Capitals from Moscow to another city. The opportunity presented itself during the Great Northern War. At the beginning of the XVIII century. Russian troops managed to win back the Neva river basin from the Swedes. To consolidate the power of Russia over this territory, on May 16, 1703, Peter I signed a decree on the founding of the city of St. Petersburg. In many ways, this decision was risky: the border and the conflicting neighboring state were close, and marshy soils also did not contribute to the construction of the city. However, construction progressed rapidly. In the same year, the first St. Petersburg building, the Peter and Paul Fortress, was laid.
In the same year, Peter I ordered the construction of a plant to begin, next to which the city of Petrozavodsk subsequently grew.
1703 in the Northern War
1703 was the fourth year in a protracted military conflict between the Russian Empire and Sweden. The struggle was not only for territories, but also for geopolitical influence in the region.
The year 1703 within the framework of this war was successful for Russia. An important territorial acquisition was made - the Nienschanz fortress with the surrounding lands. This made possible the construction of St. Petersburg, as well as the foundation of the Shlisselburg Fortress, an important military outpost in the Baltic. Already in 1703, plans were developed for the further advance of Russian troops into Ingermanland and Livonia. These conquests were realized in 1704.
As a result of the protracted Northern War, Russia nevertheless managed to consolidate its position in the Baltic states and take the place of a great European power.
1703 in foreign history
In 1703, important historical events took place not only in Russia, but also in the rest of the world. In Western Europe, there was a war for the Spanish Succession. Since the king of Spain died without an heir, the king of France and the emperor of Austria fought for the right to the throne of his heir. In 1703, the Austrian Archduke Karl declared himself king, but could neither be crowned nor actually govern the state. The result of the confrontation a few years later was the accession to the Spanish throne of a representative of the French Bourbon dynasty.
I remember the year 1703 and natural disasters. in the Atlantic
Ideologically, the reformer Peter I presented the time of his reign as a starting point, as the beginning of beginnings for Russia. The cities that he mapped were supposed to mark the expanding borders of a new country - the Russian Empire. The pathos of novelty, originality, the creation of a rationally organized space out of chaos, the triumph of the victory of the power of reason over the natural elements culminates in the symbolic meaning of the new imperial capital
Taganrog
The very idea of moving the capital of the state to a young and impetuous - to match itself - city owned Peter long before the founding of St. Petersburg. Initially, for this purpose, the tsar looked after a cape on the Azov coast with the Turkic name "Tagan-Rogu", which meant "lighthouse". Founded by decree of Peter the Great in 1698, the fortress city of Taganrog became the first naval base of the Russian fleet, the first Russian port and the first city with planned regular development. Ironically, in 1710, after the defeat in the Turkish war, Peter had to, fulfilling the demand of the winners, himself give the order to destroy the city. However, by this time, the city-planning ambitions of the king received new opportunities for implementation.
Petrokrepost (Shlisselburg)
The key to the long-awaited assertion of the Russian status on the Baltic coast was the first major victory of the Peter's flotilla in the Northern War: "This nut was very cruel, however, thank God, it was happily gnawed" - this is how Peter described the capture of the ancient Russian fortress Oreshek on October 11, 1702, ninety years until then in the hands of the Swedes. From this moment, the city begins to exist, which the tsar called Shlisselburg - “the key city”.
St. Petersburg
The metaphor of the key in the hand of St. Peter, the key to paradise, is clearly read in the central symbol on the coat of arms of St. Petersburg - the anchor. Russia is not just firmly entrenched on the swampy banks of the Neva; its new capital, having enlisted the support of its heavenly patron, immediately began to claim the symbolic status of the "eternal city" - the new Rome.
The new structure of the royal palace is also connected with the new idea of rationally constructed political power, based both on military exploits and philosophical reflections: the Grand Palace (a symbolic place of public service), the Menagerie (a place of hunting, military prowess), the Hermitage (a place of philosophical privacy).
Peterhof
The first architectural representation of the ideal of a regular state was Peterhof. Its palace and park ensemble illustrated the transition from the Byzantine model of sacred and symbolic space (the palace-"Jerusalem") to the Western European (Roman) concept of the sovereignty of a strong state power.
