ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA ? Swathed in snow and scaffolding, this former imperial capital of Russia is preparing for a 300th birthday bash in May that is expected to attract more than 40 heads of state and thousands of tourists.

Just about every other building along the city’s main thoroughfare, Nevsky Prospekt, and every third church are being rebuilt. In the pale light of a northern winter day, cars and pedestrians patiently navigate the construction sites, waiting for the city’s rebirth in the spring.

“St. Petersburg needs this action to raise its renown and significance around the world,” said Yuri Rudenko, a deputy head of St. Petersburg’s 300th Jubilee Committee. “We also hope it will become an economic push for investment and the development of tourism.”

St. Petersburg was founded by Czar Peter the Great in 1703. Built on a swamp at the price of thousands of Russian workers’ lives, it sprang out of nothing to open a so-called “window to Europe” through the Baltic Sea and supplant Moscow as the center of Russian political life for two centuries.

Over its history, the city’s name has changed three times. During World War I, Petersburg sounded too German to Russian ears, and so it became Petrograd. In Soviet times, the country’s second-largest city bore Vladimir Lenin’s name, becoming Leningrad. Now it is back to its original name, or, as fond locals call it, just plain Peter.

A much-needed face lift

Like Venice, St. Petersburg’s monuments throw glimmering reflections onto the river and canals that cut through it.

St. Petersburg was home to many of Russia’s greatest writers and composers. Today it has another famous son: President Vladimir Putin, who has frequently brought his foreign guests — and directed federal funds — to St. Petersburg.

Through the jubilee program, 78 of St. Petersburg’s landmarks, overlooked and decrepit for decades, have been under reconstruction since 2000. The State Hermitage Museum, Amber Room, Russian Art Museum, Peter and Paul Fortress, Summer Garden, Admiralty, Mariinsky Theater, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral and many others are getting at least a face lift for the celebration.

One of the highest-profile projects is reconstruction of the Konstantinovsky Palace. Until recently the most neglected architectural relic of old St. Petersburg, the palace, in the suburb of Strelna, is undergoing a huge renovation to turn it into the splendid presidential residence.

St. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral is one of several city landmarks under reconstruction in St. Petersburg, Russia, which will celebrate its 300th birthday in May. Czar Peter the Great founded the city in 1703.

In May, as St. Petersburg celebrates its birthday, the palace is to be the venue for Russia’s first meeting of the Group of Eight.

The city receives up to 3 million tourists annually. But in 2003, it expects to greet at least 200,000 more visitors, said Lyudmila Botkina, first deputy head of the St. Petersburg Tourism Committee.

That has left tourism officials scrambling for accommodations during the jubilee week of May 23-June 1, when the government has already reserved most city hotels.

A grandiose celebration

Meanwhile, more than 50 foreign countries have announced their birthday gifts to the city. France has offered to finance construction of a 59.4-foot “Peace Tower” — a transparent column with the word peace written in many languages and signatures left by all the world leaders coming to St. Petersburg for the birthday celebration.

Japan wants to plant 1,000 cherry trees. Switzerland has offered to plant a garden in the form of a watch and install a big “meeting point” street clock.

Paving stones are piled at Dvortsovaya Square in preparation for reconstruction work. Russia's former imperial capital, St. Petersburg, is preparing for a 300th birthday bash in May that is expected to attract more than 40 heads of state and thousands of tourists. The Hermitage Museum is in the background.

The May celebration will be packed with 200 concerts, theatrical performances and exhibits, starting on the 23rd with the opening ceremony at the Kirov Stadium — a magical show about St. Petersburg’s 300 years of history.

On May 27, traditionally celebrated as St. Petersburg’s birthday, all city churches will have worship services, a new exhibit on Peter the Great will open at the State Hermitage Museum and the Neva River will be lit up by a laser show.

May 31, the day when G-8 leaders are to meet, will be the opening day for the newly restored Amber Room in the town of Pushkin. A naval parade on the Neva will be followed by a gala concert featuring opera stars Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.

“Nowhere in the world has any city ever had such a grandiose celebration ever,” said Oleg Shakalov, a deputy head of the city’s 300th birthday committee, adding that UNESCO has declared 2003 The Year of St. Petersburg.