Day of international recognition of St. Petersburg

November 2 is the Day of International Recognition of St Petersburg The holiday began to be celebrated relatively recently, in 2011 The history of this date is extremely interesting; it goes back to the past, that is, back to the times of Peter the Great It is known that for a long time this was a disputed territory that came under the jurisdiction of different countries In particular, the land belonged to the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf, where the fortress was located Before that, there were fortifications there, the age of which is estimated at tens of centuries But as a result of a difficult and rather bloody history, this territory was transferred to the Russian Empire As you know, Peter the Great took the title of emperor in 1721 on November 2 And it was decided to coincide with this date to coincide with the International Recognition Day of St Petersburg The territory conquered from the Swedes had nothing in common with the modern city In fact, urban structures did not exist at that time, with the exception of scattered defensive structures Therefore, the Russian emperor had to complete not one, but two difficult tasks: to reconquer the land and equip it, building a full-fledged city that became the capital of the Russian Empire Both the first and second tasks fell entirely on the shoulders of ordinary citizens It is still not known for certain how many people died in the wars and then during the construction of the city in the swamps It is not surprising that St Petersburg is often called the “city of bones,” emphasizing its tragic history However, all difficulties were overcome, and in record time, the swampy and not very suitable land for a full life turned into a fairly powerful fortified settlement with an abundance of beautiful buildings To this day, many objects of historical and cultural value have been preserved in St Petersburg As a result, St Petersburg gained recognition, and some foreign diplomats, historians, and politicians put it on a par with such giants as Paris, Milan, London and more Yes, unfortunately, the tragic history of St Petersburg did not end there As you know, he had to endure other dark pages, for example, those associated with the blockade during the Second World War, when the residents of St Petersburg behaved heroically Today there is a fairly calm, measured peaceful life in the city And I would like to hope that the most terrible shocks and trials are in the past But the holiday dedicated to international recognition will remain forever Traditionally, a wide range of events are organized on this day Thus, forums and round tables are held on the history of St Petersburg, and events are held in museums and historical complexes Also, events that are traditionally held in the fresh air are dedicated to this day: reconstructions of military events, impromptu historical parades Fortunately, there are plenty of places to hold them in the northern capital On November 2, it is also customary to remember that this was once the city of Leningrad, hastily renamed by the Bolsheviks after the fall of the tsarist regime The Soviet government did not want anything to remind of such a glorious historical past and, by renaming St Petersburg to Leningrad, they emphasized that from this moment a completely new history begins However, everything was eventually put in its place The city returned its historical name, and also received a holiday, a solemn day dedicated to its international calling and directly related to the activities of the Russian Emperor Peter the Great