Petrozavodsk
Peter was well aware that in order to be convincing, the manifestation of foreign policy victories needs the support of industry, primarily the military. Even during the reign of Peter's father, iron in Russia was mainly "Svean" - it was imported from Sweden. With the beginning of the Northern War, on the personal instructions of the tsar, the construction of their own "iron factories" began: Petrozavodsk, which grew out of factory settlements, in the north and Lipetsk in the south. The largest centers for the production of iron and steel, cannons and anchors - both cities owe their birth to Peter's decree, both are artisans of the same age as royal Petersburg
In 1702, at the confluence of the Lipovka River with the Voronezh River, the founder of the city, Peter I, ordered to lay factories for the smelting of cast iron, steel, and the manufacture of cannons. The choice of the place where the city was founded was influenced by the proximity of iron ore deposits. Thanks to the source of mineral waters and the most beautiful southern landscapes, Lipetsk became the first Russian resort - its development was also the initiative of Peter. Lipetsk water is similar in composition to the mineral waters of the famous German resorts - Liebenstein and Termont. The springs are still preserved, their condition is perfect. They are located in the Lower Park, which in itself is a pearl, because its age is more than 200 years.
Just as St. Petersburg opened a “window to Europe” for Russia, Biysk became a “window to Asia” – the only city founded by Peter beyond the Urals, on the trade routes to Mongolia and China. On February 29, 1708, Peter I signed a decree on the construction of a fortress at the source of the Ob River. The fortress was supposed to participate in the defense of the southeastern borders of the Russian Empire.
May 18, 1703 is considered the founding date of the Baltic Fleet. It was on this day that under the command of Peter I, a flotilla of 30 boats with soldiers of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments won the first military victory, capturing two Swedish warships at the mouth of the Neva River: the 10-gun galliot Gedan and the 8-gun shnyava Astrild.
The first ship built for the Baltic Fleet was the Shtandart frigate. It was laid down by decree of Peter the Great at the Olonets shipyard and was designed by the Dutch shipbuilder Vybe Gerens. In 1724 the Baltic Fleet had 141 sailing warships and several hundred rowboats. By the end of the 19th century, the Baltic Fleet included over 250 modern ships of all classes.
The Baltics more than once valiantly defended the interests of their homeland in naval military battles. It is worth noting the role of the fleet in the Northern War of 1700-1721, the Russo-Swedish wars of the 18th century, and even the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905.
During the First World War, the Baltic Fleet won the battle for the Baltic against the German fleet, destroying over 100 enemy ships and auxiliary enemy ships.
After the Civil War, the Baltic Fleet began to actively modernize - dozens of the latest ships, naval aviation, and long-range coastal defense guns were put into service. On February 23, 1928, the fleet was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
The Baltic Fleet entered the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) as part of two battleships, two cruisers, 19 destroyers, 65 submarines, 656 aircraft and other weapons. Defending the Motherland, the Baltics launched 1205 warships, transports and auxiliary vessels to the bottom, destroyed 2418 enemy aircraft. More than 82,000 sailors were awarded high state awards, 173 Baltics were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, four of them twice.
The modern Baltic Fleet is a large operational-strategic formation capable of operating effectively at sea, in the air and on land. It consists of more than 100 warships, over 150 aircraft and helicopters of naval aviation. The basis of the ship composition of the Baltic Fleet are two Project 956 destroyers - Persistent and Restless. They were commissioned in the early 1990s. The fleet, in addition, is the main training base for the Russian Navy and, along with the Northern Fleet, the 1st Air Force and Air Defense Command, the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, is part of the Western Military District.
In the 2000s The combat strength of the Baltic Fleet was replenished with modern ships equipped with modern weapons and technical equipment: the Yaroslav Mudry patrol ship, the Steregushchy and Soobrazitelny corvettes, and the St. Petersburg diesel submarine. In the short term, it will include: the Boiky serial corvette and the Admiral Gorshkov frigate.
