Saint-Petersburg.com

Foreign St. Petersburg

As Peter the Great's "Window onto Europe", St. Petersburg was conceived as a city unlike any other in Russia, taking its cues from the latest architectural and technical advances in Europe. To implement his vision, Tsar Peter employed hundreds of foreign experts in the construction and administration of his new city. Many rose to prominence in the Russian armed services and government, while others brought knowledge and expertise in the arts, crafts and sciences that boosted Russia into the forefront of the Enlightenment. Before the October Revolution, St. Petersburg was one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, and individuals and communities from all over Europe have left their indelible mark on the culture, customs, and built environment of the city.