What are they doing on the palace square? How a meadow turned into an architectural ensemble. History of Palace Square. The idea of center, centering
Palace Square- a place especially loved by city residents and guests Northern capital. This is one of the most delightful architectural ensembles in the world.
On the square and next to it there are famous sights of the city: the Winter Palace, the Headquarters Building of the Guards Corps, the General Staff Building with its famous Arc de Triomphe, and the Alexander Column.
Palace Square is considered one of the most attractive places in St. Petersburg and is unique historical monument. She is included in the list World Heritage UNESCO.
Hotels near Palace Square
Near Palace Square are concentrated some of the most popular accommodation options among tourists in St. Petersburg: budget hostels, apartments and apartments with everything you need, mini-hotels, hotels of different stars. Walking distance to many central museums and main attractions along the sightseeing route.
History and architecture
The square got its name from the name of the oldest building - Winter Palace designed by F.B. Rastrelli. The construction of the huge Elizabethan palace began in 1754 and was completed in 1762. Upon completion of the work, the Winter Palace became a high-rise dominant among buildings in the center of St. Petersburg. It contained about 1,500 rooms.
Despite the simple rectangular shape of the palace, its richly decorated baroque façade in pale green and white colors gives this architectural monument a solemnity and makes it recognizable.
Currently, the largest St. Petersburg museum, the Hermitage, operates in the Winter Palace. Next to the palace is the Hermitage Theater, which includes part of the building of Peter the Great's Winter Palace - the premises house a thematic exhibition.
Single architectural ensemble Palace Square was designed by the outstanding architect K.I. Rossi by 1819, and he managed to organically combine new buildings with those existing at that time.
From 1819 to 1828, construction was carried out on the arched General Staff building, consisting of two buildings connected by an arch. The total length of the building was 580 meters. The height of the arch is 28 meters, width is 17 meters. The headquarters housed the command of the Western Military District. The sculptural design of the building deserves special mention - first of all, this is the Chariot of Glory. The height of the sculptural group, with six rearing horses in the chariot of the winged goddess of Victory - Nike, is 10 meters (sculptors N. Pimenov and V. Demut-Malinovsky). The brilliant architect Rossi managed to combine the Winter Palace and the austere building of the General Staff building in a single composition.
The connecting link for the architectural ensemble of the square was the building of the Headquarters of the Guards Corps, completed in 1843, designed by A.P. Bryullov. Its facade is decorated with a portico of 20 Ionic columns.
Alexander Column on Palace Square
The height of the monument together with the pedestal and sculpture is 47.5 meters. Weight - 600 tons.
The Alexander Column was installed on Palace Square in honor of Emperor Alexander I and the victory in Patriotic War 1812. The outstanding monument was erected according to the design of the architect Auguste Montferrand.
The monument was created in the period from 1829 to 1834. For the column, a monolithic piece of pink granite was used, mined in Pyterlahti, a place in Finland near Vyborg.
The column (also known as the Alexandria Pillar in the poem “Monument” by Pushkin) ends with a sculpture created by B.I. Orlovsky. This is the figure of an angel trampling a snake with a cross. The symbolism of the sculpture - “By this victory!”, goes back to the history of the life-giving cross.
Bas-reliefs by sculptors I. Liptse and P. Svintsov on the pedestal of the column glorify the victories of Russian weapons.
Panorama - view from the height of the Alexander Column
Events in St. Petersburg on Palace Square
Just like 300 years ago, various events take place on Palace Square of the Northern capital: concerts, flash mobs, marathons and other cultural and sporting events are organized here. On May 9, the Victory Parade takes place along Palace Square.
During the holidays, you can see Palace Square in St. Petersburg online. In addition, several webcams are installed nearby, providing broadcasts on ordinary days (but video may not always be available).
On Saturday and Sunday, music, cheerful shouts of presenters and applause can be heard in the square. Animators in historical costumes work on the square every day; city guests are invited to take photographs or ride in a carriage.
If you come to St. Petersburg for a summer weekend, rest assured that today there will definitely be some kind of event on Palace Square.
