History of Saint Petersburg
Founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27 May 1703. It became capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1712–1728, 1732–1918). St. Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Harmen van Bol'es
On 26 April 1713 Harmen van Bol'es signed a contract in The Hague entering into the service of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia. In 1703 Tsar Peter had established Saint Petersburg at the mouth of the Neva River. This proposed new capital was to become the modern window on the western world but in 1713 it was not much more than a mud pool. Design and construction required skilled westerners including those from the much admired by the Tsar, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The difficult and dangerous work was primarily performed by Russian forced labour.