In 2000-2010 ships of the fleet made visits and business calls to more than 100 seaports in Europe, Asia, America and Africa, successfully participated in international exercises.
St. Petersburg is a federal city of the Russian Federation, the second largest city in the country, located in the north-west of the country, on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Peter I and from 1712 to 1918 was the capital of the Russian Empire.
Today, the population of the city is about 4.5 million people, it is an important economic, political, transport and cultural center of the state. St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, attracting many tourists every year.
The city center and palace and park ensembles have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The city hosts over 200 museums and about 70 theaters.
The city is certainly a cultural gem of humanity. It is no coincidence that around him, his history revolves around a large number of stories, legends and myths, some of which we will consider.
Finns were the original inhabitants of the Petersburg lands. This myth is often used by Finnish historians, which is not surprising. Allegedly, the original inhabitants of the Neva lands are not Russians at all, but Ingrian Finns. In the press of this Scandinavian republic, and even in our country, one can often find information that some toponyms in St. Petersburg and its environs were renamed from the original Finnish forms. However, the researchers note the discrepancy between the Finnish place names and the supposedly renamed Russian ones. Long before the founding of the city, there were Russian villages in the area along the Neva, while the number of Finnish settlements was insignificant. It is believed that the Finns appeared here in mass quantities only after the Peace of Stolbov in 1617, when this territory became part of Sweden. Examining the Swedish population censuses, the historian S. Semenov found that in 1623 there were almost 90% of Russians in Ingria, but after 70 years their share decreased to 26%. Obviously, the local population gradually migrated to Russia, not wanting to live under Swedish rule. Earlier this date, the population was mixed, in addition to Russians, Karelians and Izhors lived here, while the proportion of Finns was small.
St. Petersburg was built on swamps in a non-residential area. Largely thanks to Pushkin, who wrote about the emergence of the city "from the darkness of swamps, from swamps of blat", this myth arose. In fact, in this area since ancient times there was a rather large city of Nien, as well as at least thirty villages. Where Liteiny Prospekt now begins, there used to be the village of Frolovshchina, at the source of the Fontanka - the settlement of Kanduya, Spasskoye was located on the site of Smolny, and so on. There were villages on Krestovsky Island, on the Karpovka River, and there were as many as 12 settlements on the banks of the Okhta. Therefore, it is not surprising that all this infrastructure was actively involved in the construction of the city. It is not surprising that the barracks of the Semenovsky regiment were located far from the center of the built city, because they were actually attached to the existing village, which served the soldiers and officers, providing them with food and shelter.
St. Petersburg is actually built on bones. There is an opinion that during the construction of the city, the labor of serfs was widely used, which no one especially took care of, therefore, in a difficult climate, there were many victims among the builders. However, the source of such information is foreigners, who did not particularly delve into the real state of affairs, but based their conclusions on the basis of hostility towards the reformer tsar. But there should have been traces of mass graves then! The remains of the dead peasants could not have disappeared without a trace, who, according to conservative estimates, died from 30 thousand, and according to the most daring and up to 300 thousand. And in the 50s of the 20th century, archaeologist A. Grach conducted systematic excavations in order to discover mass graves. What was his surprise when, instead of mass graves, he found ordinary cesspools, in which food waste from cattle, which the builders ate, was buried. Having studied the documents, historians came to the conclusion that St. Petersburg was built at all for serfs, and civilian workers, while there was a humane shift method, according to which work was carried out 3-5 months a year. The artels went home for the winter. The death of several hundred people who built Oranienbaum can be considered the most massive death of builders, but this was not caused by the atrocities of the authorities, but by the outbreak of the epidemic. In addition, the construction was carried out under the supervision of Menshikov, in private, so that the state did not control the entire process. Naturally, the labor of serfs was used, largely thanks to the landlords, who cost their homes with the help of the labor of subjects, and the state also used the services of convicts, but one should not exaggerate the scale of this phenomenon.
Huge losses were suffered during the war on the Road of Life. Many Western authors, and even domestic ones, cite the following statistics - only one out of three trucks successfully passed the Road of Life. However, the figures differ, but this myth unites them. But, given that more than 280 trucks came to the city every day, it follows that the losses were 560, which means that the country would have lost 88,000 vehicles in just one blockade winter. For comparison, much fewer cars were delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease. So do not underestimate the importance and effectiveness of the Road of Life.
During the Finnish War, Mannerheim's troops stopped at the old border. The memoirs of Marshal Mannerheim indicate that the Finnish troops stopped at the turn of the Svir. The fact is that the reason for the war on the part of the USSR was the security of Leningrad, and the violation of the border by the Finns would just confirm the legitimacy of Soviet claims. That is why the troops stopped at the old lines, despite the pressure of the Germans. However, there are opponents to this point of view. Many historians believe that the Finns were stopped not by political motives, but by the fortifications of the "Stalin Line", which, moreover, were provided with artillery fire. Including large caliber. Moreover, there are documented facts of orders for Finnish military units to cross the old border, which met with massive refusals among the soldiers. It should be mentioned that after the closing of the siege ring around Leningrad in the autumn of 1941, Mannerheim officially announced that Finland was not interested in the existence of such a settlement as Leningrad. Thus, the Finns did not really cross the border, but the reasons were not at all their peacefulness, but the power of the Red Army.
The blockade of Leningrad was deliberately delayed by Stalin. According to this myth, Stalin was in no hurry to break through the blockade of the city, although he had every opportunity to do so. The goal was the destruction of the Leningrad intelligentsia by the Nazis. However, publicly available sources indicate that throughout the entire defense of the city, the country's leadership took all measures to evacuate the country, and this primarily concerned those who could not actively participate in the defense of Leningrad - the elderly, children, including the intelligentsia. Aviation was often used to transport children, as well as to deliver especially valuable cargo. Indeed, intellectuals remained in the city until the last moment, but those who could help the city with the help of their specialization. It should be said that the ration was less than that of the workers who were engaged in hard work. So the position of the intelligentsia was on a par with other groups of people, there is no need to talk about any systematic destruction.
St. Petersburg is a large city in terms of area. Citizens, standing idle for hours in traffic jams and spending considerable time on travel, believe that St. Petersburg is a big city. Moreover, this opinion is confirmed if we compare St. Petersburg with nearby cities in Finland. However, it is worth comparing the area of the city with the truly giants - Berlin. Paris, the same Moscow. It turns out that the area of St. Petersburg is relatively small, the center occupies a gigantic area, since this is a historical building, and it does not allow alterations. The number of inhabitants is much higher than reasonable norms. In addition to the center, there is a ring of sleeping areas, which are actually isolated from it by industrial zones. The layout of the city is completely not adapted to the number of inhabitants who live in it. The area of the city itself is 5 times smaller than the area of Moscow, 8 times smaller than that of London and Paris. But the same area, for example, has Saratov with a population 4 times smaller. Thus, the infrastructure of the city is adapted for living 1, maximum 2, million people. This discrepancy causes discomfort for the citizens, which manifests itself in difficulties with transport, lack of places for recreation, problems with housing, poor performance of utilities, and so on. The solution is either in the development of infrastructure, or in the gradual outflow of citizens to more favorable places, a trend towards which is observed.
St. Petersburg is the largest port city. But tourists who stay in St. Petersburg by land do not have such an impression. The fact is that the city cannot be called a port city in the traditional sense of the word. Indeed, maritime motifs are abundant in the architecture, but the port huddles close to the center, while its piers and cranes are hidden from the eyes of tourists. The city does not have an embankment typical of ports with cafes and yachts at the pier. And the cargo port is not significant by European standards, in terms of cargo turnover it is comparable to Helsinki - the backyards of Europe. Already in the times of Peter the Great, it was known that the average depth of the section of the Gulf of Finland to Kronstadt was 3 meters, which is clearly not enough for the passage of merchant ships. Therefore, a channel 12-14 meters deep was built along the bottom of the bay, but even this is not enough for the passage of ships up to 100 thousand tons. Today, the need for cargo turnover is about 150 million tons per year, while in fact it is five times less. And in the port, ships over 200 meters long will simply not be able to turn around, which automatically excludes the city from those that can be visited on a cruise ship. With this restriction alone, the city is losing a large number of tourists. Yes, and there is no developed infrastructure for tourist ships or yachts in St. Petersburg. It turned out that having received access to the sea through the Baltic in the USSR, the port of Leningrad then practically did not develop, the fruits of which we are reaping today - the city is not a major European port.
