SAINT-PETERSBURG BEFORE PETER

At the beginning of the 19th century, when Tzar Peter the Great started to found the city of Petersburg, there were already about 40 islands in the mouth of the Neva River and they still exist today. At the time, it was not an actual research topic for Soviet historiography, as it did not fit with the legend of the founding of Saint-Petersburg in the middle of the swamps. Through researching unique documents I discovered this story and I would like to share it with you
The tour includes:
— a walk around the places where the city on the Neva began,
— a story about the first settlement in the Neva Delta — the Swedish-German trading town of Nyen,
— First Winter Palace of Peter the Great (spoiler: part of it is underground),
— climb up the bell tower of the oldest church in the city and descend into the catacombs,
— at the top we end with a tea party with a glass of sparkling wine and enjoy the magnificent view of Nevsky Prospect