Russian Books from Special Collections
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Description of the City of St. Petersburg and its Surroundings
Translated from the German of Mr. Georgi...

St. Petersburg: Jean Zach. Logan, 1793.
St. Petersburg, founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, became his means to bring Russia into the modern, European age. The city was planned with streets laid out in grids and with strict building regulations, which decreed the style in which structures must be built. Nobles, traders, and skilled laborers were required to move to St. Petersburg. It became the capital of Russia in 1712 and remained so until the capital was moved to Moscow in 1918. During the twentieth century the name of St. Petersburg has changed, first to Petrograd (1914-1924), then to Leningrad (1924-1991), and finally back to St. Petersburg (1991-). From 1941-1944, Leningrad was besieged by the Germans. Hundreds of thousands starved to death during the siege.
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