uld look into Russia as mush as Russiacould look out to Western Europe. Peter wanted to create a city that showedEurope Russias prestige. The premeditated creation of the city, through Peters will to carve for himself a window on the West overshadowing the old capital of Moscow and steering the country away from its cultural and religious traditions, led to the notion that the citys life had a rootless, unreal quality. Leiter 5Petersburg was seen as an unnatural city to many of the Russian citizens.Physically situated upon a march on the Neva River, the plan of the city wasplanned and created according to the plan of Peters. The terrain on which St.Petersburg rose was a marshy coastal plain divided into many islands by thebranches of the Neva.(Shvidkovsky 20) This site, for all of its obvious flaws,should have never been developed into a city making the physical plan of thecity unnatural. Culturally and socially Peter planned the city also, not allowingthe inhabitants choose to come to the new city, as all other cities usually becameoccupied. Peter issued a decree stipulating that a 1000 noble families, a 1000merchant families, and a 1000 artisan families were to emigrate to his newcapital and only the best candidates should settle. The urban planning was notso much for aesthetic principle as a means of social organization.(Shvidkovsky22) Peter planned the city from its culture, its inhabitants, its architecture and itseconomics before construction even began. Being a country consumed with xenophobia, most Russians saw theconstruction of St. Petersburg as unnatural to their nation also. Thearchitectural aspect of Petersburg was entirely the work of foreign architects. Atthat time there was not a single Russian master capable of shaping the citysstyle(Shvidkovsky 24) according to Peter. Yet he felt that his people were goodenough to slave over the construction of the city and die laboring for his cause. Itwas not uncommon for a building...
