Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg, on the Neva river at the head of the Gulf of Finland in northwestern Russia, was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and was the capital of the Russian Empire from 1712 to 1918. Peter founded its Academy of Sciences in 1724, and the Peter and Paul Cathedral became the burial place of the emperors. It was renamed Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad in 1924, regaining its original name in 1991. Its Jewish community consecrated the Grand Choral Synagogue in 1893. Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad Hasidism, was held in the Peter and Paul Fortress in 1798; Chabad marks his release on 19 Kislev each year.

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