What is the name of the city founded by Peter 1. The city will be founded here. Lipetsk, regional center
The city was founded at the mouth of the river. Neva, on Hare Island, May 16, 1703 by Peter I - after a series of victories in the Northern War with Sweden (1700-1721) for access to the Baltic Sea. “From here we will threaten the Swede. Here the city will be founded to spite the arrogant neighbor. Nature here destined us to open a window to Europe” (Pushkin).
“THE FROM HERE WE WILL THREATEN THE SWEDES”
“After the capture of Kanets, a military council was sent to determine whether it would be more convenient to look for a trench or another place (since it was small, far from the sea and the place was not very strong from nature, in which it was supposed to look for a new place), and after a few days it was found comfortable spot- an island called Lust-Elant, where on the 16th day of the Maya a fortress was founded and named St. Petersburg, where part of the army was left...”
IMPERIAL CAPITAL
On May 1, 1703, Russian troops took Swedish fortress Nyenschanz (at the confluence of the Okhta River with the Neva). The military council headed by it decided that this fortress was not suitable for further strengthening: Nyenschanz “is not much strong by nature,” as the tsar himself said. In addition, Nyenschanz was quite far from the sea, and the Swedes still had the opportunity to fortify themselves on one of the islands of the Neva delta. The Russians would then still be cut off from the sea.
Having independently examined the islands of the delta, Peter found exactly what he needed: Hare Island, located at the fork of the Neva into two branches, not far from the sea. The island was washed on all sides by water, which would have become a natural barrier in the event of an assault. From the island it was possible to keep enemy ships at gunpoint, no matter where they entered the Neva.
On May 16 (27), 1703, on the day of the Holy Trinity, a fortress was founded on the island. This day is considered the founding day of St. Petersburg. But the fortress received its name only on June 29, when, on Peter’s Day, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul was founded here. Peter called new fortress“St. Petersburg”, the same name was given to the city emerging around Hare Island. The Apostle Peter, according to Christian tradition, was the keeper of the keys to heaven, and this also seemed symbolic to the Russian Tsar: the city bearing the name of his heavenly patron was supposed to become the key to the Baltic Sea. Only a few years later the fortress began to be called Peter and Paul fortress - after the name of its main cathedral.
The plan for the future fortress was drawn by Peter himself. The fortifications had to be built very quickly in order to be completed in a short summer. And indeed, by the autumn of 1703 the fortress was “roughly finished.” In the first years, its walls were poured out of earth to speed it up, but the construction of stone fortifications began three years later - in 1706.
Immediately after the foundation of the fortress on the banks of the Neva, a wooden house for Peter was cut down in three days. The king wanted his new home to resemble the Dutch buildings he loved, so the walls of the wooden house were painted with oil paint to resemble brick. Peter lived in this house for a short time and only in the summer, but in memory of the founder of St. Petersburg, Peter’s house has been preserved to this day.
The new city began to grow next to the fortress on the neighboring Berezov Island; this island even began to be called Gorodsky (now it is the Petrograd side). Already in November 1703, the first church of the city was opened here - in memory of the fact that the fortress was founded on the day of the Holy Trinity, it was also called Trinity. Rebuilt a few years later in stone, the Trinity Cathedral was for some time the main temple of the capital. It was here in 1721 that Peter I took the title of emperor.
NEW CAPITAL
"And before the younger capital
Old Moscow has faded,
Like before a new queen
Porphyry-bearing widow."