St. Petersburg is a major tourist center. For the emergence of tourism, it is necessary, first of all, to create conditions for guests. A developed tourist center should meet all the requirements of the most demanding visitors. In the case of St. Petersburg, the city, despite its attractiveness comparable to Paris, is far behind in terms of tourism opportunities. For example, the city is able to retain tourists almost more than anyone else in Europe, but there are only 31 thousand hotel rooms. According to this indicator, it makes no sense to compete with Paris or Berlin, but it is quite possible to compete with the modest Finnish Turku, in which there are 45 thousand hotel beds for 180 thousand people. St. Petersburg is practically devoid of sightseeing transport that would take tourists to sights, and municipal transport is poorly developed. The city does not have a decent entertainment center - a water park or Disneyland, an aquarium or a SPA hotel. A foreign tourist is obviously discriminated against, as he pays more for all tourist services, and this repels, harming the prestige of the city. In Europe, it is customary that the main travelers are people of retirement age, who, in case of pleasant experiences, will recommend this place to richer children. But what will pensioners see in St. Petersburg? What kind of visit to the Hermitage are they taking 5 times more? The city still has to work and work on the development of tourism, for example, in London, 70% of the city budget is filled precisely at the expense of this article.
St. Petersburg is the cultural capital. Undoubtedly, the city is rich in its cultural roots, the number of museums and the education of its inhabitants. But does all this make the outer ring of residential areas more cultured? Today, the vast majority of residents cannot have a normal rest, attend cultural events, since almost all places of culture and entertainment are located on the territory of the historical center. In the sleeping areas, the recreation industry does not develop. Go to the center, "thanks" to the transport network is issued infrequently, moreover, such a pleasure is not cheap. It is no coincidence that the majority of citizens rarely leave their microdistrict. Today, the number of children's creative teams, studio theaters and other organizations for which the city was so famous is constantly decreasing. Of course, in the past, St. Petersburg was indeed a cultural capital, but this title, given the current trends in the development of the city, can quickly be lost.
When the foundation of the city was announced, an eagle appeared over Peter. The legend says that on May 16, 1703, Peter I examined the island of Yeni-Saari. Suddenly the king stopped, cut out a couple of pieces of turf, laid them cross on the cross and announced that there would be a city. And at that moment an eagle appeared in the sky and began to soar over Peter. It looked very symbolic. In fact, on the island of Yeni-Saari (the Finnish name would later change to "Hare"), not a city, but a fortress was founded. The settlement arose later, on the neighboring Berezovy Island, under the protection of a defensive complex. Some researchers claim that from May 11 to May 20, Peter was not in these places at all. The appearance of an eagle in the sky was also doubtful - what could a mountain bird do over the swamps? She was never seen above the Neva.
Saint Petersburg is named after its founder, Peter I. Tsar Peter was baptized on June 29, 1672 on Peter's Day. The ruler had long dreamed of naming some kind of fortress in honor of his heavenly angel. It was planned that the city of Petra would appear on the Don in the event of a successful completion of the Azov campaign. But there was a failure. On May 16, 1703, the fortress of St. Petersburg was founded on the Neva. But already on June 29, after the laying of the Cathedral of Peter and Paul in it, they began to call it Peter and Paul. And the old original name has already passed to the whole city. But before the moment when this name was officially fixed, another name was found in the correspondence - St. Petropolis. The Hermitage even keeps the first engraving depicting a city with this unusual name.
The symbol of the city is the copper monument to Peter I. This monument was the very first in the city. Surprisingly, the "Bronze Horseman" is not copper at all, but bronze. The monument got its name, thanks to Pushkin's poem of the same name.
