The book is dedicated to the participation of Russian-German cultural contacts in the formation of the spirituality of the “St. Petersburg civilization”, from the Lutheran influences of the Peter the Great era or “Petersburg-Berlin” Freemasonry - to “philosophical intoxication” with the ideas of Schelling, Hegel, and later Marx, or anthroposophical hobbies junior symbolists. Particular attention is paid to the long history of relations between the Novgorodians and the Livonian knights and Hanseatic merchants, who had the opportunity to contribute to the prehistory of the “myth of St. Petersburg.” The book summarizes the results of many years of historical and psychological research conducted by the author, Doctor of Philology, researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is based on extensive material collected by the works of St. Petersburg scientists and local history writers, as well as on the use of original German sources, is written in an entertaining manner and is intended for a wide range of readers.