A.S. Pushkin. Bronze Horseman
“THE CITY IS HERE TO BE”
St. Petersburg was founded as a result of a thoughtful plan of Peter I and many people around him. At the end of April 1703, the Tsar, looking for a place for a future fortress, carefully examined the coast of the Neva. He explored the territory not alone, but accompanied by various specialists. The establishment of fortresses at that time required reconnaissance on the ground, analysis of drawings, depth measurements, and discussion of many technical issues with fortifiers, artillerymen and sailors. Feofan Prokopovich wrote in his “History of Emperor Peter the Great” that the tsar, “sat on water vessels, from the Kantsov fortress along the Neva River, take care of its islands even to the sea mouth, and began diligently to reason, not without the advice of others skilled in the matter (people )". We know that Peter’s retinue at that time included two fortification specialists: the French general engineer Joseph Gaspard Lambert de Guerin and the German engineer V. A. Kirschenshein. The first made drawings of the Noteburg-Shlisselburg fortress being restored after the assault of 1702, while the second made the first two plans for the fortress on the Neva island. Until his death in 1705, Kirshenshein supervised the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The role of Lambert, a successor to the school of the great French engineer Vauban, is also great. It is no coincidence that in the fall of 1703 Lambert received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called as a reward. Peter I was never generous in awarding the highest and only order of Russia of that era. Perhaps this is how he especially noted the services of the general engineer in founding the fortress on the island. In addition, after the Azov campaigns of 1695-1696, the tsar himself acquired extensive experience in fortification. After all, then he had to choose a place for a long time to found Taganrog, as well as the St. Peter fortress at the mouth of the Don. It is no coincidence that one of the working drawings of the fortress on Hare Island was made, as historians suggest, by the hand of the king.
On the night of May 6–7, another memorable event occurred. Thirty boats with guardsmen under the command of Peter I and Menshikov attacked the Swedish ships standing at the mouth of the Neva - a shnyava and a boat - and boarded them. Not only Menshikov, but also the Russian autocrat himself took part in the fast-paced hand-to-hand combat. For this feat, the sovereign was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
PETERSBURG - “A CITY ON BONES”?
The idea of St. Petersburg, built on the bones of its first builders, is still stable. Is this myth true? The answer to this question involves solving a number of problems. What categories of the population were involved in the construction of the city in the first ten years? What was the real number of the first builders, and how many of them died at this construction site? What were the main causes of illness and what did the workers get sick with? Of particular interest is the position of the authorities regarding morbidity and mortality in the Neva Delta: did they look at it indifferently or take some measures?..
O.G. Ageeva, considering Peter's Petersburg through the prism of Russian social consciousness of the early 18th century, dwells in detail on the issue that interests us. For the first time in historiography, the author goes against the generally accepted opinion and claims that there was no high mortality rate in St. Petersburg. The researcher derives his calculations of overall mortality in St. Petersburg from a document for 1716, according to which, out of 3,262 working people, 27 people died during the construction of the future Nevsky Prospect, which is 0.74 percent. Based on this percentage, O.G. Ageeva calculates that the St. Petersburg construction site claimed about 150 people annually, which is 1703-1715. amounted to approximately two thousand people. Thus, the author comes to the conclusion that the figures reported by foreigners are 50-100 times inflated, and this phenomenon is nothing more than rumors, a myth, reflecting the population’s reaction “to the discomfort of St. Petersburg life”
BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
The founding of a new capital on the western border of the state was not only the embodiment of the plans and ideals of the founder, but also determined the entire future fate cities in the historical and political reality of Russia, and in its cultural and state mythology. Starting from this era, such opposing characteristics as ancient/new, historical/mythological, received features of the opposition concentric/eccentric, primordial/foreign. Behind this opposition was the antithesis of two indigenous state-cultural models.
“East” and “West” in the cultural geography of Russia invariably appear as rich symbols based on geographical reality, but in fact imperatively ruling over it. It is characteristic that in Russian literature geography becomes one of the dominant artistic means of expression. So, for example, in Dostoevsky’s work, the development of the author’s basic ideas naturally leads to an expansion of geographical space. In the work of the young Dostoevsky, St. Petersburg, as it were, embraces the entire artistic space and, accordingly, receives the right to represent Russia. In the final work - "The Brothers Karamazov" - Petersburg rather embodies the illness of Russia, its "fears and horrors" (Gogol's expression), - accordingly, "recovery" is thought of as Russia overcoming the Petersburg origin within itself. Dostoevsky’s work begins as a natural development of the St. Petersburg myth and is no less connected with the “St. Petersburg space” than Pushkin’s “The Bronze Horseman.”
RETURN
ABOUT RESTORING THE CITY OF LENINGRAD ITS HISTORICAL
NAMES ST. PETERSBURG
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decides:
Return the city of Leningrad to its historical name - city
Saint Petersburg.
