Founding St. Petersburg
Former Muscovy Became Peter the Great's Headquarters for the Empire.
The founding of St. Petersburg was part of a process to Westernize Russia.
The founding of St. Petersburg, Russia was initiated by Peter the Great in 1703. Peter sought to change the world's view of Russia by making it more European and less backwards-seeming. After naming what was formerly called Muscovy "Russia," Peter needed a city that could be the headquarters for his plans to transform the Empire. St. Petersburg, it was - a city to rival Moscow in its grandeur and fame.
If you travel to St. Petersburg today, no doubt the realization that the it was built on marshland will seem surprising. However, the founding of the city was less the result of a miracle than it was the consequence of brute force. Slave labor was used to drain the marsh and erect the first buildings under horrible conditions; exposure to harsh weather, starvation, and lack of proper equipment did not deter Peter's founding of St. Petersburg.
At first, St. Petersburg was little more than a cluster of wooden fortifications on an island. However, by 1710, the Imperial family was ready to move to the new capital. Government offices were moved there as well. By 1710, St. Petersburg was the official capital of Russia.
Masons from all over the Empire flocked to the city to meet the demand for offices, apartment buildings, and palaces. Soon, St. Petersburg was also the base for the Russian navy. The founding of St. Petersburg was the founding of a new era in Russian history.
