What was st petersburg originally called

It was only 10 years that St. Petersburg was known as Petrograd because in the Russian Revolution changed everything for the country, including the city's name. At the beginning of the year, the Russian monarchy was overthrown, and by year's end, the Bolsheviks had taken control. This led to the world's first communist government.

After Lenin's death in , Petrograd became known as Leningrad to honor the former leader. Fast-forward through almost 70 years of the communist government to the fall of the USSR.

In the years that followed, many places in the country were renamed, and Leningrad became St. Petersburg once again. Historical buildings saw renovation and rejuvenation. Changing the city name back to its original name did not come without controversy. In , the citizens of Leningrad were given the opportunity to vote on the name change. As reported in the New York Times at the time , some people saw restoring the city's name to St.

Petersburg as a way to forget the decades of turmoil during communist rule and an opportunity to reclaim its original Russian heritage. The Bolsheviks, on the other hand, saw the change as an insult to Lenin. In the end, St. Petersburg was returned to its original name, but you will still find some people who refer to the city as Leningrad.

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Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Matt Rosenberg. Geography Expert. Updated January 04, Local authorities held a public poll, and more than half of citizens supported the initiative to return the historical name, St. Many people of the older generation still sometimes call the city Leningrad, just out of habit. One of the most popular Russian pop-rock bands originating from the city is called — you got it — Leningrad.

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Click here to find out more. Why St. Petersburg was once called Leningrad and other names Lifestyle. May 18 Alexandra Guzeva. However, that was not the only time the city changed its name. The city of Saint Peter Public domain. Maxim Vorobiev. The foundation of the Peter and Paul fortress Adolf Charlemagne. Moyka river in St.

Saint Petersburg Russian history Vladimir Lenin st. Subscribe to our newsletter! Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox. We've got more than 2,2 million followers on Facebook. Join them! Read more.

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