First Deputy Chairman
Supreme Council of the RSFSR
R.I.KHASBULATOV
Literature:
Related materials:
Peter I
The personality of Peter the Great stands apart in the history of Russia, since neither among his contemporaries, nor among his successors and descendants was there a person who could make such profound changes in the state, so infiltrate the historical memory of the Russian people, becoming at the same time semi-legendary, but the most vivid her page. As a result of Peter's activities, Russia became an empire and took its place among the leading European powers.
3 Comments
Zemtsov Anton Vyacheslavovich/ CEO zemant.com | Member of the Russian Military Society
This was not a struggle for access to the Baltic Sea, but the conquest from the Swedes and the liberation of the ancestral lands of northwestern Rus', lost as a result of the Time of Troubles and due to the atrocities and extravagance of Ivan the Terrible.
This land has always been ours, even when Rurik was invited to Veliky Novgorod in 862. This was and is Novgorod land.
Valuev Anton Vadimovich
On March 14, 1730, during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the coat of arms of St. Petersburg was approved by decree of the Governing Senate. It is believed that its prototype was the coat of arms of the Vatican, the City of St. Peter. The prototype of the coat of arms appeared back in 1712. The historical coat of arms of St. Petersburg was subsequently confirmed in 1780, supplemented in 1857 and, in our time, re-adopted in 1991, in connection with the return of the city to its historical name.
Valuev Anton Vadimovich/ Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences
On May 27, St. Petersburg will celebrate its 311th anniversary. Born of the genius of Peter, St. Petersburg - Petrograd - Leningrad - St. Petersburg, cultural capital Russia has always played an important role in the history of our Motherland. A unique life, a difficult fate, an unbending will form the special character, the soul of our city. Petersburg is a city of warriors, a city of workers, a city of scientists. The past, present and future are inextricably combined here. Living in St. Petersburg and being worthy of its glorious deeds and traditions is a great honor for every person and citizen. Happy holiday, happy birthday, beloved city!
Valuev Anton Vadimovich/ Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences
From December 14 to 16, 2015, the regular IV International Cultural Forum, created on the initiative of the Government, took place in St. Petersburg Russian Federation, Ministry of Culture and Government of St. Petersburg. The forum was solemnly opened by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. In his speech, the President outlined the main priorities of our country in the field of culture, science and education, creativity in general - in the context of modern challenges to these foundations of every civilized society from international organized crime and terrorism. The main idea of the message addressed to Russia and the world was that World culture and its monuments should be under special international protection, and any encroachment on historical and cultural monuments should be considered a particularly serious crime. Many figures of Russian and world culture took part in the Forum, among them the head of UNESCO Irina Bokova. As a result of the forum, numerous important decisions and projects were reached on the development of cultural policy in Russia, the Anatoly Vasilyevich Lunacharsky Prize was awarded, and the initiative to hold the International Delphic Games in St. Petersburg in 2016 was approved. In addition, on December 16, during the final plenary meeting of the Forum in St. Petersburg, in the Atrium of the General Staff of the State Hermitage, the first version of the Declaration on the Protection of Culture in Zones of Armed Conflict was presented. Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Rostislavovich Medinsky was named the main newsmaker of Russian culture.
Russian Tsar, first Emperor Russian Empire Peter I was born on June 9 (May 30, old style) 1672. The only son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1629-1676) from his second marriage to Natalya Naryshkina (1651-1694).
As a child, Peter was educated at home, and from a young age he knew German, then studied Dutch, English and French.
With the help of palace craftsmen, he mastered many crafts (carpentry, lathe, weapons, blacksmithing, etc.). The future emperor was physically strong, agile, inquisitive and capable, and had a good memory.
In April 1682, Peter was enthroned after the death of the childless Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, bypassing his elder half-brother Ivan. However, the sister of Peter and Ivan, Princess Sophia, and the relatives of Alexei Mikhailovich’s first wife, the Miloslavskys, used the Streltsy uprising in Moscow for a palace coup. In May 1682, adherents and relatives of the Naryshkins were killed or exiled, Ivan was declared the “senior” tsar, and Peter was declared the “junior” tsar under the ruler Sophia.
