Available is this gorgeous antique French map of Russia.  It shows the plan for the development of St Peterburg and some of the surrounding area.  The map is dated 1741 and shows the plans to build the new Russian capital.  

The top reads “Plan de la Ville Faubourg et Environs de St. Petersbourg Carte Particuliere des Environs de St. Petersboug, du Cours de la R. de Neva... Carte Pour l'Intelligence de la Guerre de Moscovie et de Suede... Author: Beaurain, Jean published in Paris and dated 1741.  

The map is hand colored, with numerous inset sections including the surrounding area, Lake Lagoda, and the Gulf of Finland.  The visible area of the map is 19 inches tall by 23 inches wide. It is matted and framed under plexiglass. The frame is wooden with an ivory colored mat.  The overall dimensions of the frame are 25.25 inches by 29 inches.  

This piece was engraved by Durand and is marked in the bottom corner “Durand Sculp”, published by De Beaurain.  The three sections comprise a detailed plan of St. Petersburg, a map showing St. Petersburg in relation to the eastern Baltic and Lake Lagoda, and a more general map of the eastern Baltic, southern Finland and Russia.   A gorgeous map in good condition, there are some folds and wrinkles in spots, no obvious damage, some yellowing to the paper, etc.  Not examined out of frame.   Please review photos for a detailed view of condition.  Photos 7 & 8 have a shadow visible which is not on original.  

Background:

This fine plan shows St. Petersburg as it was planned to be built while it was still in the process of construction. In 1703, the site, at the head of the Gulf of Finland, was selected by Czar Peter the Great to be the place on which a new capital city for the Russian Empire was to be built. Peter pressed a massive labor force of serfs to build the city, and no expense was spared. Leading architects and artisans from across Europe were offered large salaries to dedicate themselves to the task. The overall project came to be overseen by the French landscape architect, Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blonde, .

As shown on the main map, most of the city was planned to be built on Vasilyevsky Island, that lay within the mouth of the Neva River. As shown, the island was to be divided by a series of canals and streets that were to follow a rational grid, which in places were to contain massive squares. On the south bank was the Admiralty district and on an island on the north bank, above Vasilyevsky Island, was the St. Peter & Paul Fortress. 

The original plan was greatly altered as work progressed. Vasilyevsky Island was proven to be too low-lying and prone to flooding to permit the creation of the canals, nor was it viewed appropriate as the site of the main town. While the area would eventually be built-up (later in the 18th century) with streets largely following the lines of the proposed grid of canals, the main part of the city was built in the area which lay to the south of the Neva.  Text running along the left side of the map identifies 28 different sites throughout the city.