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Saint Petersburg
*** Shopping-Tip: Saint Petersburg
:''For other uses, see
St. Petersburg, Florida or
Saint Petersburg (disambiguation).''
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Federal districts of Russia District: ||
Northwestern Federal District North West Russia
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Subdivisions of Russia Subdivision: ||
Federal cities of Russia Federal city
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Geographic coordinate system Location: || {{coor dm|59|56|N|30|20|E|region:RU_type:city(4,661,219)}}
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Area: .html">Square kilometre
km²
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Population: || 4,661,219
(2002 Census)
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Population density: || 3330 persons/km²
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Altitude: || 3 m
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Postal code: || 190000-199406
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Area code Dialing code: || +7 812
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License plate: || 78, 98
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Image:neva spit.jpg Neva.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|The [[Neva river has been called the main street of St Petersburg..html" title="Meaning of 300px|The [[Neva">thumb|300px|The [[Neva river has been called the main street of St Petersburg.">300px|The [[Neva">thumb|300px|The [[Neva river has been called the main street of St Petersburg.
'''Saint Petersburg''' {{Audio|Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg|listen}} ({{lang-ru|Санкт-ПетербуÌ?рг}}, ''Sankt-Peterburg'') is a city located in
northwestern Russia on the delta of the river
Neva at the east end of the
Gulf of Finland on the
Baltic Sea. It is informally known as Питер (''Piter'') and was formerly known as '''Leningrad''' ({{lang|ru|ЛенинграÌ?д}}, 1924–1991) and '''Petrograd''' ({{lang|ru|ПетрограÌ?д}}, 1914–1924).
Founded by
Tsar Peter I of Russia Peter the Great in 1703 as a "window to Europe," it served as the capital of the
Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (the capital was moved to
Moscow after the
Russian Revolution of 1917). With about 4.7 million inhabitants (2002), today Saint Petersburg is
Russia Russia's second-largest city, Europe's fourth largest city, a major European cultural center, and the most important Russian port on the Baltic.
Saint Petersburg is the northernmost city in the world with over one million people. The city center is a
World Heritage Site UNESCO World Heritage Site; the city, which for over 200 years was Russia's political and cultural center, is impressive even today and is sometimes called "the Northern Capital" ({{lang|ru|Ñ?евернаÑ? Ñ?толица}}, ''severnaya stolitsa''). It is the administrative center of
Leningrad Oblast (while being a separate region) and of the
Northwestern Federal District.
Landmarks and tourist attractions
The majestic appearance of St. Petersburg is achieved through a variety of architectural details including long, straight boulevards, vast spaces, gardens and parks, decorative wrought-iron fences, monuments and decorative sculptures. The Neva River itself, together with its many canals and their granite
embankments and bridges, gives the city a unique and striking ambience. These bodies of water led to St. Petersburg being given the name of "
Venice of the North".
Image:winter canal.jpg bridge.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|left|St Petersburg is known as the city of 300 [[bridges..html" title="Meaning of left|St Petersburg is known as the city of 300 [[bridge">thumb|left|St Petersburg is known as the city of 300 [[bridges.">left|St Petersburg is known as the city of 300 [[bridge">thumb|left|St Petersburg is known as the city of 300 [[bridges.
St. Petersburg's position near the
Arctic Circle, on the same
latitude as nearby
Helsinki,
Stockholm and
Oslo (60°
latitude N), causes twilight to last all night in May, June and July. This celebrated phenomenon is known as the "
white nights". The white nights are closely linked to another attraction — the nine drawbridges spanning the Neva. Tourists flock to see the
bridges drawn and lowered again at night to allow shipping to pass through the city.
The historical center of St. Petersburg, sometimes called the outdoor museum of
Neoclassicism, was the first Russian patrimony inscribed on the
UNESCO list of
World Heritage Sites.
The palaces
St. Petersburg has been known as the city of
palaces. One of the earliest of these is the
Summer Palace (Russia) Summer Palace, a modest house built for
Peter I of Russia Peter I in the
Summer Garden (1710–1714). Much more imposing are the
baroque residences of his associates, such as the
:Image:Kikin.jpg Kikin Hall and the
Menshikov Palace on the Neva Embankment, constructed from designs by
Domenico Trezzini over the years 1710 to 1716. A residence adjacent to the Menshikov palace was redesigned for
Peter II of Russia Peter II and now houses the
Saint Petersburg State University State University.
Probably the most illustrious of imperial palaces is the baroque
Winter Palace (1754–1762), a huge building with dazzlingly luxurious interiors, now housing the
Hermitage Museum. The same architect,
Bartolomeo Rastrelli, was also responsible for three residences in the vicinity of the
Nevsky Prospekt: the
Stroganov palace (1752–1754, now a wax museum), the
Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov Vorontsov palace (1749–1757, now a military school), and the
Media:anichkov palace.jpg Anichkov palace (1741–1750, many times rebuilt, now a palace for children). Other baroque palaces include the
Sheremetev house on the
Fontanka embankment (also called the Fountain House), and the Beloselsky-Belozersky palace (1846–1848) on the Nevsky Prospekt, formerly a residence of the Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich.