Under Sophia, Peter lived in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow. Here Peter I showed interest in military activities, he created “amusing” regiments, which later became the basis of the Russian army, and was interested in firearms and shipbuilding.
In the 2nd half of the 1680s, clashes began between Peter I and Sophia, who was striving for autocracy. In August 1689, Peter I received news that Sophia was preparing a palace coup. He hastily left Preobrazhensky for the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where troops loyal to him and his supporters arrived. Armed detachments of nobles, collected by the messengers of Peter I, surrounded Moscow, Sophia was removed from power and imprisoned Novodevichy Convent, her associates were exiled or executed.
After the death of Ivan Alekseevich in 1696, Peter I became the sole tsar.
Possessing a strong will, determination and great capacity for work, Peter I expanded his knowledge and skills in various fields throughout his life, paying special attention to military and naval affairs. In 1689-1693, under the guidance of the Dutch master Timmerman and the Russian master Kartsev, Peter I learned to build ships on Lake Pereslavl. In 1697-1698, during his first trip abroad, he completed a full course in artillery sciences in Konigsberg, worked as a carpenter for six months in the shipyards of Amsterdam (Holland), studying naval architecture and drawing plans, and completed a theoretical course in shipbuilding in England.
During his reign, Peter I carried out major reforms aimed at overcoming Russia's lag behind the advanced countries of the West.
The transformations affected all spheres of public life. Peter I expanded the ownership rights of landowners over the property and personality of serfs, replaced the household taxation of peasants with a capitation tax, issued a decree on possession peasants who were allowed to be acquired by the owners of manufactories, practiced the mass registration of state and tribute peasants to state-owned and private factories, the mobilization of peasants and townspeople into the army and for the construction of cities, fortresses, canals, etc. The Decree on Single Inheritance (1714) equalized estates and fiefdoms, giving their owners the right to transfer real estate to one of their sons, and thereby secured noble ownership of the land. The Table of Ranks (1722) established the order of rank in the military and civil service not according to nobility, but according to personal abilities and merits.
Peter I contributed to the rise of the country's productive forces, encouraged the development of domestic manufactories, communications, domestic and foreign trade.
The place of the Boyar Duma was taken by the Senate (1711), instead of orders, collegiums were established (1718), the control apparatus was first represented by “fiscals” (1711), and then by prosecutors headed by the Prosecutor General. In place of the patriarchate, a Spiritual College, or Synod, was established, which was under the control of the government.
Administrative reform was of great importance. Peter I initially formed a two-stage system of administrative-territorial division and local government (in 1708, provinces were formed headed by governors or governors-general), and from 1719 - a three-stage system: the provinces were divided into provinces (headed by provincial governors), which included counties, headed by commandants (there were also zemstvo commissars in the cities).
In 1703, Peter I founded the city of St. Petersburg, which became the capital of the state in 1712. In 1721, Russia was proclaimed an empire.
As a military leader, Peter I stands among the most educated and talented builders of the armed forces, generals and naval commanders in Russian and world history of the 18th century. His whole life's work was to strengthen Russia's military power and increase its role in the international arena. He had to continue the war with Turkey, which began in 1686, and wage a long-term struggle for Russia’s access to the sea in the north and south. As a result of the Azov campaigns (1695-1696), Azov was occupied by Russian troops, and Russia fortified itself on the banks Sea of Azov. In the long Northern War (1700-1721), Russia, under the leadership of Peter I, achieved complete victory and gained access to the Baltic Sea, which gave it the opportunity to establish direct connections with Western countries. After the Persian campaign (1722-1723) it went to Russia West Coast Caspian Sea with the cities of Derbent and Baku.
During the Northern War, Peter I created a regular army and navy. The basis of the structure of the armed forces was conscription (1705) and compulsory military service of nobles who received the rank of officer after graduating from military school or serving as privates and sergeants of the guard. The organization, weapons and equipment, rules of training and tactics, the rights and responsibilities of all ranks of the army and navy were determined by the Military Regulations (1716), the Naval Regulations (1720) and the Maritime Regulations (1722), in the development of which Peter I participated.
