Cinema is a unique and fascinating art form capable of opening our eyes to a new and unknown world. As soon as the lights go out in a theatre, the magic begins, causing viewers to laugh, cry and worry along with the characters. In Russia cinemas came first to the then capital of St. Petersburg. At the beginning of the 20th century, cinemas opened in the northern capital by the dozen, in both the outskirts and the city’s historic centre. The Piccadilly Cinema, built in 1913 on Nevsky Prospect, proved to be particularly popular, and in 1917, another cinema, the Splendid Palace, opened nearby. A bit later, a new cinema for children, «Rodina», took over. To this day the cinema is still open and shows films popular among younger viewers. RTG TV host Vladimir Kolganov looks into the history of some of St. Petersburg’s oldest cinemas in this RTG TV programme.