The Neva river delta area where today's Saint- Petersburg is situated was opened up by Slavonic tribes over 1000 years ago. During the 10th century these tribes became part of Kievan Rus, a feudal state that was established in Eastern Europe in the early 5th century. For a long period the Neva, which flows into the Gulf of Finland, was Russia's main trade route with Western Europe. From the late 12th century onwards Russia's northern neighbors, Sweden and Finland, made numerous attempts to conquer this area. In 1240 Prince Alexander Nevsky who headed the Novgorod druzhinas (armed forces) defeated the Swedes at the place where the river Izhora flows into Neva.

However, in 1617, during the reign of Mikhail III, Russia was forced to enter into a peace treaty with Sweden, ceding the Izhora area to the latter. The country was deprived of its access to the sea. In 1700 the so-called Northern War broke out between Russia and Sweden, and, in the course of the fighting, these territories were re-conquered by Russia, thus re-gaining access to the sea. However, as the war continued and the threat of a new attack remained. Peter I ordered the construction of a fortress on an island - the Peter-and-Paul Fortress was started on the 16th of May 1703, and this day is considered the day of Saint-Petersburg's foundation. In 1712 Peter I transferred the supreme state institutes from Moscow to Saint-Petersburg which became the capital of Russia. Peter I conceived a regularly planned city. Domenico Trezzini was the first architect to make the general layout of the city center. His design was used for the construction of Peter I' s Summer Palace, for erecting the buildings of the Twelve Boards and for laying down the Alexander Nevsky monastery which was conceived by Peter I as a memorial to remind people of the victories of the Russian troops. The development of the general architectural layout of Saint-Petersburg was continued by architects J-B-Leblond and F.B.Rastrelli who created a special Saint-Petersburg baroque style.

After the death of Peter I in January 1725, there was a pause in the development of the city. Opponents of his reforms moved the capital back to Moscow and Peter's city started decaying. Empress Elizabeth came to power in 1741. Elizabeth revived and continued Peter's work. St. Petersburg became the capital again and the development of the city resumed. During this period the Russian baroque style was embodied in such buildings as [he Winter Palace and the Smolny Monastery (Rastrelli), as well as the Nikolsky Cathedral (S.Chevakinskiy).
Empress Catherine II (1762-1796) was the first of Peter's successors to understand and further his policies. The excellent educational and philosophical ideas of the Empress influenced Russian legislation, politics and art. A new style, classicism, was introduced, Such buildings as the Academy of Arts (Pelten), the Gostiny Dvor (Vallen de la Moth), the Marble Palace (Rinaldi), the Old Hermitage (Felten), the Taurida Palace (Starov), the Yusupov Palace, the Smolny Institute, the Narva Triumphal Gate (Guarenghi), the Main Admiralty Building (Zakharov). the Stock Exchange House (Thomas de Thomont) and the Kazansky Cathedral (Voronikhin) were erected in this time. Emperor Paul (1796-1801) continued the renovation of the city center and suburbs.
In 1797- 1800 architects Brenna and Bazhenov built the Mikhailovsky Palace. Emperor Paul I was afraid of a conspiracy and ordered the construction of a castle with a lot of passages, floors and rooms. On the 1st of November 1800 the Palace became the official residence of the Emperor's family. However, after Paul's murder by conspirators, the Emperor's family moved back to the Winter Palace.

The reign of Alexander I was dominated by foreign affairs and especially by the threat from Napoleon Bonaparte's France. In 1812 France invaded Russia and St. Petersburg came close to being captured. The victory over Napoleon in 1812 expressed itself in a new flowering of the capital of the mighty Russia. During this time the ensembles of the Mikhailovsky Palace and Alexandrinsky Theatre, the buildings of the Senate and the Synod, the building of the Headquarters with the Triumphal Arch and the House of Ministers in Palace Square, and St. Isaac's Cathedral, the largest in Russia, erected in St. Isaac's Square.
The death of Alexander I and Nicholas I's enthroning were complicated by dramatic political events. On the 14th of December 1825, on the day when Nicholas took the oath, the Guards Regiment headed by conspirators refused to swear allegiance to Nicholas. They wanted to abolish serfdom, overthrow the autocracy and to establish a democracy by convoking a constitutional assembly. Later known as the Decembrist's Rebellion, this was the first armed insurrection against autocracy and serfdom in Russia.

This period saw a boom in industrial development in Russia and St. Petersburg acquired new features typical of the industrial age. The city's appearance became more complex, multifaceted and contradictory. Private construction was developing, filling the center of the city with more and more new houses. Squares were built near railway stations, the ports were equipped and improved, and many industrial buildings were erected. At that time the architect Stakenschneider was working in St. Petersburg. He was one of the architects who created the Mariinsky Palace on St. Isaac's Square. Such trends in the city development were continued by Alexander III (1881-1894) whose rule was a short peaceful interval in the turbulent history of Russia.

During the reign of Nicholas II Russia fought in several wars, which were very hard for the country. In 1914 World War I (1914-1917) began. Because of the prevailing anti-German sentiment, St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd. This war proved to be fatal for the Russian autocracy. The October Coup d'Etat inspired by the Bolsheviks (6-7 November 1917), and headed by V.I.Lenin, changed the political system of Russia. These events were followed by civil war and economic chaos. Private property was nationalized and in the 1920s thousands of workers were moved to houses in the city center and the entire functional structure of the dwelling houses in Saint Petersburg was broken.

In 1924 Lenin died, and the Bolsheviks renamed the city Leningrad to immortalize Lenin's name. In 1930-40s such districts as Avtovo, Malaya Okhta and Moskovsky Prospect were built.
World War II with the Nazi Germany became a hardest ordeal for the entire country. According to Hitler's plan, Leningrad had to be completely destroyed. The blockade of Leningrad, which lasted from the 8th of September 1941 until the 27th of January 1944 (about 900 days), was the most tragic period of the city. For the period of the blockade the city survived incredible bombardment. Only 25% of the factories and plants remained and 800,000 citizens died. Monuments of culture and suburban palaces were destroyed. Restoration began immediately after the war. In the 1960s memorials to the blockade victims were erected in the Piskaryovskoye and Serafimovskoye cemeteries.

In 1960-1980s the city grew rapidly both in the northwest and in the south, as well as along the coast. At that time Pobedy (Victory) Square, the Oktyabrskaya Hotel, the Yubileyny Sports Palace, the Moscow and Pulkovskaya Hotels, the Pulkovo Airport and the Sports and Concert Complex (SKK) were built.
The 1990s are characterized by radical changes in state and political structures of Russia and in 1991 the city was renamed St. Petersburg.
Being a major European city, St. Petersburg has the honour of having been named as the Northern Capital of Russia.
By a UNESCO decision. Saint Petersburg was declared a Monument of World Culture.

Useful and interesting links:
http://www.spb.ru/eng - Saint-Petersburg Official Web Site.
http://www.enlight.ru/camera/index_e.htm - Wandering Camera: a great collection of Saint-Petersburg photos and views.

� EGEA Saint Petersburg Contact e-mail: egea@narod.ru

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