St Petersburg in Russia lies on the Baltic Sea, close to Finland. For two hundred years it was the capital of Russia, in land original conquered from the Swedes by Peter the Great. It has often been called the Northern Capital, and is indeed the largest city in Northern Europe.
History of Saint Petersburg
Peter the Great was one of the greatest Czars of Russia who modernised his country. During an 18 month trip in 1697 to 1698, he visited many European countries including Sweden, Prussia, England, Holland and France. Peter reduced the powers of the traditional Russian aristocrats, the boyars, created a modern civil service, made service to the country the way to achieve status, adopted the Julian Calendar, allowed women to attend social events, insisted on Western Dress and cutting off of beards, and encouraged the first newspaper and museum.
One of his greatest achievements was to found St Petersburg in 1703, which was built by conscripts in European style. St Petersburg was one of the first cities in the world that was planned, rather than evolved. He moved the country’s capital from Moscow to St Petersburg (whose name is Dutch inspired) in 1712. There was some instability in Russia after Peter’s death in 1725, a fire, and a period when the capital was moved back to Moscow. However towards the middle and end of the 17th century, Czars Elizabeth and Catherine the Great continued the building and consolidated the city.
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