How to get there
Transport to Palace Square - metro, buses and trolleybuses. Walking close to St. Isaac's Cathedral, Mikhailovsky Garden, Campus Martius, Exchange and other attractions. To get there by taxi, it is convenient to use the apps Gett, Uber, Yandex.Taxi and others.
Metro to Palace Square in St. Petersburg
If your destination is Palace Square, then the most convenient way to get there is by metro; the nearest metro station is Admiralteyskaya (purple line), located approximately 200 meters from the square. By the way, this is the deepest station not only in St. Petersburg, but also in the world. It goes 120 meters underground, and to get to the top you need to go through two escalators.
Walk from the station along Malaya Morskaya Street to Nevsky Prospekt and turn left in the direction of the Admiralty. Palace Square will be on your right. Thus, the walk from the metro will take no more than 3-5 minutes.
You can also get to the square from the Nevsky Prospect and Gostiny Dvor metro stations (blue and green lines) along Nevsky Prospekt (distance approximately 800 meters) and from the Vasileostrovskaya metro station across the Palace Bridge (distance approximately 2.5 kilometers) .
Buses and trolleybuses
You can get there by land transport— by bus No. 7, trolleybuses No. 1, 10, 7, going in the direction of the Admiralty to the “Dvortsovaya Ploshchad” stop.
This is what the main square of St. Petersburg looked like before 1819. During the reign of Peter, instead of the Arch and the General Staff Building, St. Petersburg residents saw an ordinary green meadow, which in rainy weather was covered with mud.
Under Anna Ioannovna, hares were bred here, and in the era of Elizabeth Petrovna, fat cows grazed in the meadow, melancholy chewing grass. In the second half of the 18th century, Admiralty Meadow served as a construction site for the Winter Palace. Military exercises were also held here and cattle were grazed, supplying dairy products to the royal court.
Since under Paul I the Mikhailovsky Castle, and not the Winter Palace, became the center of social life, no one was involved in the improvement of Palace Square. The situation changed after Alexander ascended the throne, who, after the war with Napoleon, decided not only to improve the appearance of mercy, but also to get a building where important government agencies: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and General Staff.
I.Bart. View from Palace Square to the Admiralty. Gouache. 1810s Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
It must be said that under Catherine, the southern border of the square was built up with houses according to Felten’s design, and one of them, as well as the plots in the eastern part of Palace Square, had to be purchased in order for them to subsequently become part of a grandiose architectural ensemble.
The development of the building project for the General Staff and two ministries was entrusted to the architect Carlo Rossi, who decided that the main message of the new architectural brainchild should be the glorification of the victory of the Russian people in the war with Napoleon. No one then had any idea that Russia would be able to build the longest building in Europe at that time, which would seem to pierce the continuous ribbon of its own façade with a monumental Arc de Triomphe, crowned with the chariot of Victory and figures of warriors.
Russian architect of Italian origin, Carl Rossi is the author of many buildings and architectural ensembles in St. Petersburg. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Start of construction
On March 16, 1819, Alexander issued a decree and convened a special committee “For the establishment of a regular square and stone, brick, pottery and lime factories opposite the Winter Palace.” It is difficult to imagine the array of work that awaited the great architect. For the harmonious coexistence of the old buildings with the new building, the architect repeated the line of their facades, and in order to eliminate the disproportion, he decorated them with porticos, which is why the unequal wings of the house began to look the same in length even to the most attentive eye.
Part of house No. 1 on Bolshaya Morskaya Street had to be demolished, changing the direction of the street so that it faced only the center of the Winter Palace. When the construction of the western building was completed in 1823, workers began to create the eastern building, first of all constructing a facade facing Palace Square. The corner of the building near Moika was made angular, for which people even called it the iron.
At the first stages of construction, no money was spared for the new city landmark, and the base of the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, looking at the square, was made of expensive granite. However, under the next ruler, Nicholas I, when the country was living in a regime of severe austerity, the plinth on the side of the Pevchesky Bridge was laid from comparatively cheap material - Pudozh stone. At the same time, the facade of the General Staff building was repainted yellow, whereas under Alexander it was pearl gray.
