Petrograd

Categories / City Topography/Toponymy
PETROGRAD, official name of St. Petersburg since 18 August 1914, chosen after Russia entered the First World War of 1914-18; it replaced the German name St. Petersburg. In the belles-lettres of the middle of the 18th century, the name "the town of Peter" was quite common (V.K. Trediakovsky, A.D. Kantemir); in the second half of the 18th century, the name "the town of St. Peter" proliferated. Since the early 19th century, the name Petrograd was widely used by Alexander Pushkin, K.F. Ryleev, G.R. Derzhavin, K.N. Batyushkov and D.I. Khvostov. After October Revolution of 1917, the name Petrograd was current along with the name St. Petersburg. In 1918-20, the form Red Petrograd was widely used, to a certain extent it copied the three-part form of the name St. Petersburg. In 1921, the name Petrograd was officially fixed by Petrograd Soviet. Еhe Second Congress of Soviets of the USSR issued on 26 January 1924, Petrograd was renamed Leningrad.

References: Нестеров В. В. Имя города // Нева. 1974. № 5. С. 213-216.

G. Y. Nikitenko. Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich
Derzhavin Gavriil Romanovich
Kantemir Antiokh Dmitrievich
Khvostov Dmitry Ivanovich
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Ryleev Kondraty Fedorovich
Trediakovsky Vasily Kirillovich
Нестеров В. В. Имя города // Нева, 1974 1914