Our Notes & References

A fine example of an annual report of the city council and other Saint Petersburg institutions providing a wealth of statistical and financial data, including population of the city, urban development and construction, important decisions implemented by the council and a financial report for the year.

At the end of the 19th c. Saint Petersburg was the largest city in the Russian Empire. Like other large European cities that faced a rapid development it started to struggle with a growing number of urban problems: housing, transport, public health, which were turning critical in the absence of an effective management. A solution for such large scale problems required not only a consistent urban policy and substantial investments, but also changes in the relationships between the State, the city authorities and citizens. Pressure for changes prompted Alexander II to conduct a major reform in 1870, under which the central government delegated responsibility for the urban development and general administration of cities to the local councils.

The report offered here shows the results of the work of the city council 21 years after it assumed the responsibilities for managing the city. Of special interest is the financial part showing the revenues, the largest part of which came from taxes on property, trades, crafts and enterprises located in the city, and expenditure. All the real estate property that belonged to the ministries and members of the Imperial family was freed from taxation. As Saint Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire and, hence, home to the Imperial family and all the central government agencies, it was struggling to fill the city budget.

Provenance

Owner’s inscription to title dated 1936; The Demidoff-Obolensky family; Boris Berezovskii (1946-2013, Russian businessman and politician).