshevsky studied, Alexander Popov created some of the world’s first radio waves and a young Vladimir Putin earned a degree in law.

This is also where Dmitry Mendeleev invented the periodic table of elements, and the building now contains the small Mendeleev Museum. Also of interest here is the University Sculpture Garden, which can be accessed from the main entrance.

Transportation

  • metro: Vasileostrovskaya

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Jordan Staircase Of Hermitage Museum

    State Hermitage Museum

    0.56 MILES

    The Hermitage fully lives up to its sterling reputation. You can be absorbed by its treasures for days and still come out wanting more. The enormous…

  • Grand Palace

    Grand Palace

    14.17 MILES

    The Grand Palace is an imposing building, although with just 30-something rooms, it is not nearly as large as your typical tsarist palace. From the start…

  • Kunstkamera

    Kunstkamera

    0.17 MILES

    Also known as the Museum of Ethnology and Anthropology, this is the city’s first museum, founded in 1714 by Peter himself. It is famous largely for its…

  • Yusupov palace on the Moyka river.

    Yusupov Palace

    0.88 MILES

    This spectacular palace on the Moyka River has some of the best 19th-century interiors in the city, in addition to a fascinating and gruesome history. The…

  • Katherine's Palace hall in Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin).

    Catherine Palace

    15.94 MILES

    The centrepiece of Tsarskoe Selo, created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796, is the vast baroque Catherine Palace,…

  • Mariinsky theater in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

    Mariinsky Theatre

    1.12 MILES

    The Mariinsky Theatre has played a pivotal role in Russian ballet ever since it was built in 1859 and remains one of Russia's most loved and respected…

  • The Marble Bridge of the Catherine Park, Tsarskoe Selo, Pushkin.

    Catherine Park

    16.06 MILES

    Around the Catherine Palace extends the lovely Catherine Park. The main entrance is on Sadovaya ul, next to the Palace Chapel. The park extends around the…

  • State Russian Museum....The Russian Museum today is a unique depository of artistic treasures, a leading restoration center, an authoritative institute of academic research, a major educational center and the nucleus of a network of national museums of art...The Russian Museum collection contains more than 400.000 exhibits. The main complex of museum buildings - the Mikhailovsky Palace and Benois Wing - houses the permanent exhibition of the Russian Museum, tracing the entire history of Russian art from the tenth to the twentieth centuries. The museum collection embraces all forms, genres, schools and movements of art.....www.rusmuseum.ru/eng

    Russian Museum

    1.17 MILES

    Focusing solely on Russian art, from ancient church icons to 20th-century paintings, the Russian Museum's collection is magnificent and can easily be…

View more attractions

Nearby St Petersburg attractions

1. Mendeleev Museum

0.03 MILES

Call ahead to arrange a tour of this small but interesting museum inside St Petersburg University and dedicated to Dmitry Mendeleev, creator of the…

2. University Sculpture Garden

0.07 MILES

In the midst of the university grounds is a whimsical collection of sculptures from different artists including monuments to figures as disparate as Ho…

3. Kunstkamera

0.17 MILES

Also known as the Museum of Ethnology and Anthropology, this is the city’s first museum, founded in 1714 by Peter himself. It is famous largely for its…

4. Menshikov Palace

0.2 MILES

The first stone building in the city, the Menshikov Palace was built to the grandiose tastes of Prince Alexander Menshikov, Peter the Great’s closest…

5. Museum of Zoology

0.22 MILES

One of the biggest and best of its kind in the world, the Museum of Zoology was founded in 1832 and has some amazing exhibits, including a vast blue whale…

6. Pushkin House

0.23 MILES

The old Customs House, topped with statues and a dome, is now home to the Institute of Russian Literature. Fondly called Pushkin House, the handsome…

7. Old Stock Exchange

0.25 MILES

Designed by French architect Jean-Francois Thomas de Thomon, the Greek revival–style Stock Exchange was completed in 1810. It ceased to serve its original…

8. Rostral Columns

0.28 MILES

The two Rostral Columns, archetypal St Petersburg landmarks, are studded with ships’ prows and four seated sculptures representing four of Russia’s great…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "russia/st-petersburg/vasilyevsky-island/attractions/twelve-colleges/a/poi-sig/1480569/1336041",
  "destination": "St-Petersburg",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Russia",
  "city": "St-Petersburg",
  "position": "superzone"
}