Paying much attention to the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, Peter I established the development and production of new types of ships, new types of artillery guns and ammunition, and created a coherent system for basing the fleet on the Azov, Baltic and Caspian seas. Was built a large number of rowing and sailing ships.
Taking care of the morale of the troops, Peter I awarded distinguished generals with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, established by him in 1698, and soldiers and officers with medals and promotions (soldiers also with money). At the same time, Peter I introduced harsh discipline in the army with corporal punishment and the death penalty for serious military crimes.
The principles of organizing the regular army and navy introduced by Peter I and the rules of military art developed by him predetermined the development of military affairs in Russia for many decades and formed the basis of the “Peter’s” military school, from which later came outstanding commanders and naval commanders Pyotr Rumyantsev, Alexander Suvorov, Fyodor Ushakov, Mikhail Kutuzov, Pavel Nakhimov and others.
Peter I skillfully took advantage of the favorable circumstances of the international situation and showed the ability to compromise in relations with other states. He repeatedly personally negotiated and concluded agreements, while exploiting the contradictions between European countries. Under him, for the first time in the history of Russia, permanent diplomatic missions and consulates were established abroad, and outdated forms were abolished diplomatic relations and etiquette.
Peter I also carried out major reforms in the field of culture and education. A secular school appeared, and the clergy's monopoly on education was eliminated. Peter I founded the Pushkar School (1699), the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences (1701), and the Medical and Surgical School; The first Russian public theater was opened. In St. Petersburg, the Naval Academy (1715), engineering and artillery schools (1719), and translator schools at collegiums were established.
Peter I ordered the publication of the first Russian printed newspaper, Vedomosti (1702). Replaced the Cyrillic number system with Arabic numerals (1705-1710) and the Cyrillic font with a civil font (1708-1710). Contributed to the development of Russian book printing.
Peter I laid the foundation for the state library business, opened the country's first scientific library in his palace in Summer Garden in St. Petersburg. Founded the first Russian public natural science museum - the Kunstkamera. In 1700, a new calendar was introduced with the beginning of the year on January 1 (instead of September 1) and chronology from the “Nativity of Christ”, and not from the “Creation of the World”.
In the field of healthcare, Peter I initiated an increase in the number of pharmacies through their opening by private individuals. Founded military hospitals in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kronstadt. For the cultivation of medicinal herbs, he established apothecary gardens in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Astrakhan, etc. He established the position of the chief Russian physician - archiatr (1716), who later headed the Medical Chancellery.
Drew attention to the search and development of sources in Russia medicinal waters, founded the first resort in the country - Marcial Waters (1719).
Peter I was married twice. From his first marriage to Evdokia Lopukhina, Peter had two children - Alexey and Alexander. The latter died in infancy. In 1712, Peter married Ekaterina Alekseevna (Marta Skavronskaya; later Empress Catherine I). With Catherine, Peter I had 11 children, seven died in infancy and two more - Peter and Natalya - in childhood; Only Anna Petrovna and Elizaveta Petrovna survived.
Peter I died on February 8 (January 28, old style) 1725, and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
(Additional
In 1782, the most famous monument Petrou - the famous “Bronze Horseman” by Etienne Falconet
PHOTO: wikipedia.orgPeter Romanov inherited the Russian throne at the age of 10, in 1682, and began to rule Russia seven years later. The young tsar was the first of the Russian monarchs to make a detailed trip around Western Europe, and having returned from foreign lands, he began to reshape Russia in a European manner, so large-scale, controversially and urgently that he became known as a grandiose reformer, who also expanded the territory of the empire in the Baltic region and strengthened the authority of the Russian state in the world. Therefore, Peter the Great was nicknamed the Great.
The beginning, it would seem, did not promise a dizzying career for this man. He was born the fourteenth child of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, but was the firstborn of his mother, Tsarina Natalya Naryshkina. One-year-old Peter was given to be raised by nannies, and his education at the time of succession to the throne was weak; he even wrote with errors throughout his life. But the boy was unusually inquisitive and successfully mastered many sciences, both in childhood and in adulthood, in practice. The story of how Tsar Peter, in simple clothes, along with the peasants, planed and sawed at foreign shipyards, learning the ship craft, is indicative.
