History of Saint-Petersburg
The name of the city changed several times. At first the city was called Saint-Petersburg
But it was renamed to Petrograd in 1914.
Then in 1924 just after the death of Lenin the city was given the name Leningrad.
In 1991 the old name Saint-Petersburg was given back to the city.
The city was founded by Peter I in 1703.
Its foundation started with building of The Fortress of Peter and Pavel which is now called Petropavlovskaya fortress.
1712—1733
Smolny Cathedral
Peter the Great was a Russian Tsar in the late 17th century who later on became the first Emperor of Russia. A very powerful ruler, he was famous for engaging in numerous military campaigns in order to expand his Tsardom into a large empire. Born as the 14th child of Tsar Alexis by his second wife, he was forced to shoulder the responsibilities of Tsardom from an early age.
As ruler, Peter expanded his territories greatly and implemented several radical reforms in order to make Russia a great country and a major power in Europe
But the fortress was never used in military aims. It is more famous as the main prison of Peter’s times. They guide some excursions inside the fortress now and you have an opportunity to see the prison cells of the eighteenth century. The history of the city's foundation is connected with lots of victims. Thousands of people gave their lives building Saint-Petersburg. The city was built very quickly and the building was complicated with local area peculiarities. In fact Petersburg is situated on water. Some people even compare it with Venice but such a comparison is not very right.
Plan of Saint-Petersburg 1705
Plan of Saint-Petersburg 1758
Plan of Saint-Petersburg 1901
Saint-Petersburg now
