City Foundation

On May 16, 1703 during the island Yeni-Saari examination Peter the Great immediately stopped and took two pieces of the turf, placed it crosswise and said: "The city will be here". Then he started to dig the ditch,  the stone box was placed in this ditch. The box was covered with the stone slab with the inscription " On May 16, 1703 the city of St.-Petersburg was founded by Pyotr Alexeyevich, Grand Prince and Great Russian Tsar." At that time an eagle appeared in the sky and began gliding above the Tsar.

On the place of the city laying Peter the Great erected the gates with the crossbeam. An eagle sat down on the crossbeam, Peter the Great took it, placed on his hand and entered the non-existing city.

The spring of 1703 brought the long-awaited victory to Russia. After the number of the severe defeats, thrown to the East,  tightly closed in the continental part, suffered in the marsh and in the forests, practically only due to the enthusiasm and devotion of the closest associates Peter the Great captured the Swedish Fortress Nienshantz. But he refused to be consolidated here, because Nienshantz " was too small and too far from the Sea and the place itself was not naturally reinforced.  He choose the Hare Island ( Zayachi Ostrov -Yeni-Saari in Finnish), the most conveniently situated in the Neva river estuary. It was the natural barrier in the river mouth without any artificial fortification. Thus, the Fortress was laid here. On the neighboring Birch Island (Berezovy Ostrov), defended by the Fortress, the city began to grow.

Peter the Great did not attend the laying. This fact is confirmed by the expert Stolpyansky and historian Mavrodin. Mavrodin made his conclusion on the fact, that Peter the Great was out of the city since May 11 till May 20.  But some researchers make the logical row to prove the reverse. But anyway, the fact that Peter the Great founded the city, was fixed in the people's mind and in the city legend. An eagle was the God's envoy and the symbol of the power in the myths of the different nations and was the approval of the divine origin of the Tsar and his city. It was more important, than the fact, that the eagles have  never appeared above the Neva river.