The Kissing Bridge is named after the lovers. It is believed that lovers constantly met and kissed on this bridge, which gave the name to the object. It is symbolic that the bridge, moreover, never gets divorced, as if not wanting to separate hearts. In fact, the Kiss Bridge got its name from the Kiss Inn. This institution was located on the left bank of the Moika at the corner of Nikolskaya Street in the house of the merchant Potseluev. It seems obvious that it was the trader's surname that gave the name to the inn, and then to the bridge.
Vasilyevsky Island is named after the artilleryman, captain Vasily Korchmin. There is a legend that under Peter in the western part of the island there was a fortification under the command of Korchmin. When the tsar sent orders there, he simply said: "To Vasily on the island." That's how the name seems to have come about. However, the island received its name long before the founding of St. Petersburg. In 1500, in the census salary book of the Vodinsky Pyatina of Veliky Novgorod, Vasilyevsky Island was mentioned. But he also had another name, Finnish - Moose or Hirva-Saari. Peter planned to place the center of the new city here.
Barmaleeva Street on the Petrograd side was named after the robber from Chukovsky's fairy tale "Aibolit". In fact, everything was exactly the opposite. In the 1920s, Chukovsky, walking around the city with the artist Dobuzhinsky, suddenly came across a street with a strange name. Creative personalities immediately began to fantasize about this topic, inventing the African robber Barmaley. The artist created his portrait, and the poet later wrote poems about him. There is even an old word "barmolit" in Russian, which means slurred speech. Perhaps a certain person was called "barmaley", then the nickname became a surname. And then a street appeared on the spot where Barmaley or Barmaleev was a landowner.
St. Petersburg holds the world record for the number of bridges. This beautiful myth flatters the locals. Within the city there are about a hundred rivers, branches, channels and channels, about the same number of reservoirs. The total number of bridges is 340-370, depending on the quality of the count. But this is clearly not a world record. There are 2300 bridges in Hamburg, which is more than in St. Petersburg, Venice and Amsterdam combined.
Floods in the city are caused by the Neva. This myth has been around for two centuries. Today it is already clear that cyclones are to blame for this, driving streams of water in autumn to this particular place of the Gulf of Finland. This is how a high wave is formed, forcing the waters of the Neva to rise. In the entire history of the city, more than three hundred floods were recorded, three of which (in 1777, 1824 and 1924) turned out to be catastrophic.
A casket with gold coins is stored in the gilded ball of the Admiralty spire. It is believed that samples of all gold coins minted since the founding of the city are collected in this egg-pod. The casket really exists, but it is not treasures hidden in it, but information about repairs to the spire and weather vane throughout the existence of the Admiralty, as well as about the masters who carried out the work.
Valery Chkalov flew under the Trinity Bridge. During the filming of the film "Valery Chkalov", director Kalatozov heard how in tsarist times some brave pilot flew under the Trinity Bridge. This story impressed the cinematographer, and she got into the script. Allegedly, Chkalov was expelled from the Air Force for a hooligan flight under the bridge. And he did it to win the heart of his beloved. This legend came to life, they even began to write when the flight took place, on which plane and what the future wife of the hero was watching. However, she herself claimed that she had never seen her husband fly. And Chkalov himself in 1926-1928 could not fly over Leningrad. He either served in Bryansk, then studied in Lipetsk, then served a criminal sentence. You can fly under the bridge only during the day. But then it would be full of eyewitnesses on the embankments! They did not appear, and in the Leningrad press in 1924-1928 nothing was written about such a flight. But in 1940, the press enthusiastically wrote how Yevgeny Borisenko "repeated" Chkalov's trick. He did it under the Kirov bridge during the filming of a film about a pilot.
St. Petersburg stands on 101 islands. In the middle of the 19th century, when the capital islands were counted, there were indeed 101 of them. Even then, this number was less than in the previous century. Then the islands counted 147. The number decreased due to numerous factors, both natural and related to human activities. Some islands were washed away by the sea and wind, others fell victim to new channels, and others merged together. By the middle of the 20th century, only 42 islands remained on the map of the city.
