Sigmund, Freiherr von Herberstein (1486-1566). Rerum Moscoviticarum commentarij: Russiae breuissima descriptio. Antwerpiae: in aedibuas Ioannis Steelsij, 1557. Summerfield B705

Sigmund, Freiherr von Herberstein (1486-1566). Rerum Moscoviticarum commentarij: Russiae breuissima descriptio. Antwerpiae: in aedibuas Ioannis Steelsij, 1557. Summerfield B705

Positively antediluvian; or, Floods looking for a city ... Long before the founding of St. Petersburg, Europeans looked towards Russia like rabbits casing the carrot patch, especially those travelers such as Sigmund von Herberstein in the 16th and Adam Olearius in the 17th century who recognized the importance of that unexplored area for scientific research. Herberstein spoke Russian and as ambassador of, respectively, Emperor Maximilian and Charles V, visited in 1517 and 1526 in an attempt to influence political affairs in the struggle against Turkey. Failing in both those missions he nevertheless collected and published in this work a vast amount of geographical material, historical information, and descriptions of the economics, trade routes and rivers, ways of life and religion in cities and villages. In this map one can see the site of the future Sankt Pieter Burkh south of Lake Ladoga and on the delta of the Neva River. This area was coveted by all the northern powers for access to trade routes to all points East. Peter couldn't have chosen a better – or a worse – spot on which to build a city.

Summerfield B705