History

Rowing was popular in Saint Petersburg since the middle of the 19th Century. Peter the Great as an innovator always attracted a lot of European traditions to Russia and the sport of rowing became popular when he was in power. In 1850 the first competitions took place. Soon enough rowing had its own official rules as a sport. The city has a lot of space to practice the sport and rowing became very attractive to young people as well as the older crowd. Rowers used to be divided in two groups: wealthy people and foreigners living in the city and working class enthusiasts who loved the water and the sport. As years passed more and more people became interested in rowing and clubs started to open one after another. By 1930s there were 20 different clubs in the city.

SPARTAC rowing club first opened its doors in 1927 and soon became one of the biggest clubs in Saint Petersburg. During the World War II, SPARTAC facilities were used for military training; in the end of the war military boat base was located here. After the war was over SPARTAC got all of its location back and built new facilities. Rowing hit its peak in Saint Petersburg in the middle of 20th Century. Now there are only 6 clubs left in the city. SPARTAC is one of them.