The painting "View of the Winter Palace from the Admiralty. Changing the Guard" by Vasily Sadovnikov. Watercolor. 1830s. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Flood of 1824
Despite the fact that the work progressed at an enviable pace, not everything in the construction process was smooth. For example, the implementation of Rossi's project was prevented by the famous flood of 1824. The historian and expert on St. Petersburg, Bashutsky, recalled: “through the air, spinning high and quickly, wide sheets of iron torn from the new building of the General Staff were flying; the storm played with them like feathers; two long wooden sidewalks across between the fences of the unfinished building made a dam, on which the waves rested with a roar and, having reached its height, poured into Malaya Millionnaya; Through a narrow alley overlooking the Neva, a huge barge was pushed by the water, blocking the street. People, caught by the wave, climbed through windows, onto lampposts, clung to the eaves and balconies of houses, and hid on the tops of trees planted around the boulevard.”
“What, brother, will the arch support its own weight?”
Be that as it may, work on the arrangement of the square continued and their crowning achievement was the Arc de Triomphe, at the foot of which, on pedestals protruding from the wall, rest grandiose compositions of military armor-reinforcement, above which tower figures of warriors, and even higher soars the chariot of Victory with six horses. , clearly silhouetted against the sky.
The triumphal arch of the main headquarters was opened on October 24, 1828. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Lelik
The sculptors Pimenov and Demut-Malinovsky worked on the creation of the sculptures decorating the arch. They were given only two months to work. By the way, under Alexander, the Arch was supposed to be crowned not by a chariot, but by two female figures holding the Russian coat of arms, but Nicholas did not like this idea. Soon, an image of a cavalry group appeared on the drawings.
There is an interesting historical tale associated with the apparent fragility of the Arch. Allegedly, Rossi's foreign colleagues, and later the emperor himself, doubted the strength of the new masterpiece. According to eyewitnesses, Nicholas I asked the architect: “What, brother, do foreigners doubt: will the arch support its own weight?” To this Rossi replied: “Your Majesty, I will climb onto it while removing the circle, and if it falls, I will fall along with the arch.”
When the construction work was at the last stage, Rossi, together with the workers, climbed the Arch and, waving to the emperor from there, proved its strength.
Initial project, 1820, view from Nevsky. Lithograph by K. Beggrov. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
The finished architectural masterpiece
The final touch that completed the renovation of Palace Square was made in 1834, when Auguste Montferrand, by order of Nicholas I, built the Alexander Column in its center in memory of the victory of Alexander I in the war with Napoleon. It is curious, but the idea of building the monument was proposed by none other than Carl Rossi himself, but it was up to the Frenchman Montferrand to think through and implement it.
Thus, in the period from 1819 to 1834, the square gradually acquired its modern appearance, against the backdrop of which important state events took place. Few people know, but in the year when the revolution broke out and the square became one of the most important witnesses to the atrocities taking place, all the buildings on it were by that time painted red brick, and in the post-war years they were again repainted in emerald tones.
Now the composition of the General Staff Building and the Arch is made in yellow, which looks harmonious against the background of the green building of the Hermitage.
Now the composition of the General Staff and the Arch is made in yellow. Photo: Creative commons/Walter Smith
Winter Palace on Palace Square - the former royal residence, a symbol of the Elizabethan Baroque architectural style, the most Grand Palace In Petersburg. Since the first Soviet years, the most famous museum in Russia, the State Hermitage, has been operating here.
Admiralty Meadow
Palace Square originated as part of the glacis, the open space in front of the Admiralty, founded in 1704. Since then, there has been a meadow here, where cattle were often grazed. They called it Admiralty.
The highest naval ranks immediately began to settle near the shipyard. In 1705, at a distance of 200 fathoms from the Admiralty, according to the design of Domenico Trezzini, the house of Admiral General Fyodor Matveevich Apraksin was built. Two years later, Admiralty Advisor A. Kikin settled nearby. In 1712, Apraksin's house was rebuilt in stone; in 1716, the building was remodeled again, this time according to the design of the architect Leblon.