Image:HermitageAcrossNeva.jpg Hermitage Museum.html" title="Meaning of center center|thumb|650px|The [[Hermitage Museum complex with the
Winter Palace at right..html" title="Meaning of thumb|650px|The [[Hermitage Museum">center|thumb|650px|The [[Hermitage Museum complex with the
Winter Palace at right.">thumb|650px|The [[Hermitage Museum">center|thumb|650px|The [[Hermitage Museum complex with the
Winter Palace at right.
Of
Neoclassicism Neoclassical palaces, the foremost is St Michael's (or Engineers')
Castle, constructed for
Paul I of Russia Emperor Paul in 1797–1801 to replace the earlier Summer Palace. The Tauride palace of
Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin Prince Potemkin (1783–1789), situated nearby, used to be a seat of the
Duma first Russian parliament. Just to the left from the Hermitage buildings is the
Marble Palace, commissioned by
Count Orlov and built in 1768–1785 from various sorts of
marble to a Neoclassical design by
Antonio Rinaldi. The Michael Palace (1819–1825), famed for its opulent interiors and named after its first lodger, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, now houses the
Russian Museum. Also built in the Neoclassical style are the
Yusupov palace (the 1790s), where
Rasputin was killed; the
Kirill Razumovsky Razumovsky palace (1762–1766); the
Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov Shuvalov palace (1830–1838); and the
Yelagin Palace (1818–1822), a sumptuous summer
dacha of the imperial family, situated on the Yelagin Island.
The last important residences were built for
Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I's children: the
Marie Palace (1839–1844), located just opposite St Isaac's Cathedral and housing a
city council, the Nicholas palace (1853–61), and the New Michael Palace (1857-1861).
Image:stasov trinity.jpg Trinity_Cathedral.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|250px|[[Trinity Cathedral - According to the Russian tradition, each regiment of the imperial guards had its own cathedral..html" title="Meaning of 250px|[[Trinity Cathedral">thumb|250px|[[Trinity Cathedral - According to the Russian tradition, each regiment of the imperial guards had its own cathedral.">250px|[[Trinity Cathedral">thumb|250px|[[Trinity Cathedral - According to the Russian tradition, each regiment of the imperial guards had its own cathedral.
The churches
The church buildings mostly belong to the Russian government. The largest
church in the city is
St Isaac's Cathedral (1818–1858), one of the biggest
domed buildings in the world, constructed for 40 years under supervision of its architect,
Auguste de Montferrand. Another magnificent church in the
Empire style is the
Kazan Cathedral (1801–1811), situated on the Nevsky Prospekt and modelled after
St. Peter's Basilica St Peter's, Vatican. No tourist can miss the
Church of the Savior on Blood (1883–1907), a gorgeous monument in the
Russian architecture old Russian style which marks the spot of
Alexander II of Russia Alexander II's assassination. As
Peter I of Russia Peter the Great forbade building
onion dome onion spires, this church is exceptional in the city with its onion-shaped tower.
The
Peter and Paul Cathedral (1712–1732), a long-time
symbol of the city, contains the
sepulchres of
Peter I of Russia Peter the Great and other
tsar Russian emperors. Apart from these four principal cathedrals, which operate today primarily as
museums, there are numerous other churches.
Of baroque structures, the grandest is the white-and-blue
Smolny Convent (1748–1764), a striking design by
Bartolomeo Rastrelli, but never completed. It is followed by the [http://img-2004-04.photosight.ru/22/468550.jpg Naval Cathedral] of St Nicholas (1753–1762), a lofty structure dedicated to the
Russian Navy, the outside being covered with
plaques to sailors lost at sea. The church of Sts Simeon and Anna (1731–1734), St Sampson Cathedral (1728–1740), St Pantaleon church (1735–1739), and St Andrew Cathedral (1764–1780) are all worth mentioning.
Image:Church_of_St_John_the_Baptist_Chesme_Russia_1994.jpg Church of Saint John at Chesme Palace thumb|left|The [[Church of Saint John at Chesme Palace|Chesma palace church (1780) is a rare example of the
Gothic Revival in Russia..html" title="Meaning of Chesma palace church.html" title="Meaning of thumb|left|The [[Church of Saint John at Chesme Palace|Chesma palace church">thumb|left|The [[Church of Saint John at Chesme Palace|Chesma palace church (1780) is a rare example of the
Gothic Revival in Russia.">Chesma palace church.html" title="Meaning of thumb|left|The [[Church of Saint John at Chesme Palace|Chesma palace church">thumb|left|The [[Church of Saint John at Chesme Palace|Chesma palace church (1780) is a rare example of the
Gothic Revival in Russia.
The Neoclassical churches are too numerous to count. Many of them are intended to dominate vast
Town square squares, like St. Vladimir's Cathedral (1769–1789), not to be confused with the church of Our Lady of Vladimir (1761–1783). The
Transfiguration Cathedral (1827–29) and the
Trinity Cathedral (1828–1835) were both designed by
Vasily Stasov. Smaller churches include the Konyushennaya (1816–1823), also by Stasov, the "Easter Cake" church (1785–1787), noted for its droll appearance, St Catherine church on the
Vasilievsky Island (1768–1771), and numerous non-Orthodox churches on the Nevsky Prospekt.
The
Alexander Nevsky Monastery, intended to house the relics of St
Alexander Nevsky, contains two cathedrals and several smaller churches in various styles. It is also remarkable for the
Tikhvin Cemetery, where many notable Russians are buried.
