Petrozavodsk (Петрозаво́дск), Russia

Street in Petrozavodsk, Russia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Petrozavodsk_street_Lenina.jpg
Author: MaSii


Petrozavodsk (Russian: Петрозаво́дск; Finnish: Petroskoi) is a city in northwestern Russia. Located on the western shore of Lake Onega, it is the capital of the Republic of Karelia, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. The city covers 135 sq km (52 sq mi) and has a population of 264,000 people (2012 estimate).

Petrozavodsk was founded by Prince Menshikov in 1703, at the behest of Tsar Peter the Great. It was originally called Petrovskaya Sloboda, in honor of Peter the Great. The settlement was established so that an iron foundry could be erected there. By 1717, it has grown to become the biggest settlement in Karelia.

Petroskaya Sloboda declined after the death of Peter the Great, but revived when Catherine the Great established a new iron foundry in 1773. It manufactured cannons that were used in the Russo-Turkish Wars. In 1777 it was incorporated as a town and renamed Petrozavodsk.

During the Second World War, Finnish troops occupied Eastern Karelia including Petrozavodsk from 1941 until 1944. During this period, they renamed Petrozavodsk as Äänislinna. It reverted to Petrozavodsk when the Red Army reoccupied it on 28 June, 1944.

Places of Interest in Petrozavodsk

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