In the likeness of foreign systems, Peter made the Russian Empire a regular police state and divided it into provinces; He dressed the shaven gentlemen in foreign clothes, changed the calendar, founded the first Russian newspaper and in 1724 founded the Academy of Sciences. The progressive emperor also ordered the founding of new cities, not like those usual for free Mother Rus', chaotic and variegated, but according to civilized laws - pre-planned, topographically verified, adapted for communications and roads. The sovereign "tested" the project in the southern coastal city of Taganrog, and was going to build the capital there, but the war with the Turks there adjusted the plans. After the first fitting in the likeness of Taganrog urban planning, Peter the Great erected his glorious brainchild - St. Petersburg.
What other cities arose in our country thanks to this emperor? Peter also put his royal hand to several settlements, sometimes noble, but which did not become cities. "Evening Moscow" found information about the creations of the Petrovs, which received the status of cities in ancient times or in modern history. Let's arrange them according to the chronology of their foundation.
1. Petrovsk, Saratov region
The successful campaign against Azov inspired the young tsar to build a fortress on the Medveditsa River, a tributary of the Don-Batyushka in the Saratov region. It was necessary to protect the territory from raids Crimean Tatars and free roaming robbers. The sovereign issued a corresponding decree on November 15, 1697. And six months later a quadrangular fortress was founded there. Merchants and handicrafts began to develop there, and the entire Petrovsky district was formed. Now it is the administrative center of the Petrovsky district Saratov region with a population of approximately 30 and a half thousand inhabitants. And the main attractions of the townspeople are the monument to Peter the Great on the station square, created by the sculptor A. Drozdov, the century-old church in the name of the icon of the Kazan Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
2. Taganrog, Rostov region
In the story about this city, there is an incredible number of uses of the word “for the first time.” Taganrog was founded in 1698 by Peter the Great and became the first naval base Russia, the first Russian port on the open sea coast, the first city in Russia built according to a regular plan, Taganrog harbor is the first in the world built not in a natural bay, but on the open sea, it is the first city of the Russian Empire where commercial traffic was introduced in 1808 court, it was the only non-capital city with Italian opera, and in 1699 the first penal servitude in the history of Russia was established in the region, and Taganrog became its center. The city is located on the Mius Peninsula of the Taganrog Gulf of the Sea of Azov, the historical part is on Cape Tagany Rog with a lighthouse. In fact, this is a fairly large peninsular city, except for one direction, wherever you go - you will come out to the sea. Once upon a time, nobles, officials and clergy were exiled there, as well as captured Turks and Tatars, Swedes and Balts. Greek and Italian merchants, Armenian and Jewish merchants and nobility flocked there by sea. So the national flavor of the population of about 300,000 current residents is unique. In Taganrog, researchers identified Pushkin's Lukomorye; Many world-famous celebrities were born or lived there, from emperors and military leaders to writers, composers, and artists. During the Great Patriotic War, during the three-year occupation, the most powerful anti-fascist underground in the South operated there; on November 3, 2011, Taganrog was awarded the honorary title “City of Military Glory.”
3. Kamensk-Uralsky, Sverdlovsk region
The city was founded in 1701 by decree of Emperor Peter the Great and at first for two centuries it was known for the Kamensk state-owned iron foundry, which produced the best cannons in the world. The ore in those places lay close to the surface and was easily mined by hand. The servants of the Dalmatovsky monastery noticed this and legally registered the lands for themselves. But soon Tsar Peter realized the easy accessibility of the ore so necessary for the state; his specialists rated the Ural ore highly; the emperor returned state lands to the treasury and issued a decree on the construction of an ironworks there, the foundation of the future city. In January 1774, the Kamensky plant participated in the peasant uprising of Emelyan Pugachev. The workers left the power of the factory owners and cast ten cannons and three hundred pounds of cannonballs for the Pugachevites. The Tsar's regiment defeated the rebel detachment and returned the plant to the state. During the Great Patriotic War, the only aluminum plant in the country operated in Kamensk-Uralsky, thanks to which Soviet aviation existed. The city is notable for the fact that the border of the Urals and Siberia passes through it. Today the population of the city is more than 172,000, mainly Russians and Tatars.