The western part of the meadow, near the route of the future Nevsky Prospekt, has been occupied by the Marine Market since 1705. It arose at the request of local artisans, who complained to Governor A.D. Menshikov about the absence of an establishment selling food and drink in Morskaya Sloboda. At the market they sold not only food, but also firewood and hay.
Next to the market, on the site of house No. 55 on the Moika embankment, the eminent house of Admiral Cornelius Kruys, President of the Admiralty Board, was built according to a standard design. Different sources say differently about the fate of this house. It either burned down in 1710, or was dismantled for the construction of the Petrovskoe Kruzhal tavern.
After Kikin's execution in 1718, his mansion was occupied by the Maritime Academy.
In the spring of 1721, an alley was planted on Bolshaya Perspektivnaya Road (Nevsky Prospekt). She divided the Admiralty Meadow into two parts. The western one later became Admiralty Square, and the eastern one gradually turned into Palace Square.
In 1728, according to his will, Apraksin’s house was passed to Peter II. The young emperor never settled here; he moved with the government to Moscow. Apraksin's house was empty all this time, but in 1731 it began to be rebuilt as the residence of Empress Anna Ioannovna. It was designed by B.K. Rastrelli and his son. To accommodate new premises, a neighboring plot belonging to the Maritime Academy was purchased. By 1735, the new Winter House of Anna Ioannovna was built here, with the main façade facing the Admiralty.
The square next to the Winter Palace was supposed to be surrounded by a colonnade, in the center of which a bronze statue of Anna Ioannovna by B. K. Rastrelli was to be installed. To do this, the area was cleared of random wooden buildings that had appeared here, right down to the alley. Near the southern end of the Winter Palace on the edge of the Admiralty Meadow, only a few service buildings were left. Among other things, a wooden arena built in 1732 according to the design of F.B. Rastrelli was moved from here. By November 10, 1738, it was opened “at the place indicated by the bereiter Schiederer near the stable mud hut houses” on the bank of the “newly conceived” Catherine Canal (site of house No. 28 on Nevsky Prospekt).
Admiralty Meadow was used as a platform for parades and folk festivals. For example, on January 27, 1740, a review of the imperial guard took place here. The troops marched along Nevsky Prospect to the Winter Palace with music and waving banners. At the same time, a masquerade was held in the palace for the nobility, and for the common people, treats were placed in the meadow - roasted bulls, fountains of red and white wine.
The space next to the imperial residence required appropriate care. In 1750, paving of the Admiralty Meadow with turf and cobblestones began. From that time on, “meadow” in the strict sense of the word disappeared.
The final touch in creating the ceremonial appearance of Palace Square was the refacing of the houses of the "card depot" and the Free Economic Society under a single façade with the General Staff building. This was done in 1842-1845 by the architect Ivan Chernik, who thus completed the plan of Carlo Rossi.
Palace Square was part of the route morning walks Emperor Alexander II. He alone, without security, walked along Millionnaya Street, Winter Canal and Moika Embankment, and walked along the square to the Winter Palace. This was the case on April 2, 1879. When the Tsar turned from the Moika to the square near the Pevchesky Bridge, a tall man in an overcoat walked towards him with a quick step. Having caught up with Alexander II, he shot him with a pistol. The shot was unsuccessful. The Tsar, deftly weaving and dodging subsequent shots, ran towards the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The terrorist managed to shoot five times, after which he was knocked down by a gendarme who arrived in time. The man who attempted the life of Emperor Alexander II was Alexander Konstantinovich Solovyov, a member of the radical organization “Land and Freedom”.
There is a garden at the western facade of the Winter Palace. In 1900, a highly artistic wrought iron fence was installed around it, which received the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris. The author of the fence was the architect Robert Meltzer.
On January 9, 1905, in St. Petersburg, including on Palace Square, events took place that went down in Russian history as Bloody Sunday.
