Because Peter I built the city, and it was more like a European city, so Peter made a capital out of his creation.
8,600.77 kilometres (5,344.29 miles)
Leningrad
Tsar Peter I (the Great) conceived and built St.Petersburg, thumbing his nose at the Swedes, and moved his capital there when St.Petersburg was finished in 1712. He named it for his patron saint,...
8,575.55 kilometres (5,328.61 miles)
Visit the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Visit the Central Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Visit the Gardens of Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
Dance Festivals in Saint Petersburg, Russia