The city has two small churches in the early
Gothic revival Gothic Revival style, those of St John the Baptist (1776–1781) and the Chesmenskaya (1777–1780), both designed by
Yury Velten. The late 19th-century and early 20th-century temples are all constructed from
Russian Revival or
Byzantine architecture Byzantine Revival designs.
Saint Petersburg Mosque The cathedral mosque (1909–1920), reputedly the largest in Europe, is built after the model of
Timurid temples in
Samarkand.
St Petersburg Buddhist temple was the first in Europe. Construction was funded by subscriptions of the
Dalai Lama and Russian and Mongolian Buddhists; the structure was inaugurated in the presence of
Itigilov in 1914 and served as a valuable resource to transient
Buryats and
Kalmyks during World War I. It functioned until 1935 when the lamas passed into gulags. The temple and its grounds were used for secular purposes until
1991, when the
datsan was eventually reopened for worship.
Public buildings
Image:Neva-StPetersburg2.JPG Peter and Paul Cathedral.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|The golden spire of the [[Peter and Paul Cathedral rises above the
Peter and Paul Fortress on the Neva river.html" title="Meaning of The golden spire of the [[Peter and Paul Cathedral">thumb|The golden spire of the [[Peter and Paul Cathedral rises above the
Peter and Paul Fortress on the Neva river">The golden spire of the [[Peter and Paul Cathedral">thumb|The golden spire of the [[Peter and Paul Cathedral rises above the
Peter and Paul Fortress on the Neva river
The
Peter and Paul Fortress, formerly a political
prison, occupies a dominant position in the center of the city. A
boardwalk was built along a portion of the fortress wall, giving visitors a clear view of the city across the river to the south. On the other bank of the Neva, the spit of the Vasilievsky island is graced by the former
Stock exchange Bourse building (1805–1810), reminiscent of a classic
Greek temple, with two great
Rostral Columns, decorated with ships' prows, standing in front of it.
Undoubtedly the most famous of St. Petersburg's museums is the
Hermitage Museum Hermitage, one of the world's largest and richest collections of
European art history Western European art. Its vast holdings were originally exhibited in the
Greek Revival building (1838–1852) by
Leo von Klenze, now called the New Hermitage. But the first Russian museum was established by Peter the Great in the
Kunstkamera Kunstkammer, erected in 1718–1734 on the opposite bank of the Neva River and formerly a home to the
Russian Academy of Sciences. Other popular tourist destinations include the Museum of Applied Arts (1885–1895), the
Ethnography Museum (1900–1911), the
Alexander Suvorov Suvorov Museum of Military History (1901–1904), and the Political History Museum (1904–06).
Image:nevsky catherine.jpg thumb|left|250px|The city is adorned with numerous monuments from the imperial period of Russian history.
The imperial government institutions were housed in the
General Staff building on the
Palace Square (1820–1827), with a huge triumphal arch in the centre, the
Senate and
Synod buildings on the
Saint Petersburg Senate Square Senate Square (1827–1843), the Imperial Cabinet (1803–1805) on the Nevsky Prospekt, the Assignation Bank (1783–1790), the Customs Office (1829–1832), and the splendid
Admiralty (Saint Petersburg) Admiralty (1806–1823), one of the city's most conspicuous landmarks. Most of these buildings were designed either by
Giacomo Quarenghi, or by
Carlo Rossi.
The former imperial capital is rich in educational institutions.
Saint Petersburg State University occupies several buildings on the Vasilievsky Island, including the spacious baroque edifice of Twelve Collegia (1722–1744). The
St.Petersburg Academy of arts Academy of Arts (1764–1788), an exceedingly handsome structure, overlooks a
quayside adorned with genuine
Egyptian
griffins and
sphinxes. The
Smolny Institute (1806–1808), originally the first school for Russian women, was picked up by
Lenin as his headquarters during the
Russian Revolution of 1917. The Catherine Institute (1804–1807), also designed by Quarenghi, has been affiliated with the
Russian National Library. Another Neoclassical building by Quarenghi, a roomy Horse Guards Riding School (1804–1807), was recently designated the Central
exhibition Exhibition Hall.
Some of the city shops and
storehouses are landmarks in their own right. For example, the monumental New Holland Arch (1779–1787) and adjacent walls of the New Holland isle are occupied by commercial enterprises.
Gostiny Dvor The Merchant Court on the
Nevsky Prospekt (1761–1785), also designed by
Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe, houses the largest extant 18th-century supermarket in the world, as well as several coffee bars and a
Saint Petersburg Metro metro station. Nearby are the Circular Market, erected in 1785–1790, and
the Passage, one of the great covered
arcades of the mid-19th century. Other
department stores, built in the majestic
Art Nouveau style, line the Nevsky Prospekt and include the Eliseev emporium and the House of Books.
St Petersburg is a home to many
theatres. The oldest is the
Hermitage Theatre, a private palatial theatre of
Catherine the Great, still preserving the complex stage machinery of the 18th-century. The Alexandrine Theatre, built in 1828–1832 by Carlo Rossi, was named after the wife of
Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I. Much more famous outside Russia is the
Mariinsky Theatre (formerly known as the Kirov Theatre of Opera and Ballet), which has been styled the capital of the world
ballet. Also worthy of note is the
Ciniselli Circus, one of the oldest circus buildings in the world. The
St. Petersburg Conservatory city conservatory, the first in Russia, was opened in 1862 and bears the name of
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov; its alumni include
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Tchaikovsky,
Sergei Prokofiev Prokofiev, and
Shostakovich.
Public monuments
Image:Surikov horseman.jpg The_Bronze Horseman.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|250px|''[[The Bronze Horseman'' comes to life and races the streets of St. Petersburg in more than one work of Russian fiction..html" title="Meaning of 250px|''[[The Bronze Horseman">thumb|250px|''[[The Bronze Horseman'' comes to life and races the streets of St. Petersburg in more than one work of Russian fiction.">250px|''[[The Bronze Horseman">thumb|250px|''[[The Bronze Horseman'' comes to life and races the streets of St. Petersburg in more than one work of Russian fiction.
Probably the most familiar symbol of St Petersburg is the
equestrian sculpture equestrian statue of
Peter I of Russia Peter the Great, installed in 1782 on the
Senate Square. Considered the greatest masterpiece of the French-born
Etienne Maurice Falconet, the statue figures prominently in the Russian literature under the name of the ''
Bronze Horseman''.
[http://www.sppiter.narod.ru/index1.html Bronze Horseman poem]
The
Palace Square is dominated by the unique
Alexander Column (1830–1834), the tallest of its kind in the world and so nicely set that no attachment to the base is needed. A striking monument to
Generalissimo Aleksandr Suvorov Suvorov, represented as a youthful god of war, was erected in 1801 on the
Field of Mars (Saint Petersburg) Field of Mars, formerly used for military parades and popular festivities. St Isaac's Square is graced by a monument to Nicholas I, which was spared by
Bolshevik authorities from destruction as the only
equestrian sculpture equestrian statue in the world with merely two support points (the rear feet of the horse).
The public
monuments of St Petersburg also include
Mikeshin's circular statue of
Catherine the Great Catherine II on the Nevsky Prospekt, fine horse statues on the Anichkov bridge, a
Rodin-like equestrian statue of
Alexander III of Russia Alexander III by
Paolo Troubetzkoy, and the Tercentenary monument presented by
France in 2003 and installed on the Sennaya Square.
Some of the most important events in the city's history are represented by particular monuments. The
Napoleon's Invasion of Russia Russian victory over
Napoleon, for example, was commemorated with two
triumphal arches, one
Narva Triumphal Gate at the Narva, another at the Moscow gates. Following this tradition, the
Piskarevskoye Cemetery was opened in 1960 as a monument to the victims of the
Siege of Leningrad 900-Day Siege.
Suburbs
St Petersburg is surrounded with imperial residences, some of which were inscribed in the
World Heritage list together with the city. These include
Peterhof, with the Grand Peterhof Palace and glorious fountain cascades;
Tsarskoe Selo, with the baroque
Catherine Palace and the neoclassical
Alexander Palace; and
Pavlovsk, which contains a domed palace of
Paul I of Russia Emperor Paul (1782–1786) and one of the largest English-style parks in Europe.
Much of Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo had to be restored after being dynamited by the retreating Germans in 1944. Other imperial residences have yet to be revived to their former glory.
Gatchina, lying 45 km southwest of St Petersburg, retains a royal
castle with 600 rooms surrounded by a park.
Oranienbaum, Russia Oranienbaum, founded by
Prince Menshikov, features his spacious baroque residence and the sumptuously decorated Chinese palace.
Strelna has a hunting lodge of
Peter I of Russia Peter the Great and the reconstructed [http://www.konstantinpalace.com/ Constantine Palace], used for official summits of the Russian president with foreign leaders.
Other notable suburbs are
Shlisselburg, with a
Oreshek medieval fortress, and
Kronstadt, with its 19th-century fortifications and naval monuments.
History
Image:neva old.jpg Venice.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|250px|Inspired by example of [[Venice and
Amsterdam, Peter the Great envisaged boats and coracles as principal means of transport in his city of canals. No permanent bridges across the Neva were allowed until 1850..html" title="Meaning of 250px|Inspired by example of [[Venice">thumb|250px|Inspired by example of [[Venice and
Amsterdam, Peter the Great envisaged boats and coracles as principal means of transport in his city of canals. No permanent bridges across the Neva were allowed until 1850.">250px|Inspired by example of [[Venice">thumb|250px|Inspired by example of [[Venice and
Amsterdam, Peter the Great envisaged boats and coracles as principal means of transport in his city of canals. No permanent bridges across the Neva were allowed until 1850.
Tsar
Peter I of Russia Peter the Great founded the city on
May 27 (
May 16,
Julian calendar Old Style), 1703 after reconquering the
Ingrian land from
Sweden. He named it after his patron saint, the apostle
Saint Peter. The original name of ''SanktPiterburh'' was actually
Dutch language Dutch; Peter had lived and studied in that country for some time. The Swedish fortress of
Nyenskans and the city
Nyen had formerly occupied the site, in the
marshlands where the river
Neva drains into the
Gulf of Finland.
Since construction began during a time of war, the new city's first building was a fortification. Known today as the
Peter and Paul Fortress, it originally also bore the name of ''SanktPiterburh''. It was laid down on ''Zaiachiy'' (Hare's) Island, just off the right bank of the Neva, a couple of miles inland from the Gulf. The marshland was drained and the city spread outward from the fortress under the supervision of
ethnic Germans German engineers whom Peter had invited to Russia. Peter forbade the construction of stone buildings in all of Russia outside of St Petersburg, so that all stonemasons would come to help build the new city.
Serfs provided most of the labor for the project. According to one estimate, 30,000 died. The first person to build a house in Saint Petersburg was
Cornelis Cruys, commander of the Russian Baltic Navy.
St. Petersburg was founded to become the new
capital of Russia. By virtue of its position on an arm of the
Baltic Sea, it was called by
Pushkin a "window on
Western countries the West". Russia would be a major
United Kingdom British trading partner for years to come. It was also a base for Peter's navy, protected by the island fortress of
Kronstadt, Russia Kronstadt, built soon after the city.
In the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, Russia's elite built lavishly in the city, leaving many palaces that survive to this day. But the city also suffered from terrible floods, one of which was described by
Pushkin in his ''
Bronze Horseman''.
Image:simon-anne.jpg Mikhail Zemtsov.html" title="Meaning of left left|thumb|200px|The small church of Sts Simon and Anne (1734) was designed by [[Mikhail Zemtsov and dedicated to the patrons saints of
Anna of Russia Empress Anne..html" title="Meaning of thumb|200px|The small church of Sts Simon and Anne (1734) was designed by [[Mikhail Zemtsov">left|thumb|200px|The small church of Sts Simon and Anne (1734) was designed by [[Mikhail Zemtsov and dedicated to the patrons saints of
Anna of Russia Empress Anne.">thumb|200px|The small church of Sts Simon and Anne (1734) was designed by [[Mikhail Zemtsov">left|thumb|200px|The small church of Sts Simon and Anne (1734) was designed by [[Mikhail Zemtsov and dedicated to the patrons saints of
Anna of Russia Empress Anne.
Alexander II of Russia Alexander II's
emancipation of the serfs (1861) caused the influx of large numbers of poor into the city. Tenements were erected on the outskirts, and nascent
industry sprang up. By the end of the century, St Petersburg had grown up into one of the largest industrial hubs in Europe.
With the growth of industry, radical movements were also astir.
Socialism Socialist organizations were responsible for the assassinations of many royal officials, including that of
Alexander II of Russia Alexander II in 1881. The
Russian Revolution of 1905 Revolution of 1905 began here and spread rapidly into the provinces. During
World War I, the name ''Sankt Peterburg'' was seen to be too German and, on the initiative of Tsar
Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II, the city was renamed ''Petrograd'' on
August 31 (
August 18,
Julian calendar Old Style), 1914.
1917 saw the beginnings of the Russian Revolution. The first step (the
February Revolution) was the removal of the Tsarist government and the establishment of two centers of political power, the
Russian Provisional Government, 1917 Provisional government and the
Petrograd Soviet. The Provisional government was overthrown in the
October Revolution, and the
Russian Civil War broke out. The city's proximity to anti-revolutionary armies, and generally unstable political climate, forced
Bolshevik leader
Vladimir Lenin to flee to Russia's historic former capital at
Moscow on
March 5 1918. The move may have been intended as temporary (it was certainly portrayed as such), but Moscow has remained the capital ever since. On
January 24 1924, three days after Lenin's death, Petrograd was renamed ''Leningrad'' in his honor. The central committee's reason for renaming the city again was that Lenin had led the October revolution. Deeper reasons existed at the level of political symbolism: Saint Petersburg had stood as the head of the Tsarist empire. After Moscow it was the largest city and the change gave great prestige to Lenin. The renaming to Leningrad emphatically symbolised the upheaval that had occurred to the social and political system.
The government's removal to Moscow caused a reversal of the mass immigration of the latter 19th century. The benefits of capital status had left the city. Petrograd's population in 1920 was a third of what it had been in 1915 (see table below).
During
World War II, Leningrad was surrounded and besieged by the German
Wehrmacht in the
Siege of Leningrad from
September 8 1941, until
January 27 1944, a total of twenty-nine months. A "
Road of Life" was established over
Lake Ladoga (frozen for a large part of the year), but it was open to airstrikes; only one out of three supply trucks that embarked on the journey reached its destination. Another route was opened on
January 18,
1943 after the
Red Army had succeeded in securing a narrow break-through of the
Wehrmacht encirclement of the city. Some 800,000 of the city's 3,000,000 inhabitants are estimated to have perished. For the heroic tenacity of the city's population, Leningrad became the first Soviet city to be awarded the title
Hero City.
Image:rathause petersburg.jpg Art Nouveau.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|The downtown preserves numerous ''profit houses'' built in the [[Art Nouveau style..html" title="Meaning of The downtown preserves numerous ''profit houses'' built in the [[Art Nouveau">thumb|The downtown preserves numerous ''profit houses'' built in the [[Art Nouveau style.">The downtown preserves numerous ''profit houses'' built in the [[Art Nouveau">thumb|The downtown preserves numerous ''profit houses'' built in the [[Art Nouveau style.
According to some historians,
Soviet Union Soviet ruler
Joseph Stalin delayed the breaking of the siege and stymied the evacuation of the city with the intention of letting its ''
intelligentsia'' perish at the hands of the Germans. Many of those Leningraders who were evacuated to distant corners of the Soviet Union never returned to their home city.
The war damaged the city and killed off many of those old Petersburgers who had not fled after the revolution and did not perish in the mass purges before the war. Nonetheless, Leningrad and many of its suburbs were rebuilt over the following decades to the old drawings. Though changes in the social fabric were more permanent, the city remained an intellectual and arts centre.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union on
September 6,
1991, a bare majority (54%) of the population agreed to restore "''the original name, Saint Petersburg''"(see above). As well as the city, 39 streets, six bridges, three
Saint Petersburg Metro stations and six parks were renamed. Nevertheless, some, especially older people, still use the old names and, for example, use the old addresses on letters. The name releases positive associations particularly in connection with the siege - so that on holidays even authorities call places connected with World War 2 "Hero city Leningrad". Among young people the name ''Leningrad'' seems to be a vague protest against the new society. One of the most successful bands in Russia, a
Ska punk band from Saint Petersburg, called themselves ''Leningrad'' (not to be confused with ''
Leningrad Cowboys'' from Finland).
After a popular vote the name of the ''
Oblast'' (administrative province) of which the city is the capital remained
Leningrad Oblast.
Image:StPetersburgDocks.JPG thumb|right|190px|St Petersburg docks in the morning smog.
Population
According to results of the government website, St. Petersburg has 4,560,000 inhabitants. That amounts to roughly 3 % of the population of Russia as a whole. The average monthly salary 2003 was 6179
Russian ruble rubles (about 176
euros).
Since it was founded, the city has seen strong social contrasts, the situation of many people hardened after the
Perestroika. Beggars and old women selling what they brought from the countryside now can be seen frequently. About 15 % of the population lives in
kommunalkas.
People can only move to St. Petersburg if they can show they have a room and a job or if they are married to an inhabitant of St. Petersburg. Probably many people don't have this registration and are living thus on an illegal or semi-legal status (and they are not included in the census). The
International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates there are up to 16,000 children living on the street (as of 2000).
Officially the city is inhabited by 89.1 % Russians. 2.1 %
Jews, 1.9 %
Ukrainians, 1.9 %
Belarusians follow up, as well as substantial numbers of
Tatars,
Uzbeks,
Vepsians,
Finns, and peoples from
Caucasus (with many illegal immigrants).
As for religions most are
Russian Orthodox, while many others are
atheist etc.
=Population development
=
The following charts show the numbers of inhabitants. Until 1944 these were mostly estimates, but the figures for 1959 to 2002 come from
census returns, and the figure for 2005 is an estimate.
Image:Bevölkerungsentwicklung St. Petersburg en.png 300px|right|thumb|Population development
{| class="wikitable"
| valign="top" |
{|
! year
! inhabitants
|-
| 1725 || align="right" | 75,000
|-
| 1750 || align="right" | 150,000
|-
| 1800 || align="right" | 300,000
|-
| 1846 || align="right" | 336,000
|-
| 1852 || align="right" | 485,000
|-
| 1858 || align="right" | 520,100
|-
| 1864 || align="right" | 539,100
|-
| 1867 || align="right" | 667,000
|-
| 1873 || align="right" | 842,900
|-
| 1881 || align="right" | 876,600
|-
| 1886 || align="right" | 928,600
|-
| 1891 || align="right" | 1,035,400
|-
| 1897 || align="right" | 1,264,900
|-
| 1901 || align="right" | 1,439,400
|-
|}
| valign="top" |
{|
! year
! inhabitants
|-
| 1908 || align="right" | 1,678,000
|-
| 1910 || align="right" | 1,962,000
|-
| 1915 || align="right" | 2,318,600
|-
| 1920 || align="right" | 722,000
|-
| 1926 || align="right" | 1,616,100
|-
| 1936 || align="right" | 2,739,800
|-
| 1939 || align="right" | 3,191,300
|-
| 1944 || align="right" | 2,559,000
|-
|
January 15,
1959 || align="right" | 2,888,000
|-
|
January 15,
1970 || align="right" | 3,512,974
|-
|
January 17,
1979 || align="right" | 4,072,528
|-
|
January 12,
1989 || align="right" | 4,460,424
|-
|
October 9,
2002 || align="right" | 4,159,635
|-
|
January 1,
2005 || align="right" | 4,596,000
|}
|}
=Demographics
=
National demographics of St.Petersburg (1989)
Russians-89.1%
Ukrainians-3%
Jewish-2.1%
Belarusians-1.9%
Tatars-0.9%
Others-3%
Economy
Image:Sankt Petersburg Fontanka 2005 a.jpg thumb|250px|One of St Petersburg's many canals.
The city is a major center of machine building, including power equipment,
machinery,
shipyards,
instrument manufacture, ferrous and nonferrous
metallurgy (production of
aluminium alloys),
chemicals,
printing, and one of the major
ports of the Baltic Sea.
The
Saint Petersburg Mint (''Monetny Dvor'') is apart from
Goznak in
Moscow the only place in Russia that mints
Russian coins,
medals and
badges.
Ford Motor Company began producing the
Ford Focus automobile here in 2002.
Toyota is building its plant in one of the suburbs.
Transportation
The city is a major
transport hub. It is the center of the local
road and
railway system, and has a
seaport (in the
Gulf of Finland of
Baltic Sea) and
river ports (in the delta of
Neva). It is the terminus of the
Volgo-Baltic waterway which links the Baltic with the
Black Sea.