The cobblestone paving of Palace Square, of course, caused inconvenience for both passers-by and carriages passing through it. In 1911, the mayor of St. Petersburg invited the senior city gardener to consider setting up a flower garden on it. The following year, Zodchiy magazine published the following article:
“More than 10 years ago, a project for the reconstruction of Palace Square arose in the Administration, drawn up by the architect Meltzer. It was supposed to pave this area, plant a line along the sidewalk with linden trees, lay out flower beds, install fountains and, by the way, demolish the boulevard from headquarters to Palace Bridge, cutting off the curve of the Alexander Garden, and arrange a passage in this place. The project received the Highest approval, but so far it has not begun to be implemented. Currently, the project is being discussed again in the Administration, and the city gardener has drawn up an estimate for the complete reconstruction of the area in the amount of 418 thousand rubles" [Quoted from 1, p. 269].
Despite all these plans, under tsarist rule, Palace Square remained a cobblestone street.
Before the First World War, all buildings on Palace Square were painted red brick colors. The events of 1917 took place precisely against such a background. In the 1940s, the buildings were again repainted in their characteristic light colors.
Palace Square after 1917
Immediately after the February Revolution of 1917, the Petrograd Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies approved the decision to "bury those killed during the days of the coup" on Palace Square. The architects were given the task of deciding where exactly the burial would take place in the square and what the monument above it would look like. The funeral was scheduled for March 10. Three days earlier, Alexei Maksimovich Gorky spoke to the Council, who proposed leaving Palace Square alone and arranging a burial on the Champ de Mars. This option caused controversy in the Council, in which the idea even arose to build a new “Freedom Square” on the site of the Alexander Garden, and bury the dead there. But this idea was abandoned immediately; under pressure from the architects, Gorky’s proposal was accepted. An additional argument was that there were many piles driven around the Alexander Column and digging graves there would be extremely difficult.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin spoke on Palace Square twice. The first time this happened was on May 1 (April 18), 1917, when he, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, spoke about the significance of the proletarian holiday May Day and the tasks of the Russian revolution. The second time Lenin spoke from the podium was on July 19, 1920, when a rally was held on Palace Square to mark the laying of the monument to Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. This monument was going to be installed in the garden of the Winter Palace, next to the temporary monument to Radishchev already located there.
After 1917, Gvardeyskaya Square became part of Dvortsovaya Square.
On August 30, 1918, the chairman of the Petrograd Extraordinary Commission, Moisei Solomonovich Uritsky, was killed at the entrance to the eastern building of the General Staff building. The killer was the Socialist Revolutionary Leonid Kanegisser, who was taking revenge for the execution of his comrade by the security officers. Already in October of the same year, Palace Square was named Uritsky Square.
In 1918, the fence of the Winter Palace garden was removed from the pedestal. During the May Day cleanup in 1920, 7,000 workers, students and cadets cleared western part Uritsky Square from the stone blocks and rubble remaining from the pedestal destroyed a year ago. To help the workers, a narrow-gauge railway was even laid here. Railway, on which 100 trolleys moved. A fence was later installed around the park named after 9 January.
From then on, the labor motive would become the main one for all demonstrations at main square Leningrad. IN Soviet time Demonstrations were held here on May 1 and November 7. For speeches at such events by leaders of various sizes, a platform was built at the gates of the Winter Palace. In addition to the already mentioned Lenin, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev and other Soviet leaders (Zinoviev, Kirov, Popkov, Kuznetsov, Tolstikov, Kozlov, Romanov) spoke from it.
In the summer of 1924, a unique chess game took place on Palace Square. The role of the white figures was played by sailors, the black figures by Red Army soldiers. The horses were real. The moves were carried out according to the commands of I. Rabinovich and P. Romanovsky, who gave them over the phone.
In the spring of 1932, Palace Square was paved. At the same time, new underground communications were laid under it.
On January 13, 1944, on the first day of the operation to lift the Leningrad blockade, Palace Square returned its historical name.
For the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution (in 1977), it was decided to transform the paving of Palace Square. Architects B. N. Buldakov, G. A. Boykova, F. K. Romanovsky and artist V. A. Petrov drew up a project according to which the area was paved with rectangles of paving stones, which were divided by granite slabs. Pink granite was mined in the Vozrozhdenie quarry, and series - from the Kamennogorsk quarry. A “grid” of 460 cells was formed on 17,000 square meters.
