History of St. Petersburg

History of St. Petersburg 
St. Petersburg was founded by order of Peter I May 16, 1703 (Julian calendar - May 27) . 
Originally the town was called St. Peter Burh in honor of the Apostle Peter and consonant with the Dutch town of Sint-Petersburg. Dutch roots of the city's name are not surprising , since Peter awhile I studied and lived in the Netherlands. However , already in 1720 , the city changed its name to familiar to us - St. Petersburg , from which are formed reduction - Petrograd, Petersburg and more modern Peter . 
As often happens in those days , was the first building of the city fortress. St. Petersburg was no exception - the first stone of its foundation was laid exactly 16 (27) May 1703 at Hare Island , located just a few kilometers from the Gulf of Finland . 
 
Plan of the fortress drew personally by Peter I. Originally the fortress walls were bulked . Strengthening of the stones were made ​​only in 1706 . The city was built on the site of wetlands that were drained by civilian workers . Construction of urban buildings led invited foreign engineers , and construction work carried out themselves masons from across the country . For the early construction of the city Peter I banned the construction of stone across the country , which caused the influx of specialists in the new city. The first inhabitants of the new city , as you can guess , getting the soldiers and sailors who carried the service in a given area , as well as forcibly brought from other regions of the peasants and artisans . 
Already in 1712, a very young city became the capital of the Russian Empire , a shelter within its walls , the royal court . It is worth noting that the capital Petersburg remained more than two centuries until the Revolution of 1918. This time is enough to the city was recognized as informal northern capital of the country. 
In January 1725 Peter I was dying , but the history of St. Petersburg continues. In 1727 he built the first bridge across the Neva , connected the city to the Admiralty Vasilievsky Island . However , he lasted just one summer . The first permanent bridge across the Neva was built only in 1850 and received a little-known name Nevsky . Then he had three times changed his name - the Annunciation , Nicholas and finally got the name by which we know now - Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge . 
History of the Winter Palace of St. Petersburg begins with 1711 , when the direction of Peter I built a small " wooden house in the Dutch style ." But in 1712 it was rebuilt and turned into a real palace. Soon was designed by I. Matarnovi second was built Winter Palace . 
And just a few years architect D.Trezini third Winter Palace built by using the second palace as the western part of the new building . This was followed by the fourth and fifth . The most famous was the sixth Winter Palace , completed the great architect Rastrelli in 1762. 
Since time and today it remains a hallmark of the city . 
In 1764 was built the Hermitage (translated from French . - A quiet retreat or hermitage ) . 
For more than 200 years of its existence it has become the largest museum in Russia and one of the most famous in the world. It attracts millions of tourists from around the world annually . 
The city continued to grow and develop. By the early 19th century, the city's population reached 200,000 people, which is only slightly inferior to the population of Moscow in the same period. 
December 14, 1825 at the Senate Square City was the Decembrist uprising , which served as the first significant push the country to the abolition of serfdom , the incident, however, only in 1861 . 
1917 was the year of the revolution . The February Revolution overthrew the Tsarist regime , which came into place the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet . This was followed by the Great October Revolution and the Civil War . 
In 1918, the Russian capital Moscow began again , the policy left the city . And already in 1924 , St. Petersburg was renamed Leningrad . 
The Second World War left its heavy imprint in the history of the city. The siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days - September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. Until now, no accurate data on the number of victims - many sources say the victims from 300,000 to 1.5 million. According to official data , the figure was about 700 tysyach.Gorod exsanguinated , but persevered. May 1, 1945 he was awarded the title of hero-city . 
September 6, 1991 Leningrad again became St. Petersburg. 
Currently, St. Petersburg - a city of federal importance (along with Russia ) with developed infrastructure. Millions of Russians and foreigners seeking here to get acquainted with the history iistoricheskimi monuments. St. Petersburg is considered to be the northern capital of Russia . 
In fact, to describe the history of St. Petersburg in one article - it is impossible . Here lived and worked many famous people of Russia and the world, there have been many beautiful masterpieces . This is a great town with a long , sometimes brutal , but always interesting and fascinating history .