Saint Petersburg

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Lore & Background

The city was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27 May 1703 on the site of a captured Swedish fortress, and was named after the apostle Saint Peter. The name was later normalized and russified to Sankt-Peterburg. On 31 August [O.S. 18 August] 1914, after the war with Germany had begun, Tsar Nicholas II renamed the city Petrograd to expunge the German words Sankt and Burg. On 26 January 1924, shortly after the death of Vladimir Lenin, it was renamed to Leningrad, meaning 'Lenin City'. On 6 September 1991, the original name, Sankt-Peterburg, was returned by a citywide referendum held on 12 June 1991, with 55% of voters supporting 'Saint Petersburg' and 43% supporting 'Leningrad'. Residents often refer to the city by its shortened nickname, Piter.

Reader's Guide

Saint Petersburg served as a capital of the Tsardom of Russia, and the subsequent Russian Empire, from 1712 to 1918 (being replaced by Moscow for a short period between 1728 and 1730). After the October Revolution in 1917, the Bolsheviks moved their government to Moscow. It was the site of the siege of Leningrad during World War II, the most lethal siege in history. As Russia's cultural centre, Saint Petersburg received over 15 million tourists in 2018. It is home to notable federal government bodies such as the Constitutional Court of Russia and the Heraldic Council of the President of the Russian Federation. It is also home to the National Library of Russia and a planned location for the Supreme Court of Russia, as well as home to the headquarters of the Russian Navy, and the Leningrad Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage (one of the largest art museums in the world), and the Lakhta Center (the tallest skyscraper in Europe), and was one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020. The city has been nicknamed 'the Northern Capital of Russia' and is often described as the 'Venice of the North' or the 'Russian Venice' due to its many water corridors.

Did You Know?

• Saint Petersburg is the world's northernmost city of more than 1 million residents.
• The city was built by conscripted peasants (serfs) from all over Russia; tens of thousands of serfs died while building the city.
• The name day of Tsar Peter the Great falls on 29 June, when the Russian Orthodox Church observes the memory of apostles Peter and Paul.
• The first General Governor of the city Menshikov is maybe also the author of the first nickname of Petersburg, which he called Петри (Petri).
• The oblast which surrounds Saint Petersburg is still named Leningrad.