Saint Petersburg

British  

/ ˈpiːtəzˌbɜːɡ /

noun

1. Former names: Petrograd, Leningrad. a city and port in Russia, on the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of the Neva River: founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built on low-lying marshes subject to frequent flooding; capital of Russia from 1712 to 1918; a cultural and educational centre, with a university (1819); a major industrial centre, with engineering, shipbuilding, chemical, textile, and printing industries. Pop: 5 315 000 (2005 est)

2. a city and resort in W Florida, on Tampa Bay. Pop: 247 610 (2003 est)

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Saint Petersburg Cultural  

1. City in northwestern Russia, situated at the head of the Gulf of Finland on both banks of the Neva River and on the islands of its delta; the second-largest city in Russia; a major port, and one of the world's leading industrial and cultural centers.

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Because it is so far north, St. Petersburg experiences “white nights” for three weeks in June when the sky never completely darkens.

It is the location of the historic Winter Palace, which was sacked during the Russian Revolution but later became the Hermitage Museum.

The first Russian city modeled after European cities, it was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, who wanted to make it his “window to the West”; renamed Petrograd at the start of World War I and then Leningrad in 1924 in honor of Lenin.

With the collapse of communism, the city was renamed St. Petersburg.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Saint Petersburg

In Ukraine's attacks on Russia, drones have now hit Wildberries warehouses across Russia three times in six days, with Friday's attacks targeting a facility near Saint Petersburg.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Saint Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said drones hit "the area of an oil terminal in the Kirovsk district" of Saint Petersburg.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

Several flights from Moscow to Saint Petersburg were delayed, an AFP reporter at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Russia would do everything it could to halt the Middle East war, as the two met in Saint Petersburg.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

The capital of Russia, Saint Petersburg, was renamed Petrograd in 1914 because “burg” sounded too German.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein