St. Petersburg is divided into five central areas, each reflecting different sides of the city`s past. Vasilevskiy Island contains museums and scholarly institutions; Petrogradskaya is dominated by the Peter and Paul Fortress; Palace Embankment is lined with stately palaces; Gostinyy Dvor is the city`s commercial hub; and Sennaya Ploshchad is an area of tree-lined canals.