The territory of the future of St. Petersburg in the 9-10 centuries belonged to Novgorod, and since the 13th century is known as the Izhora country. In the fifteenth century, these settlements were part of the Novgorod feudal republic, were united into a single state, Russia.
From the late 12th to the 18th century, this area was the subject of claims from many countries. In 1703, at the mouth of the Neva River, which flows into the Gulf of Finland, on Hare Island, Peter the Great established a fortress, later named after Saints Peter and Paul.
In 1703-1704, he closely founded the Kronstadt fortress and the Admiral’s fortress. Thus, Russia’s access to the Baltic Sea was established. The huge Neva through Lake Ladoga and the Volkhov River connected Novgorod and other regions of Russia with the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea and opened the way to the countries of Central Europe.
Founded as a fortress, Petersburg in 1712 became the capital of Russia and remained in this state until 1918. Then the capital returned to Moscow, but Petersburg remained with the unofficial name of “Northern Capital”.
By creating the city in a European way, the emperor wanted to modernize the whole country, abandoning the “asian” traditions in the old capital, Moscow. At first he planned to build a city as a prototype of Venice and Amsterdam with canals instead of streets.
Alas, these plans were not implemented, but the principles of urban planning of the tsar remained in the architecture of St. Petersburg and today make the city the most “European” city in Russia. Peter the Great named the new city in in memory of the Netherlands — Sankt Pieter Burch. From August 31, 1914 until January 24, 1924 the city was called Petrograd (Russian — “the city of Peter”), and then until 1991 — Leningrad (Russian — “the city of Lenin”). In 1991, the city returned to its original name — St. Petersburg. In Russia, the city is sometimes called briefly “Peter,” but not all old-timers in the city like this name.
During the battle with fascism, an unforgettable heroic resistance of the city residents takes place. For 872 days, the blockade of the city by Nazi troops continued. But, despite the famine (the only way to supply Leningrad was the “road of life” along lake Ladoga), the cold, constant artillery shelling and bombing, the city continued to live, producing weapons for the front, carefully protecting cultural values, and desperately resisting in completely inhuman living conditions, trying to keep families, friends, colleagues. Over these days, more than 600 thousand Leningraders died, but the city survived. Today in St. Petersburg, only rifle plates that remain on the houses, warning about the danger of shooting, recall the war.
The city is often called the “cultural capital of Russia”, although many other cities in the country claim this title. But the St. Petersburg ballet school is known throughout the world and even became the basis for the development of ballet art in other regions of Russia.
St. Petersburg is a large industrial, cultural and scientific center of Russia, a large railway junction, a port city and the administrative center of the Leningrad Region. More than 5 million people live here. His strangeness gives him 42 islands of the Neva River delta, on which he stands, more than 40 internal rivers, canals, streams, artificial canals, 363 bridges. Most of the city is only 1.2-3 meters above sea level, and during winds from the Gulf of Finland these areas are at risk of flooding. Because of it the city is called “Northern Venice“. Another metaphorical name for SPb is “Northern Palmyra”.
Near St. Petersburg there are about 60 industrial cities, resorts, scientific centers, palace and park ensembles — Kolpino, Pushkin, Pulkovo, Zelenogorsk, Peterhof, Gatchina, Pavlovsk, etc.
St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world due to its architectural ensemble of the 18-19th centuries, the strict layout of streets, parks and gardens, canals, bridges and footpaths, figured gratings and monumental sculptures. The life and work of writers Alexander Radishchev and Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Fedor Dostoevsky and many other great representatives of Russian culture are connected with the city.
After the Great Patriotic War all the palaces and monuments have been opened, and each visitor to the city on the Neva can once again admire Peterhof and Pavlovsky, get acquainted with the museums of the Hermitage and the Russian Museum, visit the famous Mariinsky Theater, St. Isaac’s Cathedral or just wander among the architectural ensembles.
Summer in these latitudes gives the city and its guests a time called The White Nights here. This is a peculiar brand of the city, at this time it was light almost like in the afternoon, and this is an unforgettable time in the city of St. Peter.
