Domik Petra Pervogo (The Cabin of Peter the Great), St. Petersburg

Hidden behind a cluster of trees on the banks of the Neva is the oldest building in St Petersburg. This is a three-room log cabin, which was home to the city's founder, Peter the Great. He lived here in 1703 while supervising the construction and development of the city and the nearby Peter and Paul Fortress. It is a timber cottage that resembles a Russian farmhouse—with the exception of its large windows. It was erected in fewer than three days. Although the cabin houses some of the tsar's personal items as well as furniture, it is hard to imagine a leader of any country living in such a tiny dwelling.