The building of the Twelve Collegia stands facing the embankment to make room for the Menshikov Palace. This myth has turned into a kind of historical anecdote. Indeed, it seems strange that the building does not stand along the embankment, but perpendicular to it. After all, it has always been significant and could become the center of the whole complex. According to legend, Peter, leaving the city under construction, instructed Alexander Menshikov to control the structure of the building. The assistant saw that the long building, according to the plan of the architect, should face the Neva. But then on the embankment, the best part of the city, there will be no place left for Menshikov's own palace. He certainly wanted to stake out a place for himself, ordering to turn the building perpendicular to the river. Peter, seeing the building, was furious. But it was too late to stop construction. The tsar did not dare to execute Menshikov, simply fined him. The legend is still questionable. Historians believe that the facade of the building of the Twelve Collegia was planned to be oriented to the main square of the city. It's just that a redevelopment happened later and it was not possible to carry out, the building has already found its place.
Zhdanov Street is named after the party official Andrei Zhdanov, who led Leningrad during the blockade. Zhdanovskaya Street got its name back in 1887. It, like the embankment of the same name, was named after the Zhdanovka River in the Petrogradsky district of the city.
Zhukov Street is named after the legendary commander who fought near Leningrad. The street in the Kalininsky district has nothing to do with the Soviet marshal. She received her name in 1923 in honor of Ilya Zhukov. This secretary of the Vyborg district party committee was a participant in the Civil War. In honor of Marshal Zhukov, the city named the avenue.
During the Northern War with the Swedes, the Russian army, led by Peter 1, recaptured the Swedish fortress Nyenschantz in the battle. In order to consolidate his position in this territory, Peter gave the order to found a city near the fortress.
Peter independently began to explore the nearest territories in order to find a more suitable place - it had to be near the sea and be suitable for life. The search led him to Hare Island. Soon the first fortifications were erected on this site.
According to Peter's plan, St. Petersburg was conceived as a port city, which also influenced the choice of its location.
Construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress
The exact year of foundation of St. Petersburg is May 16 (27), 1703. It was on this day that the Peter and Paul Fortress was founded on Hare Island. The location of the fortress made it possible to exercise complete control over the sea and ships approaching the shore and, if necessary, open fire on them. The fortress itself was surrounded by water, which made it difficult to assault and made it a safe and secure place.
Immediately after the order to found the city, Peter personally cut down a wooden house for himself, which has survived to this day and is one of the symbols of the city.
There was a war, so it was necessary to build a fortress as soon as possible. The construction was supervised by Peter1 himself - he drew up a plan for the fortress and monitored its execution. The fortress was built in record time - three years.
Initially, the fortress was called St. Petersburg, but after the construction of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the courtyard of the fortress, it began to be called Peter and Paul. In 1917, this name was recognized as official.
The next most important building was the shipyards - the Admiralty. The founding of the Admiralty in St. Petersburg in 1904 allowed the city to become a major sea point from its first days.
In 1706, active development of the territories around the fortress and shipyards began.
City development
The new city is developing very quickly - soon after the construction of the fortress, work is underway on several nearby islands. From the very beginning, Peter conceived of St. Petersburg as a new capital and a “Window to Europe”, so the city is being built up in the manner of European capitals.
Peter wants to build a city as quickly as possible, so labor service has been introduced. During the construction of the city, many people die, as working conditions are very bad. The harsh climate and swamps on which Petersburg stands play a role in this.
Without waiting for the completion of construction, Peter moves the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg. All the most important organs of state administration are now located here.
1712-1918 – St. Petersburg is the capital of Russia.
Name
Many people think that the name is connected with the foundation of St. Petersburg by Peter the Great. This is not so. When laying the foundation stone, the city was named in honor of the Apostle Peter, who is the patron saint of St. Petersburg and Peter 1 himself.
In 1914, after Russia entered the First World War, the city was renamed Petrograd. This is largely due to the anti-German sentiment prevailing at that time (the root "burg" comes from the German - the city).
In 1924 the city was renamed again, this time to Leningrad. The city is named after the deceased V.I. Lenin.
In 1991 the city returns its historical name.
