The book of research by philologist, journalist and writer Alexander Matveevich Sharymov (1936-2003) is a collection of essays telling about the centuries-old history of the Lake District, more specifically, about the history of the lands of the Neva River, on which St. Petersburg was founded in 1703.

The collection is divided into two books: “Prehistory of St. Petersburg” and “1703”. The first opens with an outline of the history of the Lake District - from the time of the melting of the glacier to the end of 1702. Then follows a section that tells what the Neva River and its delta were like at the time when the soldiers of Peter I came to their banks. The contents of the second book determined its general name - “1703”. At its center is a study resolving the complex issue of Peter I’s participation in the founding of St. Petersburg and the drawing up of the initial project plan St. Petersburg Fortress. Containing a lot of rare illustrative material, the book is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. CONTENTS: For the author. Irena KaspariFrom the author

Book one. BACKGROUND OF ST. PETERSBURG

Section 1. FROM THE PRE-PETER HISTORY OF THE LAKE REGION

I. Lake District... Prineve II. The first one hundred and seventy centuriesIII. From the point of view of ancient authorsIV. Rukhs-aces go northV. From legends to historyVI. Life of the Varangians-Russians; “The era of Rurik” and the beginning of Ancient RussiaVII. Before the “revolution of 1136” VIII. Lake District before the arrival of the HordeIX. "Alexandrov's Days" X. Vyborg and KorelaXI. The structure and death of Landskrona XII. Years of Trade and BattleXIII. Orekhovets Fortress and Orekhovets Treaty XIV. Cases of Korel and NovgorodXV. Magnus goes to the Neva and OreshekXVI. Bonfires in the Lake DistrictXVII. Fate Tiverskogo town XVIII. Encounters with the OrderXIX. The end of the Novgorod RepublicXX. Descriptions of the Neva region and the birth of “proto-Petersburg”XXI. The first maps of the Lake District and the beginning of northern tradeXXII. Russian-Swedish clashes are spreadingXXIII. From Tyavzin to Stolbov through the building of NyenshanetsXXIV. The beginning of the Swedish period of the Neva regionXXV. The Russo-Swedish War and the mapping of NyenXXVI. Plans for the restructuring of Nien and the beginning of the Northern WarXXVII. Coming of the eighteenth centuryXXVIII. 1702 - before the Noteborg campaignXXIX. Capture of Noteborg XXX. Literature and sources

Section 2.NEVA AND ITS DELTA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NORTHERN WAR

I. What is this essay aboutII. On toponymy and cartography of the Neva regionIII. Travel from Oreshek to Nizhnyaya Varyagova IV. From Kuznetsova to Valitula-krogaV. From Valitov to Nien VI. Nyenschanz and NienstadtVII. From Pulkola to Obozovshchina-ede VIII. Along the Neva to the central islands

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FOR BOOK ONE

NAME INDEX FOR BOOK ONE

Book two. 1703. Chronicle of the year and its mysteries

Section 1. CONQUEST OF NYENSHANTS

I. Before the trip to Nyenschanz II. Hike to Nyenschanz III. Capture of Nyenskans IV. Literature and sources

Section 2. WAS PETER I THE FOUNDER OF ST. PETERSBURG?

I. Was Peter I the founder of St. Petersburg?II. Does anyone think otherwise?III. What do historical sources say about this? IV. Who was the author of “Jurnal” and can he be trusted? V. Why did Peter I go to Shlisselburg on May 11? VI. Where was Tsar Peter from May 14 to 16?VII. Was Peter I the author of the initial plan for the fortress? VIII. What are the May realities of the manuscript outside the events of 16 May?IX. What was the culmination of June in 1703?X. What happened on the Neva and around it in July 1703? XI. What were the realities of the “ship” month of August? XII. On the completion of the fortress and manuscripts about it XIII. Literature and sources

Section 3. WINE, COURTS AND FIREWORKS

I. First skipper on the Neva: Auke or Yan? II. How did 1703 end?III. Literature and sources

APPENDIX

“The story of Corporal Odintsov of the Preobrazhensky Regiment” about the founding of the St. Petersburg fortress

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FOR BOOK TWO

NAME INDEX TO BOOK TWO