St. Petersburg was renamed as Petrograd

On August 18th (31st), 1914, one month after the beginning of the First World War, Emperor Nicholas II issued a supreme decree changing the name of St. Petersburg to Petrograd.

The renaming of the capital of Russia was a result of the growing patriotic sentiment and the unfolding anti-German campaign after the outbreak of World War I on July 28, 1914. On that day, the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire passed a decree "On adoption of exceptional measures to protect order and public safety throughout the empire," which limited the legal capacity of individuals and legal entities associated with countries fighting against Russia. All privileges in the passport system and tax preferences for German and Austrian-Hungarian citizens in Russia were revoked. Additionally, they could either be expelled from the country or forcibly relocated within its borders. Some German-speaking Russians, fearing persecution, changed their names to Russian ones. Plays by German writers were removed from theater repertoires.

For the first time, the proposal to rename St. Petersburg was made on July 31 (August 12), 1914, in the newspaper "Birzhevye Vedomosti". The Russian people were addressed by a Czech colony in the capital, who noted that it was now quite timely and appropriate to recall the initiatives of a long line of Russian figures and thinkers from the 18th and early 19th centuries who were offended by the German name of their capital. 

Initially, the proposal did not receive an official response. However, on August 18th (31st), 1914, Nicholas II signed a decree renaming St. Petersburg. Court circles viewed this as a temporary military measure. However, the attitude of residents of the capital was mixed, especially as the renaming occurred during the first major defeat of the Russian army in East Prussia.

The famous art historian, Baron N. N. Wrangel, wrote in his diary on August 19th (September 1st), 1914: "This order, which is completely senseless, darkens the memory of Russia's great reformer, and the publication of the renaming 'in revenge for the Germans' today, on the day of our defeat, is extremely inappropriate."

The poetess Z. N. Gippius also spoke out sharply: "According to the tsar's mania, St. Petersburg, founded by the great Peter, has failed and been destroyed. This is a bad sign!"

At the same time, articles published in the capital's newspapers from August 20 to 22 (September 2-4) welcomed the new name. They noted that the renaming caused great enthusiasm among the residents.

The city was known as Petrograd until January 26, 1924, when the II All-Union Congress of Soviets of the USSR approved the request of the Petrograd Soviet to change its name to Leningrad in honor of V. Lenin, who passed away on January 21, 1924. On September 6, 1991, after a poll conducted on June 12 of that year, the historical name of St. Petersburg was restored by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.

Lit.: Айрапетов О. Р. Немецкий погром в Москве в июне 1915 г. в контексте боев на внешнем и внутреннем фронте [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://zapadrus.su/rusmir/istf/307-1915-36.html; Румянцев А. Г. «Столица меняет имя» – о переименовании С.-Петербурга в Петроград // ЦГИА СПб [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://spbarchives.ru/; Синиченко В. В. Борьба с «немецким засильем» и создание норм «ликвидационного права» в Российской империи в годы Первой мировой войны // Пролог: журнал о праве. 2020. № 4 (28). С. 10–18; Черненко В. А. Разгром Германского посольства в Санкт-Петербурге, или первая победа над Вильгельмом II // Избранные статьи участников Анциферовских краеведческих чтений. Том IV. СПб., 2020. С. 457–468.

Based on the materials of Presidential Library:

Constitution – Basic law: [digital collection];