An exibition at the National Library of Russia "Maps of Leningrad Oblast"

Leningrad Oblast ("province") is a federal subject of the Russian Federation, located in the north-west of European Russia. It forms a part of the Northwestern Federal District and the Northwestern Economic Region of Russia.

The oblast has an area of 85 300 km² that accounts for 0,5 percent of the total area of Russia.

It was established on 1 August 1927 as a result of the administrative and territorial reform. The oblast was historically preceded by Ingermandland Province which was created in 1708 and renamed later Saint-Petersburg, (Petrograd, Leningrad) Province.

The most ancient population inhabited the land corresponding to the territories of present-day Leningrad Oblast after the retreat of glaciers in the ninth—eighth milleniums BC. By the middle of the first millenium AC, settled Finno-Ugric tribes already lived here, they were engaged in farming, cattle-breeding, hunting and fishing. Slavs have populated this territory since the eighth century.

The city of Ladoga (from the eighteenth century Staraya Ladoga), one of the earliest Russian settlements, was founded in the 750s. During the ninth—tenth centuries Ladoga was the most important political and economical center for forming of State system of Old Russia. It lost importance only at the close of the tenth century, and gave place to Novgorod.

In the twelfth century, Novgorod gained political independence, and territories along the Gulf of Finland, the Lake Ladoga, the Luga, Neva and Volkhov rivers became parts of Novgorod Lands. During the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries, these lands were the scene of the fight against an enemy invasion of Livonian Knights and Swedish feudal lords. In 1240, the confluence of the Neva and Izhora rivers was the site of the celebrated Battle of the Neva, when Russian army under the command of Alexander (Nevsky), Prince of Novgorod, defeated Swedish invaders. During the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries, the people of Novgorod built the fortresses of Jama, Koporye, Oreshek ("Nutlet"), Korela, Tiversk to protect Russia against attack from the northwest.

During some of the most trying times in the country's history at the turn of the seventeenth century known as the Time of Troubles, Sweden captured Northwest Russia and barred the country's way to the Baltic Sea. In the early 1700s, after the victory of Russians under Peter the Great over Swedish army in the Great Northern War, the territory of the oblast was reconquered by Russia. Saint Petersburg, the new capital of the country, was founded here in 1703.

In 2007, an exibition, organised in celebration for eighty years of the establishment of Leningrad Oblast, took place at the Smolny Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. Its cartographic part is available online now. On display are maps of this historical region of Russia dating back to the sixteenth century. The maps represent many place names and make it possible to trace the centuries-old history of the development of the area.

List of Map Titles, Presented to the View: