St.Petersburg(圣-彼得堡)St.PetersburgwasfoundedonMay16,1703whenasix-bastion(sixwalls)fortress(要塞，堡垒)–PeterandPaulFortress—waslaidonSayachyIsland,located(坐落)inthebroadestpartoftheNevaestuary(河口),withachurchnamedSaintsPeterandPaulCathedralinthemiddle.In1710thecapitalofRussiawastransferred(迁移)toSt.PetersburgfromMoscow.Thecitywasbuiltwith18thand19thcenturyEuropeanpomp(壮观，华丽)andorderlinessbymainlyEuropeanarchitectsandaccumulated(累积)allofthegrandeur(壮观)oftheRussianImperialCourt.TheresultisacitythatremainsoneofEurope’smostbeautifulcities.Tohonorhispatronsaint(守护神)—SaintPeter,TzarPetertheGreatnamedhisnewcapitalSt.PetersburgandthecityhasbeenthecapitalofRussiafornearly200years.St.PetersburgislocatedatthemouthoftheNevaRiver,andeastwardacrosstheislandsofitsdelta(三角洲)istheGulfofFinlandreachingthecoastofFinland,andonwardistheBalticSea.Sometimesitisreferredtoas“theCityof101islandsand300bridges”.Thepresentcityisalargeindustrial,transport,scientificandculturalcenterofRussiawithaterritoryof620squarekilometers(235squaremiles)andapopulationof5million.EventodaySt.Petersburgisconsideredthe“NorthernCapital”andisproclaimed(宣布，证明)the“CulturalCapitalofRussia”.ThismagnificentculturalcityisthesecondbiggestcityinRussia,afterMoscow.FrederickWilliamIFrederickWilliamI,kingofPrussia,wasbornonAugust14,1688inBerlin,GermanyanddiedonMay31,1740inPotsdam,Germany.In1706,hemarriedSophiaDorothea,daughterofGeorgeI,kingofGreatBritain.TheAmberRoomIn1701,theKingofPrussiaFrederickthe1stdecidedtohaveacuriosity:aroomwithwallscoveredwithamber.Theworkwasstartedsoon,andin1713,theprojectwasalmostfinishedwhen,afterthedeathofFrederickthe1stherheir—theKingFrederickWilliamthe1storderedtoceaseimmediatelythework.ThefinishedpartswerepackedandbroughttoTheArmouryinBerlin.In1717theKingFrederickWilliamthe1stgavethewholepreparedpartsoftheAmberRoomtotheRussianEmperorPeterthe1stasadiplomaticgift.In1743,theRussianEmpressElisabeththe1stletanItaliandesignerplacetheambercoverinoneoftheroomsoftheWinterPalaceinSt.Petersburg.TheAmberRoomwasfirstopenin1746intheWinterPalace,whereitwashousedtill1755;thatyearwasmovedtothesummerresidenceoftheRussianEmperorsatTsarskoeSyolo.DuringtheconstructionofAmberRoomatTsarskoeSyolo,fivemasterambercraftsmenfromKonigsberginPrussiawereemployedattheplace;SomeoftheirfurnishingmasterpiecesarepresentlyinthecollectionoftheCatherinePalaceatTsarskoeSyolo,beingtheonlyknownpartsoftheAmberRoomwhichsurvivedtheWorldWarII.TheAmberRoomwasfinishedinthe70softhe18thcenturyandinthatshapeitexistedalmost200years.In1942GermanstooktheAmberRoomfromTsarskoeSyoloandmounteditinthecastleofKonigsberg.However,thedangeroftheBritishbombinginthesummerof1944forcedGermanstodisassembletheAmberRoomandtopackitinboxes;aslateasinApril1945itwasstillintheKonigsbergcastle,butfurthervicissitudesoftheAmberRoomremainunknown.MostprobablytheboxeswiththeAmberRoomwereburneddownduringthefireoftheKonigsbergcastleinApril1945.Reportedly,sincelateseventiesofthe20thcenturythereconstructionoftheAmberRoomhasbeencarriedon.PetertheGreat（彼得大帝）Peter(1672-1725)wasagrandsonofTzarMichaelRomanov.In1682,attheageof10,Peterwasproclaimed(宣布)Tzar(沙皇),butduetoapowerstrugglebetweendifferentpoliticalforceshehadtoruletogetherwithhisbrotherIvanunderthepatronage(扶助)ofthissisterSofia.In1689,afterthefailureofacoupd’’etat(政变),Sofiawasoverthrownandexiled(流放)toaconvent.WhenIvandiedin1696,Peterremainedmonarch(君主)andengineeredaseriesofreformsthatweretoputRussiaamongthemajorEuropeanpowers.PeteropenedRussiatotheWest,heinvitedthebestEuropeanengineers,shipbuilders,architects,craftsmenandmerchantstocometoRussia.HundredsofRussiansweresenttoEuropetogetthebesteducationandlearndifferentartsandcrafts.OneofPeter’smaingoalswastoregainaccesstotheBalticSeaandBaltictrade.In1700hestartedtheNorthernWarwithSweden,whichlastedfor21years.Inthecourseofthewar,St.Petersburgwasfounded(1703).AttheendofthewarRussiawasvictoriousandconquered(占领)thevastlandsontheBalticcoast.RussiagainedaccesstoEuropeantradeandSt.Petersburgbecamehermajorseaport.In1712PetertheGreatmovedtheRussiacapitaltoSt.Petersburgandcontinuedpayingspecialattentiontotheswiftconstructionofthecity.WhentheNorthernWarendedin1721RussiawasdeclaredanEmpireandPetertheGreatproclaimedhimselfitsEmperor.Meanwhile,Petercontinuedhispoliticalandeconomicreforms.The“tzar-reformer”wasfirsttoorganizeaRussiaregulararmyandbuildtheRussianavy.PetertheGreatwasburiedinthePeterandPaulCathedralandthepeoplestillbringflowerstohistomb.
