Peter the Great visited the Netherlands multiple times in the late 17th century to learn about Western shipbuilding, technology, and governance. Inspired by Amsterdam's canal architecture, Peter decided to build a new Russian capital, St. Petersburg, on the Baltic coast. Over the course of his reign and those of subsequent rulers, St. Petersburg grew into a grand European-style city to rival other Western capitals and serve as Russia's window to the West.

1. Peter thePeter the
GreatGreat
and theand the
NetherlandsNetherlands

2. Devoted to the Year ofDevoted to the Year of
the Russian Federationthe Russian Federation
in the Netherlandsin the Netherlands

3. RussiaRussia
The
Netherlands
Peter the Great

4. • The central theme for the year 2013 will be the
special relationship between Russia, the
Netherlands and Amsterdam. The two countries
have been major trading partners since the Golden
Age, and Amsterdam’s canal ring inspired Peter the
Great to found the city of St Petersburg. In the
centuries that followed, this relationship grew
stronger. In 1813, when Napoleon was defeated,
Russian Cossacks advanced as far as the gates of
Amsterdam, and a Dutch king married the sister of
the tsar. The year 2009 saw a crowning moment in
relations between the Netherlands and Russia: the
opening of the Hermitage Amsterdam, the only
European satellite of the famous St Petersburg
museum.

5. • Born on May 30
1672, Peter was
named Peter
Alexowitz, meaning
'Peter the son of
Alexis'. His father,
Tsar Alexis, had
married twice, and
Peter was the first
child of his second
marriage. There
were already six
daughters and two
rather unhealthy
sons, named
Feodor and Ivan,
from the first
marriage.

6. • When Alexis died
very suddenly in
1676, Feodor ruled
until his own death
in 1682, when the
ten year-old Peter
became tsar jointly
with his half-
brother Ivan. At
first Peter's older
half-sister Sophia
held power as
regent, but in 1696
he began to rule
alone.

7. • The young tzar was
determined to
modernize Russia -
that archaic, isolated
backwater which had
missed out on the
European
Renaissance. To
achieve this, he
turned his sights on
the West. The Dutch
Republic was at that
time a leading
European power, this
was Holland’s
Golden Age: the
perfect model for
Russia.

8. • Peter was interested
in practical activities
such as carpentry,
and sailing and
building ships. In his
first years as tsar, he
was not very
interested in
government and
stayed away from
Moscow, the capital
city of Russia.

9. Russia in the XVII centuryRussia in the XVII century
At that time Russia was a huge
landlocked country, much less developed
than other countries in Europe.

10. • At war with either Turkey or Sweden for
most of his reign, Peter took a particular
interest in ships and arms. He wanted Russia
to be able to compete with European
countries in war and technology.

11. • So he decided to visit
as he had thought
the most developed
European countries
to use their
experience in
shipbuilding as
without strong navie
Russia couldn’t be
considered a strong
country capable to
defend itself from
any enemy.

12. • Peter spent some
time in the
Netherlands in
1697-98 and
returned for a
visit in 1717. He
had learned to
know Dutch
business people in
Russia and
through these
contacts he came
to the
Netherlands.

13. • During his trip to
Western Europe, he
looked for ideas from
countries like
Holland and
England, which
already had strong
navies.
• Though there had
been contact with
western Europe for
more than 100 years,
no other tsar had left
Russia in peace-time
before.

14. • Still aged only 25, the
Russian ruler
undertook his first
Great Embassy in
1697: a journey to
various European
countries, including
the Netherlands, to
study and learn.
Amsterdam
burgomaster Joan
Huydekoper, who
had previously met
Peter’s father Alexis
in 1664, arranged for
Peter to work at a
shipyard.

15. • Under the
pseudonym Pyotr
Mikhailov, he was
able to see how the
windmills and the
shipbuilding
industry of
Zaandam operated,
working incognito
at a shipyard. The
tsar planned to
spend an entire
winter here.

16. • He hoped to investigate and learn
about all types of technology and
science, especially the latest
techniques of shipbuilding and
seamanship, particularly navigation.

17. • He also wanted to study the way
navies were organised, and recruit
specialists to travel home with him.
If they advised and trained others,
Russia too could have a strong navy.

18. • During his stay in
Holland he spent
about a week in
Zaandam to
learn
shipbuilding.
After this he
went to
Amsterdam to
study the same
trade on the
docks of the East
India Company.

19. • While in Amsterdam,
Peter worked and
lived at the Dutch
East India Company
shipyard. Besides
shipbuilding, he also
learned about watch-
making, about
making coffins,
etchings, post-
mortems, paper
making and silk
spinning. He
investigated the art
of gardening and
book printing.

20. • On coming
back to Russia
Peter the
Great started
thinking of
building a new
European
town in
Russia which
could be a
large port and
a new capital.

21. Planning the building of
St’ Petersburg

26. St. Petersburg in the XVII century with the
Monument to Peter the Great.

27. Equestrian Statue to Peter the
Great in St’ Petersburg

28. Some Pictures of
the City

29. • On May 16 1703 (May, 27 by the modern
calendar) St. Petersburg's fortress (the Peter
and Paul Fortress) was founded and that day
became the official birthday of the city.
Several days later a wooden Cabin of Peter
the Great was built, and became the first
residential building in the new city.

30. • During the first few years of St. Petersburg's
history, the banks of the Neva saw an amazing
transition from a swampy, scarcely populated
area to a fine European capital.

31. • The heart of the city was originally intended to be
the area between the Peter and Paul Fortress and
the Cabin of Peter the Great, which later became
known as Trinity Square where a Gostiny Dvor (a
market for local and visiting merchants) and several
inns and bars were built.

32. • Most of the city's prestigious social events
(receptions, balls, etc.) took place either in
the Summer Gardens or in the residence of
the Governor General of St. Petersburg - the
luxurious Menshikov Palace.

33. During the reign of Elizabeth, daughter of Peter
the Great, St. Petersburg developed into a fine
European capital to rival those of any in the
West.

34. • Elizabeth tried to adopt and adhere to many of
her father's public policies. Elizabeth was also
a very social personality and organized
regular balls, receptions, masquerades and
firework displays in Anichkov Palace.

35. • The Yekaterininsky (Catherine's) Palace in Tsarskoye
Selo (Pushkin), which originally belonged to Peter the
Great's wife Catherine, was turned into a magnificent
royal residence with a vast and elaborate Baroque
garden.

36. • Catherine the Great assumed power in 1762 after a
coup d' etat, which she engineered together with the
officers of the Royal Guard. Catherine enjoyed an
extremely luxurious and decadent court life and was
the first monarch to move into the newly built Winter
Palace.

37. •
The Mikhailovsky Castle.

38. • The city of St. Petersburg gradually became
more and more majestic. The Palace Square
ensemble was completed with the
construction of the General Staff building in
1829, the Alexander Column in 1834 and the
Royal Guards Staff building in 1843.

40. • Between 1839 and 1844 the Mariinsky Palace
(today home to City Hall) was built for
Nicholas' beloved daughter Maria.

41. St. Isaac's Cathedral, the main church of the
Russian Empire, was finally completed in
1858, after the death of Nicholas I and after
his son Alexander II had acceded to the
throne.

42. • During this period the famous Mariinsky
theater was built along with a number of
palaces for the country's Grand Dukes,
Liteiny bridge was constructed and
monuments to Catherine the Great, Nicholas I
and the poet Alexander Pushkin were erected.