Saint-Petersburg

Overview

St Petersburg is the cultural capital of Russia. The city was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great. It was renamed Petrograd, then Leningrad, during the twentieth century. In the early nineties people voted to return to the name of St. Petersburg. The city contains many cultural heritages including the Hermitage, the Mariinsky Theatre, and the Russian Museum. The most famous inhabitants of this city are Dostoyevski, Pushkin, Tschajkovski, and Tcherniavski.

History

ST. PETERSBURG: IMPERIALISM TO CAPITALISM

St. Petersburg's history is a very unique and beautiful one. In ancient times the Finnish gulf, Ladoga lake, Onega lake and their environs were regions of constant battle between Novgorod and the Centralised Russian state, and later neighbouring countries especially Sweden.

In 1240 Duke Alexander Nevsky , Commander of the Novgorod troops defeated the Swedes at the place where the Izhora River falls into the Neva river. But in 1716 during the reign of Michael Feodorovich, Russia was forced to give up the Izhora lands to the Swedes as part of a peace treaty signed between the two parties. Thus Russia lost access to the strategic Baltic sea.

THE FORTRESSES

When Peter the Great (1689-1995) became king in 1699 he had a vision to recapture this natural outlet to the Baltic sea. In 1700 the Northern war with Sweden broke out. That war lasted for twenty one years. In the fall of 1702 Russia siezed the fortress town of Noteburg . Peter renamed this fortress Schluesselburg (Key town). On the 16th of May 1703 the foundation stone of the Peter and Paul Fortress was laid. Thus May 16 is considered St. Petersburg's foundation date. The Peter and Paul Fortress lies on the Zayachy Island. The construction of Kronstadt, the first sea fortress was completed in 1704 . The location of these three fortresses marked the boundaries of the future Russian Capital city and its suburbs.

THE NORTHERN CAPITAL

In 1710 , Peter the Great moved the capital of the Russian state from Moscow to St. Petersburg. This was followed by the relocation of the Tsar's family and all major governmental bodies to the new capital. On the 24th of July 1714, the Russian navy commanded by Peter himself, won a major victory at Gangut cape in the Baltic sea hence opening the door to Western Europe.

BUILDING A UNIQUE CAPITAL

The first architect employed to design the city plan was Domenico Trezini . It was he who made the first layout of the city center. His designs were employed in the construction of the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, the building of the Twelve Boards, and the laying of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

Jean Batist Leblon , also an architect, designed the general city layout. During that period the Menshikov palace and the Kunstamera were constructed. A pause in the city's development set in just after Peter the Great's demise in 1725 ....more