 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 27.5.1703: Foundation of St. Petersburg |
|
| The Russian Tsar Peter I began to build the city of St. Petersburg at the Neva estuary. It was supposed to make it easier to defend the areas that the Russians had annexed from the Swedes. In 1712, St. Petersburg became the capital of the Tsars empire. The city was called Petersgrad from 1914 until 1924, it was then called Leningrad from 1924 until 1991, during the period of the Soviet Union. It was constructed in a Western European style in the 18th century. It is now the cultural and economic center of northern Russia and the second largest city, with 4.5 million inhabitants. It has a number of important works of architecture, such as the Isaac cathedral and the Stroganoff palace. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
