The founding of Saint Petersburg (16 May 1703)

In April 1703 the Russian forces under the leadership of Field Marshal Boris
Sheremetev (1652-1719) began their advance west-wards along the Neva.

By 1 May the Swedish fortress of Nyenskans,located where the Okhta flows into
the Neva, had capitulated, while on 7 May, with only Cossack rowing-boats at
their disposal, the Russians defeated the Swedish squadron guarding the way
out into the Baltic through the main channel of the Neva and captured two enemy ships.
Immediately after that Peter summoned a council of war that decided not
to reinforce Nyenskans, but to found a new fortress downstream on a less
vulnerable site. The small Zayachy (Hare) Island was chosen.
This citadel was named "Sankt-Piterburkh".

As early as 1713 a book came out in Europe naming Petersburg "the eighth
wonder of the world", and in 1714, so as to encourage masons to move to
the new capital, Peter issued his famous decree banning masonry constraction
anywhere else inhis realm.