4. Lodeynoye Pole, Leningrad region
In 1702, it arose as a shipbuilders’ settlement at the Olonets shipyard founded by Peter the Great. The choice of location is clear - three-quarters of the entire area is covered with forests in Lodeynoye Pole; for a long time, residents of small settlements there were engaged in logging, and there was also shipbuilding. Over the 130 years of operation, the Olonets Shipyard has built about 450 ships. They built quickly then - driven by the Northern War with Sweden. And near the shipyard, forges, workshops, and residential barracks arose, and that’s how the town was formed. There was also a temporary house for Tsar Peter. The settlement grew and in 1785, Catherine the Second ordered it to be granted city status. During the Great Patriotic War, Lodeynoye Pole held the defense for 1000 days, not allowing the Nazis to approach Leningrad, guarding the Road of Life. Now it is the administrative center of the Lodeynopolsky district Leningrad region with a population of 20 and a half thousand people.
5. St. Petersburg
The grandiose, most famous creation of Peter the Great. Until January 26, 1924 - Petrograd, until September 6, 1991 - Leningrad. He was named Emperor in honor of the Apostle Peter, keeper of the keys to the gates of heaven. The metropolis is located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and at the mouth of the Neva River. St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia for two centuries, starting in 1710. It was founded in 1703, when the first stone was laid on Hare Island, and began to grow new town; at first it was Peter-Pavel's Fortress. It was built by the forces of serfs, who were forcibly herded for construction; several thousand people died from malnutrition and overwork. In 1710, by order of the Tsar, 15 thousand different artisans from all over the country were resettled there, and land in the city was given to them for free. Therefore, the central part of the city was formed very quickly. The city was built by foreign specialists according to European canons both in architecture and in infrastructure - according to a clear layout. But until the mid-18th century, almost no attention was paid to decorating the city. But Empress Elizabeth introduced a new landmark - majestic buildings worthy of the capital. And under Paul the First, the most mystical building in St. Petersburg was built - Mikhailovsky Castle, densely overgrown with legends. In the 20th century, they came to grips with the comfort of St. Petersburg: they built dozens of bridges, built railway lines, and launched a tram. And then the Russians poured there in a stream, the population grew faster than New York. The most tragic period of the city was the siege of Leningrad, 900 heroic days in 1941-1945. Now the city's population is more than 5 million inhabitants, it is the 4th largest city in Europe. St. Petersburg is notable for the fact that the total length of all watercourses on its territory is 282 km, their water surface is approximately 7% of the total area of the city.
6. Petrozavodsk, capital of Karelia
In 1703 on the shore Lake Onega near the mouth of the Lososinka River, by decree of Tsar Peter, the Shuisky ironworks and cannon foundry were built. And the ore for it was taken from the lake itself. A two-story wooden palace and a camp church were built there for the royalty. Then a copper smelting and metalworking plant was opened. Of course, a settlement grew up around such a large production. In 1920, Soviet Petrozavodsk became the capital of the Karelian Labor Commune, and soon - the capital of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In October 1941, the city was occupied by Finnish troops, renamed Jaanislinna, and at that time seven concentration camps were set up there. A system of rivers and canals connects Petrozavodsk with the Baltic, White, Barents, Caspian and Black seas; the city also has five lakes. The current population of Petrozavodsk is 270,600 inhabitants, mostly Russians. But the city is also a place of compact residence of Karelians (20% of the Karelians of the republic) and Vepsians (more than half of all Vepsians of Karelia and a quarter of all Vepsians of Russia).
