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CNN Live At Daybreak

St. Petersburg, Russia Celebrates 300th Anniversary

Aired May 27, 2003 - 06:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Russia. Its former capital, St. Petersburg, is celebrating its 300th anniversary.
Jill Dougherty is live in St. Petersburg, and she is here to tell us why this is important.

Good morning -- Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Well, we're here on the blustery Gulf of Finland, which is really where Peter the Great, the czar, about 300 -- exactly 300 years ago said, "Let there be a city." And there was a city literally built from nothing, from a swamp. And now, of course, it's one of the great cities of the world, really a gorgeous city. They call it the "Venice of the north," built on canals with beautiful buildings, some of which you probably know: the Hermitage, the famous museum.

It's been undergoing a $1.3 billion facelift, thanks to, of course, the present president of Russia. That's Vladimir Putin. He's a native son, and that certainly doesn't hurt.

There are going to be a lot of festivals, Carol, festivities celebrating this anniversary, laser shows, music festivals, et cetera. But the whole idea is to bring this city back to what it was when Peter the Great built it, had it built here, and that is a window to the West -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Absolutely gorgeous city. Jill Dougherty live from St. Petersburg, Russia this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired May 27, 2003 - 06:09   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Russia. Its former capital, St. Petersburg, is celebrating its 300th anniversary.
Jill Dougherty is live in St. Petersburg, and she is here to tell us why this is important.

Good morning -- Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Well, we're here on the blustery Gulf of Finland, which is really where Peter the Great, the czar, about 300 -- exactly 300 years ago said, "Let there be a city." And there was a city literally built from nothing, from a swamp. And now, of course, it's one of the great cities of the world, really a gorgeous city. They call it the "Venice of the north," built on canals with beautiful buildings, some of which you probably know: the Hermitage, the famous museum.

It's been undergoing a $1.3 billion facelift, thanks to, of course, the present president of Russia. That's Vladimir Putin. He's a native son, and that certainly doesn't hurt.

There are going to be a lot of festivals, Carol, festivities celebrating this anniversary, laser shows, music festivals, et cetera. But the whole idea is to bring this city back to what it was when Peter the Great built it, had it built here, and that is a window to the West -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Absolutely gorgeous city. Jill Dougherty live from St. Petersburg, Russia this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.