!!!Saint Petersburg 1

by Stas Sedov and
Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

27 May 2015

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Comparing to Moscow and many other Russian cities, Saint-Petersburg is
rather young. At the time when either Yaroslavl or Vladimir, either
Moscow or Suzdal were in the centre of the Russian history, the area of
present-day Petersburg was occupied by settlements of hunters, fishermen
and farmers. But the territory itself (the mouth of the Neva River and
the shore of the Neva Bay) was rather convenient from any point of view.
In the 8th-13th centuries the trade route from the Varangians to the
Greeks, connecting Scandinavia and the Byzantine Empire, ran through the
Neva River. So it was rather profitable to have fortified constructions
right in this place. That was why the Swedes, our closest neighbours,
were engaged in long lasting wars for the ownership of these lands.

[{Image src='01_Russian cruiser Aurora.jpg' caption='Russian cruiser Aurora' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='587'}]

1 May 1703 (12 May, N. S.) is considered to be the historical date for
Saint Petersburg: Nyenschantz fortress, which was in possession of
Sweden at that time, was occupied by Russian soldiers, and this time for
good. The construction of the Russian fortified frontier played an
important part in these events. Having studied the map of the Neva
delta, tsar Peter the Great chose Zayachy (Hare) island and on 16 May
(27 May N. S.) he laid down the Peter and Paul Fortress.

[{Image src='02_Kazan Cathedral.jpg' caption='Kazan Cathedral' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='372'}]

"From here, indeed, shall we strike terror in the Sweden" — that was the
way Alexander Pushkin characterised the intention of Peter, and there
was a reason. The Peter and Paul Fortress had never taken part in
military operations itself; the only presence of the fortress was enough
to bear influence. Meanwhile, in 1721 the military issues stopped being
important anymore due to the end of the Great North War which redrew the
map of the world. As a result, the Russian Empire, which had got an
access to the Baltic Sea and possessed mighty army and flotilla,
appeared on the map of Europe.

[{Image src='03_Statue of an angel of the Alexander Column.jpg' caption='Statue of an angel of the Alexander Column' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='495'}]

Saint Petersburg became the capital of that Empire. The city was built
around the fortress named after Saint Apostle Peter. The construction
was carried out along the Neva River by draining swamps in its delta.
The buildings were made of both stone and wood. Although the city was
not terrified by Swedes anymore, the life was not that quiet. The
buildings suffered continuous fires and floods. At some point of time
the water reached more than 3 meters above the level of the river,
causing irreparable damage to the city and its inhabitants.

[{Image src='04_Saint Isaac_s Cathedral.jpg' caption='Saint Isaac's Cathedral' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

By the end of the 18th century many buildings of Peter's Petersburg had
become dilapidated. Very few "evidences" of that time has remained till
nowadays (Kikin Chamber is one of them). All other sights that now are
included in the list of landmarks of the city are the result of the
latter town-planning policy. In 1737, according to the order of Anna
Ioannovna, the "Commission for construction of Saint Petersburg" was
established. Later, in 1762, it was replaced by the "Commission of Stone
Buildings of Moscow and Saint Petersburg".

[{Image src='05_Church of the Savior on Blood at sunset.jpg' caption='Church of the Savior on Blood at sunset' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='452'}]

Since then many architects, such as Francesco Rastrelli, Yury Felten,
Ivan Starov, Giacomo Quarenghi, Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe, Vasili
Bazhenov and many others, started working here to create the
incomparable look of Saint Petersburg. Previously, AirPano team has
already created several panoramas of Saint Petersburg and its famous
suburb Peterhof which can help you learn more about architectural
features of the outstanding monuments. And this time we invite you to
take a new trip over one of the most famous cities in Russia.

\\ \\
[26 Panoramas of Saint_Petersburg_1|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Saint_Petersburg_1]

[12 Panoramas of Saint_Petersburg_2|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Saint_Petersburg_2]










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