Russian Holidays - St. Petersburg Day

The northern capital of the Russian state was founded in 1703 by Peter I According to one version, it got its name by analogy with Sankt-Piter-Burch in Holland, where the tsar lived and studied for some time According to another, “Saint” in the name translated into Russian means “City of St Peter” The date of laying the first stone at the beginning of construction coincides with the Birthday of St Petersburg, which is celebrated on May 27 On this day it is customary to remember the history of the appearance of Northern Palmyra Long before the construction of the city, the Krivichi and Ilmen Slovenian tribes lived in the swamps of the Neva region Part of the trade route “From the Varangians to the Greeks” passed through their territory Before the emergence of St Petersburg from the 9th century lands located near Ladoga, Neva and Volkhov were part of Novgorod Rus' In 1478 it was annexed to the Moscow Principality However, its northern neighbors, the Swedes, quickly realized the importance of these territories in their geopolitical confrontation with Russia and Europe The local inhabitants of these lands (Finns, Russians, Germans, Vodians and Izhoras) were engaged in cross-border trade, which flourished throughout the 17th century The territory was occupied in 1617 and was part of the Kingdom of Sweden until 1702, when Ingria and the city of Nyen were recaptured as a result of the Northern War So the Neva region returned to the Russian Empire After the victory in the war with the Swedes, Peter I founded the Peter and Paul Fortress on May 27, 1703 This building on Hare Island became the core of the future city More than 300 thousand people took part in its construction The architectural concept of Northern Palmyra, located on 101 islands, was developed by the Swiss, Italians, French and Dutch: engineers and designers M Fontan, N Michetti, KB Rastrelli, G Chiaveri, JB Leblond, G Matornovi, A Schlüter, I Schendel, and H van Bolos Over the more than 300-year history of its existence, the city changed its name twice - in 1914 it was renamed Petrograd, in 1924, a few days after the death of VI Ulyanov - to Leningrad In 1991, the Northern capital began to be called the same as under Peter I - St Petersburg City Day was first celebrated under Alexander I, 100 years after its founding The second magnificent celebration took place during the Soviet Union in 1957 The 250th anniversary was celebrated with a delay of 4 years due to the notorious “Leningrad affair” From that time on, the day of the city on the banks of the Neva began to be celebrated annually The 300th anniversary of St Petersburg in 2003 was another occasion to remember the greatness of Russia and its origins This anniversary of the Northern capital was attended by the president of the country, leaders of European states, residents and guests of the city In honor of the holiday, there was a water show in the Neva waters, a laser show and fireworks Smaller, but no less interesting events (concerts, performances, street performances and flash mobs) are held annually to mark the birthday of St Petersburg - a city of extraordinary beauty, power and grandeur