7. Lipetsk, regional center
In ancient times there stood the village of Malye Studenki Lipetsk. And in 1703, Tsar Peter looked at this place at the confluence of the Lipovka River with the Voronezh River for the location of iron and steel smelting plants, so that they would provide products for the Russian army and navy. And factory workers were moved in with the villagers, calling the settlement Lipskiye Zheleznye Zavody. In 1779, it became a district city of the Tambov governorship, and then Lipetsk. There would have been no luck, but misfortune helped - in 1806, a strong fire destroyed part of the city, and instead of chaotically arranged barracks and houses, new buildings were erected according to the master plan - with wide straight streets between mansions. And even a complex of resort buildings appeared. Lipetsk became a regional Soviet center in 1954. It is located on the banks of the Voronezh River (Don basin), at an altitude of about 160 meters above sea level. Now it is a dynamically developing city in the Black Earth Region - over the past 50 years its population has quadrupled, exceeding 500,000.
8. Biysk, Altai region
The history of Biysk began in 1709 with the Bikatun fort, one of the defensive structures of the south-eastern borders of Russia against raids from the Dzungar Khanate. Just a year later the Teleuts destroyed it. A new fort was built nearby, on the Biya River, so the fort had to be renamed Biysky. The relevance of the fortress disappeared and in 1846 the city was transformed from a military-administrative one into a commercial and industrial one; a tannery, a distillery, brick and sawmills, a shag and flax weaving factory, a steam mill, and a refrigerator were built there. Biysk is famous for the fact that, being the center of the Altai Spiritual Mission, it gave birth in 1830-1840 to one of the first scientific translations of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Russian in Russia. Currently, 205,250 residents live in Biysk. This is a city of scientific and production enterprises of the defense industry. The Institute of Chemical and Energy Technologies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences is located in Biysk. On November 21, 2005, the city was awarded the status of a science city of the Russian Federation.
9. Peterhof (Petrodvorets), Leningrad region
This country residence Russian emperors founded by Peter the Great in 1710 on south coast Gulf of Finland near St. Petersburg. The grandiose fountain system of Peterhof is famous all over the world. And once there were three little ones Finnish villages. But by 1714, the Great Peterhof Palace, the Great Grotto with cascades, Monplaisir and other structures of the Lower Park were laid out on the site. At first, the settlement at the Palace was built chaotically, most of the peasants even lived in dugouts. In the 1730s, the famous architect M. Zemtsov created a clear layout for Peterhof. The world-famous hydraulic system of Peterhof was created 10 years earlier according to the design of hydraulic engineer Vasily Tuvolkov. To supply the fountains, a 40 km long water pipeline was built, along its length there are 18 storage ponds with almost one and a half million cubic meters of water. The water cannons that gained popularity worked on the principle of communicating vessels. In the mid-1850s, entrepreneur A. Stieglitz financed the construction of the Peterhof railway 30 km to St. Petersburg. Peterhof became a city in 1762, a wonderful landmark of which to this day is the Peterhof Museum-Reserve, a monument of world architecture and palace and park art. In 1944, the city was renamed Petrodvorets, a science city of the Russian Federation since 2005, population more than 73,000.
10. Sestroretsk, Leningrad region
In 1721, the sovereign decided to build another weapons factory and remembered the place where in 1703 Russian troops defeated the Swedish army in order to open at least one exit to the Baltic Sea for Russia. It was near the Sestra River, and the harbor remained there. And Peter ordered to build nearby, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, summer palace with a garden. The sovereign's desire was realized by 1724 using locally produced bricks (however, the palace was dismantled in 1781). Well, they began to build a plant not far away. For a long time he then provided Russian soldiers with gunpowder, pistols, muskets and cannons. From the peaceful assortment, his door handles, copper buttons and gratings for the Fontanka River of the Catherine Canal are memorable. In 1735, the Chernorechensky Iron Foundry was built on the Dibun Swamp to help the Sestroretsk plant, and things went even better. Sestroretsk craftsmen became famous for making the famous “Daddy’s car” based on the drawings of M. Lomonosov. And starting from 1922, the Soviet Sestroretsk plant was converted into a tool plant. In the 1960-1980s, the city was massively built up with multi-storey buildings and a mud bath was opened there. The city has become a seaside climatic balneological mud resort with its own mineral water and healing mud. Several watercourses now flow through Sestroretsk, connecting Lake Sestroretsky Razliv and The Gulf of Finland. Local residents About 37,250 people are registered there.