Vladimir Zhirinovsky
The leader of LDPR Vladimir Zhirinovsky has suggested to rename St. Petersburg. With this initiative, he spoke at a meeting of the State Duma on Friday, November 11, according to “Rossiyskaya Gazeta”.
The head of the party believes that the current name hard to pronounce. As a more euphonious alternative to Zhirinovsky offered to Petrograd. “As you say — St. Peterburge? To break the tongue and mouth, jaw, another to deliver, to call a resident of St. Petersburg — a woman,” he explained.
In addition, Zhirinovsky has suggested to unite St. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast, and return a number of towns of historical names.
In October, he proposed the idea to rename the Lenin Avenue in prospect Ivan the terrible. Earlier Zhirinovsky also advocated for the return of the former names of Kirov (Vyatka), Noginsk (Bogorodsk), and offered to return the Leningrad station in Moscow the old name Nicholas.
Saint Petersburg was called Petrograd from 1914 to 1924. Was renamed in the wave of anti-German sentiment. In January 1924, the city became Leningrad. This name was kept until 1991.