Vasilevsky Island-History

Peter the Great transformed Russia. He built many buildings and monuments, which are still around today. Peter thought and created St. Petersburg, which has transformed Russia by its tourism and trade. He also developed Vasilevsky Island, which was used as the commercial and administrative center of the city, and as a main port for trade . It was a meeting and selling place for boats from all over, especially Europe. Vasilevsky Island helped determine the superiority of St. Petersburg and give it the reputation that it has today.

In 1725 Peter the Great began building on Vaskilevsky Island on the Neva embankment. On this island there is a split at one end of the land. Peter intended to have this split become the administrative and commercial center of the capital . Ports were extremely important to Vasilevsky Island. Not only were sailboats a prominent site on the Neva River, so were wooden barges and vessels. Not only were the ports the site of trade with countries such as England, Germany, France, and Sweden, but also, they were used as a place to celebrate victory after Russia won a battle. The naval ships would enter the harbor with banners and flags displayed. Due to this excellent access to water through the Neva, Petersburg became the chief port of Russia, overpowering the previous main port of Archangel. Here, goods could be sold to Western European countries, which resulted in a betterment of the economy and relations with other countries.

http://lak-12.org/piter/maps/?coords=47,349

Sources for this page

http://lak-12.org/piter/html/Vasiliyevsky_Island.htm “St. Petersburg Pictures Album”. Web-Design Co. 1999-2001. 31 March 2003.

Cracraft, James. Peter the Great Transforms Russia. Third Edition. D.C Heath and Company: Lexington, MA. 1991.74