Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg was the capital and largest city of the Russian Empire, an autonomous state of the Aragan Empire. It was the home of the Winter Palace, the largest man-made structure built in the Earth World series. Sitting on top of the western terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway, it was a major rail transport hub in eastern Europe.

History
The region where Saint Petersburg would eventually sit originally hosted a settlement controlled by the Kingdom of Maple. The settlement, called Liones, contained a wooden fort, a few small huts, and a market.

After Maple ceded the region east of the Gulf of Finland to Araga, an Aragan citizen named bonito_pibb began settling the land as part of the state of Russia. He demolished the former Maple settlement that was there originally and built what would be referred to as the Old Town of Saint Petersburg.

bonito_pibb would become intrigued with building a replica of the Winter Palace on the server and begun construction soon after the Old Town had been completed. He used stolen materials from Starymglia and Araga to fuel construction.

Although bonito_pibb was relegated as the governor of Russia below the federal government of Araga, he wanted more influence on the world stage. He reformed the state of Russia into the Russian Empire, an imperial realm that sought more autonomy from Araga, which annoyed some members of the nation. Additionally, he made clear his imperialist ambitions when he claimed the entirety of Siberia and Japan on June 23rd, 2017. This move upset both Imperians, who had already claimed and settled in Japan, and Aragans, who realized how embarrassing it was and were fed up with bonito_pibb's general rebellious attitude toward their nation. Leader of Araga Tomad kicked the Russian Empire out of the nation and promptly exiled bonito_pibb. Later, Tomad and other Aragan forces occupied Saint Petersburg and other settlements in Russia. Tomad and bonito_pibb eventually came to a deal where Russia would be reintegrated back into Araga and bonito_pibb would return as its Tsar.

Despite reaching a deal with Araga, bonito_pibb was still upset with the position of the Russian Empire in Araga. After relentless demands for more autonomy or independence, Tomad once again kicked bonito_pibb out of Araga. bonito_pibb declared independence as the Russian Empire and had effectively declared war on Araga when he attacked some of the nation's major cities. In retaliation, Aragan forces attacked and destroyed Saint Petersburg, leaving the Old Town in ruins and the incomplete Winter Palace in rough condition.

Progress on the Winter Palace was on and off until the beginning of Earth World Mark VII, when bonito_pibb contracted AbolishSuburbs to work on the roof of the structure. Although neither the roof or the rest of the building was ever completed, significant progress was made during this world.

Old Town
The Old Town was the historic district of Saint Petersburg, presumably built by Tsar bonito_pibb. It replaced a former Maple settlement in the same area. The Old Town is characterized by its simple cobblestone and wooden-plank buildings. During the War in Russia, the Old Town was destroyed by Aragan forces, with no attempts ever being made to restore it back to its original state.

Winter Palace
The Winter Palace was a large estate built to be the residence of the Tsar of Russia. Although never fully completed, it still stood as one of the largest structure constructed in Mappercraft history. Work on the Winter Palace was mostly done by bonito_pibb himself, with additional help from AbolishSuburbs, who was contracted by bonito_pibb to work on the roof.