The city has five major railway stations serving various directions: Baltiyskiy Vokzal (Baltic Terminal), Vitebskiy Vokzal (Vitebsk Terminal), Ladozhskiy Vokzal (Ladoga Terminal), Moskovskiy Vokzal (Moscow Terminal), Finliandskiy Vokzal (Finland Terminal).
Saint Petersburg has regular railway connections to
Helsinki,
Finland via
Vyborg (on the Russian side) and
Kouvola and
Lahti (on the Finnish side). Three beautiful, old-fashioned trains - the ''Sibelius'', the ''Repin'' and the ''Tolstoi'' - operate exclusively on this route.
The city is served by
Pulkovo Airport, which carries both domestic and international flights. The
Saint Petersburg Metro (subway/underground) system began operation in 1955 and now includes four lines.
Administrative divisions
:{{main|Administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg}}
The city has numerous islands on which many historically important parts of the city are located.
Vasilyevsky island is the largest of them and forms the whole
Vasileostrovsky Administrative District, Saint Petersburg Vasileostrovsky Administrative District. Petrogradskaya,
Krestovsky island Krestovsky,
Yelagin island Yelagin, and
Kamenny islands form
Petrogradsky Administrative District, Saint Petersburg Petrogradsky Administrative District.
Culture
Music in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg has always been known for its high-quality cultural life. Among the city's more than forty theaters is the world-famous Kirov Theater (known now by its pre-revolution name of
Mariinsky Theater), home to the
Kirov Ballet company and first-class ballet and opera. The
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the best in Russia.
The Russian composer
Dmitri Shostakovich, who was born in St. Petersburg, dedicated his
Symphony No. 7 (Shostakovich) Seventh Symphony to the city, calling it the "Leningrad Symphony." He wrote the symphony during the German siege of the city in 1941.
St. Petersburg has also been home to the newest movements in modern music. For example, in 1972 mathematics student
Boris Grebenshchikov founded the band
Aquarium (group) Aquarium, an underground rock group that grew to huge popularity in the 70s and 80s. St. Petersburg was similarly home to
Kino, headed by the legendary
Viktor Tsoi.
Today's St. Petersburg boasts many pioneering musicians, from Leningrad's
Sergei Shnurov to the group
Tequilajazzz.
St. Petersburg in the movies
Image:Stpeteskyline.jpg thumb||400px|Skyline of St Petersburg in the 19th century.
''(see also
Cinema of Russia and Soviet Union)''
The end of the cultural predominance of St. Petersburg (and
Moscow being chosen as the new capital) coincided with the dawn of film industry in Russia. Only few films achieved international acclaim and other international productions from Western countries couldn't film there.
Lenfilm was the Soviet film studio based in St. Petersburg, however films that became known internationally were often based on famous literary works, such as quite a few ''
Anna Karenina'' (a Russian and a
France French film, each of 1911; the first Western ''Anna Karenina'' has been shot in Petersburg after the end of communism) or several versions of
Fyodor Dostoevsky's ''
The Idiot (novel) The Idiot'' (the first one, Russian, in 1910).
Several Films deal with the complex history of the city many of which have
propaganda purposes. Outstanding is the film ''Noi Vivi'' (
Italy, 1942, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035130/ see noi vivi at imdb]), based on the novel ''
We the Living'' by
Ayn Rand, a film that comments on
History of Italy as a monarchy and in the World Wars Italian politics by way of showing the
October Revolution. ''
Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia Anastasia'' has been shot several times, famous especially the one from 1956 with
Ingrid Bergman and
Warner Brothers'
musical film musical (
USA, 1997).
Giuseppe Tornatore plans a film about the
Siege of Leningrad in
2005. The
Russian Ark, shot in the
Winter Palace (now the Russian State
Hermitage Museum), let the audience meet various real and fictional personages from 300 years of
Russian history, including the present.
Der Untergang was also filmed in Petersburg because of similarities of the historical city centre and the center of
Berlin of 1945.
St. Petersburg also is seen in
Interdevochka (also Интердевочка or Intergirl) by
Pyotr Todorovsky in 1989 featuring impressive shots of the city. The cult comedy
Irony of Fate (Cyrillic: ИрониÑ? Ñ?удьбы, или С лёгким паром!, English title: Irony of Fate) even if mostly shot at
Cheremushki,
Moscow) plays in St. Petersburg (showing some very nice pictures of St. Petersburg) and pokes fun at Soviet city planning.
Fiction movies are e.g.
GoldenEye (1995) or the
action movie Midnight in St. Petersburg (
United Kingdom UK, 1996).
Onegin (1999 featuring
Liv Tyler) is based on the
Pushkin poem and shows many tourist attractions.
The Stroll (2003) by Director Aleksei Uchitel featured many attractions of the city with Irina Pegova playing the role of a mysterious, well endowed and enchanting Russian beauty.
Two Brothers and A Bride (2002), originally titled A Foreign Affair starring David Arquette is a comedy about brothers seeking a mail order bride in St. Petersburg and end up finding much more. The
International Film Festival in Saint Petersburg is held annually since 1993 during the white nights.
