The history of St. Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast

<<< Back \| Culture \| Map \| MOU Agreement

HISTORY OF ST. PETERSBURG/LENINGRAD OBLAST
Although the Leningrad Oblast was not officially formed until 1927, Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great. In 1717, the capital of Russia was moved to Saint Petersburg where it would remain for 200 years. Saint Petersburg was Peter the Great’s “window on the west” as it is the only point where Russia meets a seaway to Northern Europe. Immediately after the founding of the city a six wall fortress was built, Peter and Paul Fortress. Peter the Great was determined to build Saint Petersburg into an amazing city; ordering all construction on stone buildings elsewhere to stop until Saint Petersburg was built. Peter the Great forced many of his people to move from Moscow to Saint Petersburg and build houses the way he wanted them built. In the first ten years, Saint Petersburg had 1,000 homes built. Saint Petersburg’s identity has changed several times by way of a name change. In 1914, Czar Nicholas II changed the name to Petrograd in honor of Peter the Great. In 1924, Soviet Congress wrote in a special resolution, “Let this major center of the proletarian revolution from this day forward be connected with the name of the greatest leader of the proletariat, Vladimir Ilyinch Ulyanov Lenin.” The city was renamed Leningrad until 1991, when political battles between communist and liberals resulted in the city’s name changing back to Saint Petersburg with the outlying area being called Leningrad. The region has endured enormous amounts of damage caused by both World Wars. Industry, land, and society in the area were largely affected. Not until recently, has Leningrad exceed the pre-World War II population statistics. Today, Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia.
Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Governor · Michael S. Steele, Lt. Governor · Mary D. Kane, Secretary of State