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In 1702 Peter the Great captured the
Swedish outpost at Noteborg, located where the river Neva leaves lake Ladoga.
He immediately renamed it Schlusselburg (presently Petrokrepost) i.e. "Key
fortress" of the sea. The following year, on May first, he took another
Swedish fort, Nyeunschanz, built on the opposite end of the Neva where the
river runs into the Baltic Sea. Not far from it he ordered the construction of
anew fortress, named Saints Peter and Paul. A short time later he had the idea
of laying the foundations of his new capital, Saint Petersburg, there, to open
to Russia the much desired "Window to Europe." Peter used the outpost
often to look at Western countries, and from the first days he made it clear
that his new capital would be built without any influence by the ancient habits
and customs. He wanted to live in a new, wester-type capital and turn the
country and his people decisively toward western civilization.
Peter built the new city of Saint Petersburg with the same speed and
determination he had demonstrated when constructing his boats and military
fortifications. He took an active part in the planning of the city and often
supervised the construction of major edifices. Whatever Peter did not like was
immediately torn down and replaced. He changed the direction, size and length
of many streets and did the same with the size and placement of several
squares. His personal taste, the result of his special liking for Dutch
baroque, was most visible at first, but with time French and Italian influences
prevailed. In 1702 he issued an ukaz that helped bring hundreds of foreigners
and thousands of Russians from all parts of the country to help build his new
capital. News of good salaries and working conditions spread rapidly through
Europe, and soon Russia was flooded with architects, painters, sculptors,
decorators, engravers, tailors, and teachers. Originally a German architect was
invited to handle the construction of Saint Petersburg, but he died on the way
to Russia. He was promptly replaced by an Italian, Dominico Tresini, who
happened to like and better understand the Dutch and northern-European
architectural forms than his own Italian traditions. Tresini arrived in 1703
and immediately started preparing blueprints for Peter's model houses. These
and other buildings planned and constructed by Tresini and other Italian and
German architects who helped or came after him, reflected the Central European
contemporary trends and styles and were quite modest. Saint Petersburg received
its first one or two story, typical Dutch buildings in 1704, with their wooden
frames, long windows and their transoms and, of course, many spires, of which
the young emperor was very fond.
His taste and style was obligatory for everybody. Not only did he force many
Russians to leave their residences in Moscow or elsewhere, move and build a new
home in Saint Petersburg, but he also imposed what type of house should be
built. For himself he erected in 1703 his first home on the right side of the
Neva river; a very modest wooden cottage, known as the house of Peter the
Great. In order to preserve it, Catherine later built a stone wall around it.
In 1711 he moved to the Summer Palace, better known as Peter's Palace, which
had just been built in the park which was also named after him. A year later
the Winter Palace, in the vicinity of which German colonists had already built
several of their houses was finished. A few years later the French organized
their "Quartier" (quarter) on the Vasilevskii Isle.
In 1709 Peter established a special office for construction, which took control
of all construction in Saint Petersburg. Several decrees further regulated
planning and construction details. At this point Peter's taste became more
demanding as he rushed to build his "Paradise" on the Neva. In 1712
he invited the French architect J. B. Leblond, who brought to Saint Petersburg
his refined Renaissance taste. He designed plans for several important
buildings and parks, including the palace in Strelna, near the new capital,
which Peter built for himself but later gave to his daughter Anna. Leblond also
executed the new general plan of Saint Petersburg. Impatient with the pace of
construction, Peter, nevertheless in 1712 solemnly proclaimed Saint Petersburg
the new capital of the Russian Empire. Two years later a new decree
"Ukaz" forbade construction of stone buildings throughout the country
until the building of Saint Petersburg had been well advanced, and he exiled
many to Siberia for not obeying his orders.
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