St. Petersburg in literature
Image:nevsky znamenka.jpg Gogol.html" title="Meaning of right right|thumb|250px|The feverish life of St Petersburg's main avenue was described by [[Gogol in his stories, notably in
Nevsky Prospekt (story) ''The Nevsky Prospect''..html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|The feverish life of St Petersburg's main avenue was described by [[Gogol">right|thumb|250px|The feverish life of St Petersburg's main avenue was described by [[Gogol in his stories, notably in
Nevsky Prospekt (story) ''The Nevsky Prospect''.">thumb|250px|The feverish life of St Petersburg's main avenue was described by [[Gogol">right|thumb|250px|The feverish life of St Petersburg's main avenue was described by [[Gogol in his stories, notably in
Nevsky Prospekt (story) ''The Nevsky Prospect''.
It was said that St. Petersburg was the head of the
Russian Empire, whereas Moscow was its heart. "The most purposeful city in the world" (as Dostoyevsky referred to it) frequently appeared to
Russian literature Russian writers as a menacing and unhuman mechanism. The grotesque and often nightmarish image of the city is featured in Pushkin's last poems, the Petersburg stories of
Gogol, the novels of
Dostoyevsky, the verse of
Alexander Blok and
Osip Mandelshtam, and in the symbolist novel ''
Petersburg (novel) Petersburg'' (by
Andrey Bely).
Notable people
:{{main|List of People in St. Petersburg}}
Numerous Russian and international aristocrats, politicians, artists, and scientists were born and/or have lived in Saint Petersburg. These include many of
List of Russian rulers#Emperors of Russia, 1721-1917 the Russian emperors, the novelists
Fyodor Dostoyevsky,
Ayn Rand, and
Vladimir Nabokov, the composers
Modest Mussorgsky,
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
Igor Stravinsky and
Dmitry Shostakovich, the painters
James McNeill Whistler and
Kazimir Malevich, the scientists
Leonhard Euler,
Mikhail Lomonosov,
Heinrich Schliemann and
Alfred Nobel, the ballet dancers
Vaslav Nijinsky,
Anna Pavlova,
George Balanchine and
Rudolf Nureyev, and the politicians
John Quincy Adams,
Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, and
Vladimir Putin.
Sister city Sister Cities
*{{flagicon|Finland}}
Turku -
Finland (the first one, since 1953)
*{{flagicon|Germany}}
Hamburg -
Germany (since 1953)
*{{flagicon|UK}}
Manchester -
United Kingdom (since 1962)
*{{flagicon|Croatia}}
Zagreb -
Croatia (since 1968)
*{{flagicon|Japan}}
Osaka -
Japan (since 1979)
*{{flagicon|Australia}}
Melbourne -
Australia (since 1989)
*{{flagicon|USA}}
Lansing, Michigan -
United States of America (since 1992)
*{{flagicon|Iran}}
Isfahan (city) Esfahan -
Iran (since 1999)
*{{flagicon|USA}}
Los Angeles -
United States of America
*{{flagicon|IND}}
Mumbai -
India
*{{flagicon|Italy}}
Milan -
Italy
*{{flagicon|Hungary}}
Debrecen -
Hungary
*{{flagicon|Slovakia}}
Košice -
Slovakia (since 1995)
*{{flagicon|Netherlands}}
Rotterdam -
Netherlands
*In addition, Saint Petersburg has a "twin city" relationship with
St. Petersburg, Florida.
External links
{{Commons|Saint Petersburg}}
-
Official website of St. Petersburg
*{{cite web | url=http://www.st-petersburg.net | title=St-Petersburg.net |work=city guide to hotels, tours, restaurants in St. Petersburg, Russia | accessyear=2005 | accessdate=April 9}}
*{{cite web | url=http://www.enlight.ru/camera/index_e.htm | title="Wandering Camera" - Notes about Saint Petersburg and its suburbs | work=enlight.ru |accessyear=2005 | accessdate=April 9}} several hundred photo albums by Peter Sobolev
-
Many pages about St.Petersburg's archtecture and history with hundreds of images
*{{cite web | url=http://www.leninburg.com | title=www.leninburg.com | work=Photo-site about life in Saint Petersburg | accessyear=2005 | accessdate=April 9}}
*{{wikitravel}}
-
http://www.encspb.ru/
-
The famous museum, the Hermitage
*{{cite web | url=http://www.spbflatrent.narod.ru/maps.htm | title=Maps Of St.Petersburg Russia | work=www.spbflatrent.narod.ru | accessyear=2005 | accessdate=April 5}}
*{{cite web | url=http://www.sptimes.ru/ | title=The St. Petersburg Times | work=The English-language newspaper of St. Petersburg, Russia | accessyear=2005 | accessdate=April 9}}
-
non-governmental Organizations in St.Petersburg
-
St. Petersburg in Architecture, from University of Michigan
-
Satellite photo, via '''Google Maps'''
-
photo of Saint Petersburg city (in English) - many photos of Saint Petersburg's monuments & buildings, churches of St.-Petersburg, [http://www.photo-city.info/petersburg/Peter_and_Paul_fortress/photos.html the Peter and Paul Fortress], Petersburg canals and the Neva river, night photo, ...
-
photo of Saint Petersburg city (in Russian) - photos of Petersburg's monuments & buildings, streets & peoples, churches of St.-Petersburg, the Peter and Paul Fortress, Petersburg canals and river Neva, night photo.
-
Petersburg Pictures (in English) - Online album, created by young European photographers living in St. Petersburg, both tourist as art pictures.
-
'''Visitors Info''' The stuff you need to know on planning a trip to Russia and St. Petersburg.
-
Alternative guide to the city, its literature, mind, staircases, smells, drinking culture, etc.
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