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St Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 as Russia’s “Window to Europe”. Constructed on swampland, it was built by thousands of serfs, many of whom perished, their bones laying the city’s foundations. It became the capital of Russia in 1712, and remained so until 1918.

On 9 January 1905, peaceful demonstrators carrying a petition to Nicholas II were gunned down by the army as they marched towards the Winter Palace. Around 1,000 demonstrators perished. The aftermath of the horrifying event led to the 1905 Revolution.

Following a series of strikes in 1917, the tsar was forced to abdicate, and a provisional government assumed power. This was the signal for exiled revolutionaries, led by Vladimir Lenin, to return to Russia, where they overthrew the fledgling government in October, heralding the start of more than 70 years of Soviet rule.

The 900-day siege of Leningrad, which began in 1941 when Nazi forces encircled the city, plunged its three million inhabitants into a living hell. By the time the siege was finally broken in 1944, around two million people had lost their lives to starvation and bitter winters.

The military coup occurred when hardliners opposed to President Gorbachev’s reforms seized power. Supporters of Gorbachev’s policies gathered in Palace Square to protest events. The coup was eventually defeated.

Originally founded as St Petersburg, the city’s name was changed to the more Russian sounding Petrograd in 1914, then to Leningrad in 1924, after the death of Vladimir Lenin. Its original name was restored following the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

Immediately after the era of perestroika, a criminal class sprung up, willing and able to do anything to build up fortunes. During this period, St Petersburg earned the reputation as the “Crime Capital of Russia”.

After the 1917 Revolution, Nicholas II and his family were executed in Yekaterinburg. In 1998, their remains were reburied in the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul .

St Petersburg’s 300th anniversary saw a long-needed renovation of the city. The celebrations were attended by the heads of government from more than 45 countries and lasted for over ten days.

A St Petersburg native, Putin came into power as Acting President on New Year’s Eve, 1999. A former KGB man, he has overseen the country’s economic growth as well as a crackdown on press freedom.