Significant dates

St. Petersburg is one of the youngest of the largest European cities. It was founded on May 27, 1703 by the Russian emperor Peter the Great.

St. Petersburg is the symbol of the European part of Russia and one of the most venerable capitals of the world. Unlike other names of European capitals that consist of one word, the name Sankt-Peterburg consists of three parts each having its own meaning. Sankt from the Latin sanctus meaning holy; Peter, the name of the one of the twelve apostles, also meaning rock in Greek; and burg from the German and Dutch word meaning town. Thus, the name of the young capital unites the names of Peter the Great, his patron saint, as well as cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome, Germany and Holland. The name of the new Russian city and its symbols emphasize the connection with classical Rome the patron saint of which was the apostle Peter. Even the coat of arms of St. Petersburg with its two crossed anchors is remarkably similar to that of the Vatican. The history of the new Russian capital is imprinted in the architectural appearance of the city. The greatest reigns and architectural chefs-d'oeuvre of the 18th-20th centuries are embraced in one chronicle of St. Petersburg.

Similarly to the rest of Russia St. Petersburg saw some high-paced development and growth in the course of the 18th and 19th centuries. This was the "Golden Age" for Russian architecture and art. It was the time when most of the architectural landmarks that today form the signature cityscape of St. Petersburg were built: Palace Square, Kamennoostrovsky and Elagin Palaces, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the Peter I statue known as "The Bronze Horseman," Cathedrals of St. Isaac and Our Lady of Kazan, Mariinsky Palace, Mikhailovsky Palace (the home of the Russian Museum), the Church of the Saviour On the Blood, and many other architectural masterpieces.

The most tragic point in the history of St. Petersburg, then Leningrad, was in 1941-1944, when Leningrad was besieged by the Nazis for 900 days. Despite the hardships of the Siege, St. Petersburg think-tanks continued to develop new industrial and military technology, conducted research, experimented and made groundbreaking discoveries. Scientific and educational activity did not stop for a minute.

St. Petersburg was a magnet for science and education from its earliest years on. The first vocational institution an Engineering College was established in 1719. The Academic University was the first secular higher education institution founded in St. Petersburg in 1724. The Academy of Science, Russia foremost desktop and field research think-tank, was opened in St. Petersburg in 1725. All the subsequent Russian rulers went out of their way to promote science and education.

Education and sciences flourished in the 19th century and many institutions sprang up, such as Smolny Institute, Mining Institute and Pedagogical Institute. St. Petersburg University was founded in 1819 and St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute - in 1899.

There were around 70 higher education institutions in St. Petersburg by the end of the 20th century along with numerous science think-tanks.

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