When Peter chose the mosquito-infested, waterlogged site on the Gulf of Finland for his city, he didn't make things easy for his builders. Even the tough Finnish seaworkers who previously inhabited the region had spurned the site as a place to call home.
Working conditions were murderous, and indeed thousands lost their lives due to the elements, exhaustion and starvation. Peasants and captured Swedes were dragged in to dredge canals through the stinking marshes, and forced to carry in the earth on which the city was built. Flooding was frequent and wolves prowled the area for years.