Petrozavodsk (; Karelian/Vepsian/)'s the capital of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, with a population of 266,160 (2002 Census). It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some 27 kilometers. The city's served by Besovets Airport. Municipally, it's incorporated as Petrozavodsk Urban Okrug (Petrozavodsky gorodskoy okrug, ). History The city was founded on 11 September 1703 as Petrovskaya Sloboda by Prince Menshikov at the behest of Peter the Great who needed a new iron foundry… (More on Petrozavodsk)