Changes in the functions of St Petersburg as a prerequisite for structural change in the city

St Petersburg is one of the youngest metropolises in Europe, but one with a highly individual and varied history. St Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad, St Petersburg: no other European metropolis has in the course of its existence experienced so many changes of name as this city, name changes that have been accompanied each time by extensive changes in the functions of the city and its structure.