St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia. Its history is filled with greatness. It is located at the mouth of the Neva River, making it one of Russia’s most important trade cities. St. Petersburg is also a great industrial center manufacturing machinery, textiles, and leather products.

Czar Peter the Great, who wanted to modernize Russia, founded the city in 1703. Over time it has gone through three names: St. Petersburg, Petrograd, and Leningrad. Peter the Great wanted the city to be a "window to the West," hence the city’s western style architecture. This style includes a street layout by Italian architect Carlo Rossi, buildings that resemble European cities, and wide city squares like Paris and Vienna. In 1905, an uprising took place in front of the Winter Palace, leading to the deaths of hundreds of unarmed demonstrators. Although many uprisings had occurred in St. Petersburg before, this "Bloody Sunday" led to the Revolution of 1905. Then again in 1917, a revolution swept the city, this time leading to a new form of government. Vladimar Lenin then set up the Soviet Communist Party in St. Petersburg. When Lenin died in 1924, the city was renamed Leningrad in honor of him. The city was destroyed during World War II. When Russian communism collapsed in 1991, the city was again renamed, this time to its original St. Petersburg.

Sites for further Information

    "Church Architecture of St. Petersburg"
    http://www.auburn.edu/~swinkae/report1.html

   "The St. Petersburg Times"
    http://www.sptimes.ru/ Note: An on-line newspaper of Russia.

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