File:Symbols in the landscape of Saint Petersburg, Russia.jpg

Color itself is a significant symbol in the landscape of Saint Petersburg. Since the foundation of the city, special attention has been paid to the color range used when designing facades of the buildings. The standards have been changing throughout the centuries, but some patterns still stay the same. Despite the fashion trends, warm colors have always dominated. This tendency can be explained quite easily. Saint Petersburg is a northern city, and it has rather cool and damp climate. Gloomy skies, cold weather and lack of the sunlight during the wintertime affect people both on physiological and psychological level. Yellow, orange and light red colors of the buildings and street lighting imitate the sunshine and help to mitigate the negative effects of Nordic climate. Indirectly, this also influences different spheres of social life.