Saint Petersburg (Sankt Peterburg) city, history - - Pictures
The Saint Petersburg region was originally inhabited by Swedes. It was conquered by Russia during the Great Northern War (1700-1721) fought between Sweden and a coalition of countries led by Russia. In 1703 Russian tsar Peter the Great chose a site on Zayachy Island in the Neva River and began the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress, named after the two saints. Although the site was cold, damp, and poorly protected, Peter was determined to build a new capital in the Neva delta to replace Moscow, which had served as Russia's capital since the origins of the Russian state in the 1300s. Peter wanted an outlet to the Baltic Sea and intended to make Saint Petersburg a modern, Western-style city that would serve as Russia's “window on Europe.” Although the fortress was originally a primitive earthen structure, stone was brought in when construction of the city began. Saint Petersburg was built at great human cost. Hunger and cold killed nearly 100,000 people during the first years of its construction. The imperial capital—including the Russian court, the Senate, and the foreign embassies—was moved to the new city in 1712. Peter and the rulers after him commissioned Dutch and Italian architects to build the city's beautiful palaces, and an influx of Western scholars and artisans helped make Saint Petersburg a cultural as well as political center.
Saint Petersburg was at the forefront of Russia's industrialization, which began in the late 19th century. The first steamships and the opening of the Moscow-Saint Petersburg railway line in 1851 provided the impetus for the growth of the city's industry, which by 1900 included more than 100 metallurgical factories. A new port was constructed in 1885, expanding the city's potential for international trade. During the boom of the 1890s the number of banks in Saint Petersburg, including those owned by foreigners, grew rapidly.
