St Petersburg Author:Natalia Popova The founding of St Petersburg by Peter the Great in 1703, in the northwestern borderlands of the Russian state isolated from the oldest political and economic centres, was a major milestone in the historical transformation of medieval Rus' into a great European power. "A window on Europe", as it was dubbed by contemporaries, St Petersburg eventu... more »ally became one of the most beautiful European cities, an important cultural and scientific centre, a veritable gem of the North of the continent.« less