St. Petersburg occupies a huge territory on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. The city is divided into 18 districts: it also includes some urban formations - Kronstadt, Vyborg, Pushkin and others. In the past, their number was different: some regions did not exist, others united into one.
The history of the formation of districts of St. Petersburg
From the time of construction, St. Petersburg was divided into districts: Peter I issued a decree on the division of the city into five parts, which were called islands and sides, depending on their location relative to the Neva. These were the Admiralteisky, St. Petersburg, Vasilievsky Islands and the Moscow and Vyborg sides. Later, new areas began to appear, while others began to unite with each other: for example, the Vyborg side eventually became part of the St. Petersburg Island.
Gradually, the city grew and expanded, capturing ever more extensive territories along the shores of the Gulf of Finland and along the Neva. In 1917, the city, renamed into Petrograd, was divided into fifteen districts: 2 City, Nevsky, Narvsky, Admiralteisky, Petrogradsky and others. The city included Peterhof, which formed the area of the same name.
In the 20th century, the administrative-territorial division of the northern capital of Russia was also constantly changing: the Sverdovsky District was allocated from Vasilievsky Island, Vyborgsky was divided into several parts, Narvsky was renamed into Kirovsky, and Peterhofsky - into Petrodvortsovy. There were many changes, the districts were united, divided, changed names. The territorial expansion of St. Petersburg continued, by 1994 the number of districts was 27, as a result, some were connected to each other in order to reduce their number. The final law on the territorial division of St. Petersburg, identifying 18 districts, was adopted in 2005.
Districts of St. Petersburg
The historical center of the city is divided between the Central, Admiralteisky, Petrogradsky and Vasileostrovsky districts - the smallest in area in St. Petersburg. This is the center of concentration of tourists from all over the country and the world; ancient buildings are located here, from here the construction of the city began. The Vyborgsky district changed its shape, but remained on the northern side of the Neva River. Near it, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, there is a large Primorsky district, and on the other side there are Krasnogvardeisky and Kalininsky.
To the south of the center of St. Petersburg lie the Kirovsky, Moskovsky, Frunzensky and Nevsky districts: the latter runs along the Neva. They were built later than the central ones, but they also boast some sights and beautiful parks.
The territory of the city of Pushkin is occupied by the Pushkin District, with Kolpinsky bordered by it. Peterhof is still in Petrodvortsovoye. The famous Krasnoe Selo formed Krasnoselsky, and the city of Kronstadt - the Kronstadt districts. In the north-west of St. Petersburg, a long strip along the coast of the Gulf of Finland stretches the Kurortnaya part of the city - there are Sestroretsk and Zelenogorsk.
