St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, Russia was founded three hundred years ago by Czar Peter the Great in 1703ce. The area on which it was built was extremely boggy. This cause many problems with building due to health concerns and flooding. Many serfs lost their lives building this great city. Although it began as a fortress for war with a small town, within the span of nine years, it had become large enough to be the capital city of Russia. Due to a lack of bridges across the Neva River, the city was known as the Venice of Russia for a time. From boggy swamp to glorious city, St. Petersburg is a monument to the innovations of Peter the Great.