Peter the Great's St. Petersburg

St Petersburg saw an amazing transition in its first few years from a swampy, scarcely populated area to fine European capital. The Peter and Paul fortress was the first structure to be built in the new city as protection from an attack by the Swedish army. The fortress did not see any fighting throughout its history. Just across the Neva River from the fortress, Peter the Great constructed the fortified Admiralty complex in 1705. Its shipyards became the first enterprise in St Petersburg and where the most powerful ships of Russia’s Baltic Fleet were built, including the birthplace of Russia’s first “seagoing” battleship, the 54-canon Poltava. The vessels from this shipyard were to lead to many naval victories during the course of the Northern War.

Originally the city had no bridges, and people had to be ferried between the banks by boat, leading to St Petersburg’s name “the Venice of the North”. Construction of the new city was headed by the first governor, Alexander Menshikov and the city’s first architect, Domenico Trezzini, from Switzerland. In 1710, building work commenced on the Church of Isaac Dalmatsky. In the same year, Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded. An opening originally cut in the woods between the Admiralty complex and the monastery was called the Great Perspective (later to be called Nevsky Prospect). The construction of the stone Peter and Paul Cathedral in the ground os the fortress was started in 1712 by Trezzini.

Governor Menshikov then ordered the construction of the private residences. A magnificent three-storey stone palace with a large garden on Vasilievsky Island was constructed as the residence of the Governor General and called Menshikov Palace. Peter the Great commissioned a Summer Palace to be built for himself in 1714 on the left bank of the Neva River. The Summer Garden surrounded the palace. On the same bank of the river, but closer to the Admiralty a Winter Palace was built for Peter (This is not to be confused with today’s Winter Palce / Hermitage). Further upstream, the Foundry was constructed (now Liteyny Prospect) as the second industrial enterprise in the city. To the east of the Foundry was the Tar Yard (now Smolny), which produced tar for the Admiralty.

Originally, the heart of the city was intended to be the area between the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Cabin of Peter the Great. This later became known as Trinity Square, where the first church was built in the city. The city’s prestigious social events took place in either the Summer Gardens or in luxurious Menshikov Palace, as it was far superior to the Tsar’s Summer Palace.

Unfortunately, most of the city’s early 18th century buildings have not survived, after being remodelled or demolished. The best impression a visitor can gain of how the city looked like is by visiting the university building of the “Twelve Colleges” and Kikin House on Vailievsky Island.

Unfortunately many of Peter’s projects fell under the shadow of oblivion with his death in 1725. His wife Catherine I assumed power and the city experienced a short decline while various rulers fought over the throne.  In a little more than 14 years, Russia had four monarchs: Catherine I (Pete’s last wife), Peter II (his grandson), Anna Ioannovna (his niece) and the infant Ivan Antonovich (Anna’s nephew). In 1728 the capital was transferred back to Moscow by Peter II. St Petersburg was only fully revived as the capital after the officers of the Guard put Peter’s daughter, Empress Elizabeth, on the thrown in 1741. Elizabethan St. Petersburg became a lively European capital and its population reached 150,000 people.

Next: Elizabethan St. Petersburg