Throughout its history, and particularly since the downfall of the USSR, St. Petersburg has held a unique fascination both within and outside of Russia. One of the world's most vibrant and storied metroplises, St. Petesburg celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2003. This full-length narrative history chronicles the distinctively beautiful city from its founding by Peter the Great in 1703 through its modern renaissance in the era of Vladimir Putin. St. Petersburg covers the city's political and social history, as well as its infinite contributions to scholarship, culture, and world politics. Particular attention is paid to St. Petersburg's frequent role as Russia's key link to the West and modernism, and the relevance of this to present-day Russia as it endeavors to become a civil society.