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.
Saint Petersburg
An admirer of everything German, Peter the Great originally named the city, Sankt-Peterburg (; note that the Russian name lacks the letter "s" between "Peter" and "burg"). On 1 September 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, the Imperial government renamed the city Petrograd (), meaning "Peter's city", in order to expunge the German name "Sankt" and "Burg". On 26 January 1924, shortly after the death of Lenin, it was renamed to Leningrad (), meaning "Lenin's City". On 6 September 1991, the original name, Sankt-Peterburg, was returned. Today, in English the city is known as "Saint Petersburg". Local residents often refer to the city by its shortened nickname, Piter ().