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Saint Petersburg Governorate

Санкт-Петербургская губерния
Governorate
Coat of arms of Saint Petersburg Governorate
Coat of arms
Location in the Russian Empire
Location in the Russian Empire
Country Russian Empire
Established 1708
Abolished 1927
Capital
Area
 • Total 44,613 km2 (17,225 sq mi)
Population
 (1897)
 • Total 2,112,033
 • Density 47.3412/km2 (122.6131/sq mi)
 • Urban
67.32%
 • Rural
32.68%
Saint Petersburg Governorate 1820
A map showing the Saint Petersburg Governorate in 1820.
RussianGovernorates1708
A map showing Russian Governorates in 1708.

The Saint Petersburg Governorate was a large region, like a province, in the Russian Empire. Its capital city was Saint Petersburg. This area covered about 44,613 square kilometers and was home to over 2.1 million people in 1897.

It shared borders with other important regions. To the west were the Estonian and Livonian Governorates. To the south was the Pskov Governorate, and to the east, the Novgorod Governorate. The Olonets Governorate was to the northeast, and the Vyborg Governorate of Finland was to the north. Today, this area mostly covers the Leningrad Oblast in Russia and parts of several counties in Estonia.

How it Started

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This map shows how Sweden's territory grew, including Ingria. Russia later took back this land and made it part of the Saint Petersburg Governorate.

The story of the Saint Petersburg Governorate began with the Ingermanland Governorate. This region was created from lands that Russia won back from the Swedish Empire during the Great Northern War.

In 1704, Prince Alexander Menshikov became its first governor. By 1706, it was officially called a "Governorate," making it one of Russia's first such regions. On December 18, 1708, Tsar Peter the Great decided to divide all of Russia into eight Governorates. The Ingermanland Governorate grew even bigger, including cities like Pskov and Novgorod. At first, the exact borders of these Governorates were not very clear. Instead, they were defined by the cities they included and the lands around them.

On June 3, 1710, the Ingermanland Governorate got a new name: the Saint Petersburg Governorate. This was named after the new city of Saint Petersburg, which was becoming very important. In 1721, more land from Sweden, including parts of Ingria, was officially given to Russia by the Treaty of Nystad. Later, after another treaty in 1743, some of these new lands became part of a separate region called the Governorate of Vyborg.

The name of the Governorate changed a few more times. From 1914 to 1924, it was called the Petrograd Governorate. Then, from 1924 to 1927, it was known as the Leningrad Governorate. Finally, on August 1, 1927, it was officially ended. A new region, the modern Leningrad Oblast, was created in its place.

Cities in the First Governorate

When the Ingermanland Governorate was first set up, it included many important cities. Here are some of them:

Cities included into Ingermanland Governorate at the time of its establishment
# City # City # City
1. St. Petersburg 12. Narva 23. Staraya Rusa
2. Beloozero 13. Olonets 24. Toropets
3. Bezhetskoy Verkh 14. Opochek 25. Torzhok
4. Derptskoy uyezd 15. Ostrov 26. Tver
5. Gdov 16. Porkhov 27. Uglich
6. Izborsk 17. Poshekhonye 28. Ustyuzhna Zheleznopolskaya
7. Kargopol 18. Pskov 29. Veliky Novgorod
8. Kashin 19. Romanov 30. Yamburg
9. Koporye 20. Rzheva pustaya (Zavolochye) 31. Yaroslavl
10. Ladoga 21. Rzheva Volodimirova
11. Luki Velikiye 22. Shlisselburg

Administrative Divisions

By January 1, 1914, the Saint Petersburg Governorate was divided into eight smaller areas called counties (uezds). Each county had its own main town. The table below shows these counties, their main towns, and how many people lived there in 1897.

County County Town Arms of County Town Area Population
(1897 census)
Transliteration name Russian Cyrillic
Gdovsky Гдовский Gdov
Coat of Arms of Gdov (Pskov oblast) (1781).png
8,810 km2
(3,400 sq mi)
145,573
Luzhsky Лужский Luga
Luga COA (Saint Petersburg Governorate) (1781).png
10,192.7 km2
(3,935.4 sq mi)
133,466
Novoladozhsky Новоладожский Novaya Ladoga
Novaya Ladoga COA (Saint Petersburg Governorate) (1781).png
8,707.4 km2
(3,361.9 sq mi)
87,841
Petergofsky Петергофский Petergof
Peterhof COA (Saint Petersburg Governorate) (1833).svg
2,742.5 km2
(1,058.9 sq mi)
140,547
Sankt-Peterburgsky Санкт-Петербургский Saint Petersburg
(Sankt–Peterburg)
Petersburg coat of arms 1730 to 1856.svg
1,973.8 km2
(762.1 sq mi)
1,317,885
Tsarskoselsky Царскосельский Tsarskoye Selo
Small Coat Pushkin (St Petersburg).jpg
4,303.9 km2
(1,661.7 sq mi)
149,845
Shlisselburgsky Шлиссельбургский Shlisselburg
Shlisselburg COA (Saint Petersburg Governorate) (1780).png
3,870.7 km2
(1,494.5 sq mi)
54,904
Yamburgsky Ямбургский Yamburg
Yamburg COA (Saint Petersburg Governorate) (1780).png
4,014.4 km2
(1,550.0 sq mi)
81,972

Other Important Towns

Besides the main county towns, there were other significant cities within the Governorate. Some of these were very populated and had their own unique features.

City Population Part of Arms
Gatchina 14,824 Tsarskoselsky Uyezd
Coat of Arms of Gatchina (v. 1).svg
Kronstadt 59,525 Petergofsky Uyezd
Kronstadt coat of arms 1780.gif
Narva 16,599 Yamburgsky Uyezd
Coat of Arms of Narva (1780).gif
Oranienbaum 5,458 Petergofsky Uyezd
Coat of Arms of Lomonosov (Oranienbaum St Petersburg) (1780).png
Pavlovsk 5,113 Tsarskoselsky Uyezd
Coat of Arms of Pavlovsk (municipality in St Petersburg).png

Towns That No Longer Exist

Some towns that were once part of the Governorate are not around anymore, or they have changed significantly.

City Population Part of Arms
Rozhdestveno 980 Tsarskoselsky Uyezd
Coat of Arms of Rozhdestveno (Rozhestveno Leningrad oblast) (1780).png
Sofia 1,190
Coat of arms of Sofia (St Petersburg).jpg

See also

  • Administrative divisions of Russia in 1708–1710
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