The construction of St. Petersburg was the embodiment Peter I dream of a ‘window to Europe’. The town started from Zayachy Island (Hare Island), where a fortress was laid, which was at first called St. Petersburg Island and later – Petropavlovsk Island. The island was reconquered from the Swedes by Peter I in 1703. The soldiers fought, of course, not for a piece of land, but for the long-awaited exit to the Baltic. The area of the island is small, only 0.28 square kilometres. On 27 (16) May Peter lay the foundation of a fortress on the island on the May 27, 1703. This day is celebrated as the birthday of the city. Peter I dreamed of naming the fortress in honour of his heavenly patron. Moreover, this fortress was to be a key fortress, standing at the sea gate of Russia, as St Peter, according to Christian traditions, was assigned the role of the gatekeeper and sacrist of heaven. The St. Petersburg fortress grew on the banks of the Neva River and gave its name to the city. About 20 thousand people were engaged in the construction of the fortress on Hare Island. They were workers brought from all over Russia, soldiers, and Swedish prisoners. Despite the harsh conditions (there was no accommodation, not enough provisions) the construction went in record-breaking time. Already on the 1^st of October 1703, the fortress was consecrated.

Peter I, having conceived a radical restructuring of his country, quickly came to the idea that his Empire needed a new capital. For one thing, he did not like Moscow, where they tried to kill him or discrown him of his crown when he was a child. For the other thing, it was difficult and very expensive to rebuild such a large city as Moscow in the European manner. It was easier to build the capital anew. Peter himself was delighted with the village under construction, calling it in his letters ‘paradise’, ‘Eden’, etc. But very quickly the harsh reality intervened: the first inhabitants of St. Petersburg – its builders and defenders – tried to settle not on the island, but on the bank of the Neva River, near the Admiralty and shipyard built in 1705. The Admiralty and Yamskaya large commercial settlements grew there, which did not resemble European neighbourhoods at all, but were like the settlements of old Russian cities. Peter needed a different city, like Amsterdam, not resembling Moscow. And he did it in his own style, starting from scratch. In 1710, a project was born to build the capital on the neighbouring Zayachy Island – Kotlin island. The new project was drawn up the ‘Amsterdam-style’ – the island was divided into equal sections by sixty canals, perpendicular to which the Main Canal ran through the whole of Kotlin. The embankments simultaneously became streets on which it was planned to build mansions and houses, in the centre of the quarters – small squares with churches. In total, more than 7000 houses were to be built, which were supposed to be populated by wealthy citizens. In 1712, an executive order was issued decreeing the forced settlement of the island by the nobility, wealthy merchants and craftsmen.

Vasilyevsky Island became the next centre of development. In 1716, with the participation of the Tsar, the architect Domenico Trezzini drew up the first general layout for the construction of St. Petersburg, according to which a rectangular grid of canalised streets, a huge public garden, two squares framed by state and public buildings, a harbour at the eastern end of the island and reliable perimeter defences were to be formed on Vasilyevsky Island. Subsequent plans by invited architects varied in minor details, but the idea of quarters cut through by canals, which once captivated Peter, remained unchanged. Later, the Commercial Sea port was moved to Gutuyevskiy Island, and construction on Vasilievsky Island changed – industrial enterprises and, as a consequence, workers‘ settlements, sailors’ barracks, small officials' houses, drinking establishments, warehouses, and wood sheds began to appear. And only the famous front architectural ensemble the Spit (in Russian ‘Strelka’) Island, gives away the Peter's plan to turn Vasilievsky Island into the centre of the city.

Initially, Peter dreamed of building up St. Petersburg in the likeness of his favourite Holland with houses in the ‘half-timbered’ style (a framework of logs filled with clay and bricks with bearing beams outside), but the idea was abandoned – in the St. Petersburg climate such houses froze in winter, so it was necessary to move to a more substantial construction. Peter issued a decree banning stone construction in the whole country, except for St. Petersburg. This was done in order to redeploy masons for further construction of the new capital. The city grew very quickly – construction work was carried out in shifts without stopping. In addition to residential houses and palaces, cathedrals, port facilities, industrial and commercial buildings were built, streets were paved with stone, and gardens were created, to which Peter attached great importance. By the 1720s, St. Petersburg was already formed as a new cultural and economic centre of Russia, which at the same time was proclaimed an empire. The city became not just a new capital, but also the embodiment of Peter I idea of modernising the country – a centre of science, culture and trade. This is the emperor's legacy, which lives and develops nowadays.

On the Saint Petersburg 322^th birth jubilee we offer a glimpse of the watercolour presented in the collection "Graphics section” – "Panorama of Nevsky Prospect. Right, shadow side”, which was created by V. Sadovnikov in 1830. One can examine in detail what Nevsky Prospect looked like in the first quarter of the 19^th century.

The museum exposition section ”Maps” features a watercolor that is a miniature plan of an 18^th-century city, showing the area hydrographic characteristics and its topography, built and designed quarters, canals, bridges and landmarks. The image is framed by a laurel wreath laced with ribbons. This small medallion, 9 cm in diameter, was created in 1790 by the miniaturist and engraver Johann Christian Nabholz according the drawing by Deybel.

The museum exposition features other items related to the history of Saint Petersburg, its cultural heritage and geographical location. For example, the section “Russian Glass Art and Ceramics” features several items bearing the image of the city – a plaque with the image of the Palace Square, shot glasses with the image of the Stock Exchange building (based on the engraving by Ivan Chesky following the drawing by Mikhail Shaposhnikov), goblet with the Emperor Peter I portrait, mirror monogram and image of a double-headed eagle.  The section “Russian metal artworks”  features a snuffbox with the image of the monument to Peter I.

City Day in St. Petersburg is always a bright and multifaceted holiday to which both local citizens and tourists are invited. In 2025, the city on the Neva River will celebrate its 322^nd birthday.

We warmly congratulate the citizens of St. Petersburg and guests of the city on this holiday!

On the cover:
Dessert spoon with enamel miniature “View of the Vasilyevsky Island Spit in St. Petersburg” (based on a painting by A. Beggrow)” Fabergé firm, Rückert Friedrich workshop. Russia, Moscow. 1908-1917