In 1994, a decision was made to determine the location of the entrance hall of the Admiralteyskaya metro station. To locate it on the corner of Bolshaya Morskaya Street and Kirpichny Lane, it was necessary to resettle the house located there. Honored Architect of Russia Sergei Shmakov proposed an alternative option. He drew up a project in which the exit from the metro would be organized in the Alexander Garden and on the first floor of the General Staff building, next to Nevsky Prospekt, from the granite portals existing there. It would be much cheaper to rebuild the first floor of this house. But Shmakov’s project was not accepted; the exit from the metro at the end of 2011 appeared where it was originally planned.
Since Soviet times, every New Year On May 9 and City Day (May 27), mass festive events are held on Palace Square. Since the 2000s, the Scarlet Sails holiday began to be held here on a large scale for school graduates.
On December 1, 2007, a commercial business began operating on Palace Square. ice rink. His appearance here caused heated controversy in the public. The main arguments of opponents of the skating rink were: violation of the architectural ensemble of Palace Square and the inability to get close to the Alexander Column. The skating rink existed here throughout winter season, but did not appear in subsequent years.
One of the symbols of St. Petersburg and one of the most visited tourist places of this city - Palace Square. This architectural ensemble began to take shape in the second half of the 18th century, its formation was completed in the first half of the 19th century.
The square is formed by several historical and architectural monuments- The Winter Palace (this landmark gave the square its name), the Guards Corps Headquarters Building, the semicircular General Staff Building and, of course, the famous Alexander Column. The area measures approximately five and a half hectares. In some sources you can find information that its size is eight hectares, but this is not true.
The square is under the protection of UNESCO: it was included in the World Heritage List.
Where it all began...
In the first years of the 18th century, a fortress-shipyard surrounded by ramparts was founded in the city. Also, a ditch was dug around the fortress, in front of which there was a space free from any buildings. Its dimensions were enormous. This space was necessary for defense purposes: in the event of an enemy attack on the fortress from the land side, it would help the artillerymen repel the attack.
But a short time after the fortress was completed, it lost its military significance. And along with it, the open space located behind the ditch also lost it. On this empty territory they began to store lumber needed for various construction works. Large anchors and other supplies related to shipbuilding were also stored there. Part of the territory was occupied by a market. By that time, the space that once had defensive significance was overgrown with grass and became a real meadow. A few more years passed and the territory changed again: new streets passed through it in three rays. They divided the territory into several parts.
Then a new period in the history of the future famous square began. At this time it was used as a place for folk festivals. Fireworks sparkled above it, fountains splashed on it, in which there was wine instead of water.
In the 40s of the 18th century, a royal decree was issued, according to which oats should be sown in the future square (which at that time was still a meadow). Later, court cattle grazed in the meadow. Sometimes soldiers performed drills here. During that period of time, the Winter Palace was being completed and rebuilt, and the open space in front of it was often used for construction purposes.
In the mid-60s of the 18th century, a kind of knightly tournament took place in this area. It was a grandiose celebration, especially for which a temporary round theater without a roof was built from wood. The attire of the festival participants was strikingly luxurious.
From meadow to parade ground
At the end of the 70s of the 18th century, at the behest of the empress, the process of transforming the square began. A design competition was held, and after the winner was announced, construction work began. At the end of the century, the square looked like this: a huge space was surrounded by houses on three sides and, according to contemporaries, resembled an amphitheater.
At the beginning of the 19th century, architect Anton Mauduit proposed a plan for redevelopment of the square. It is on this plane that the square first takes on the shape that is now so familiar to us. In the first half of the 19th century, the appearance of the square gradually changed and transformed. In the 1930s, the famous column was erected in its center. At the beginning of the 20th century (as well as the 19th century), military parades and reviews were often held on the square.
One of the darkest pages in the history of the square was the event that was later called “Bloody Sunday”. A procession of workers carrying a petition with economic and political demands to the Tsar was dispersed in the square. During the dispersal of this demonstration, hundreds of people died: firearms were used against unarmed demonstrators.
In the first years of the 20th century, all the buildings on the square were painted brick-red, which seemed to become a harbinger of the events of 1917. In the 40s of the 20th century, the buildings were returned to their original appearance: their walls were repainted in light colors. Soon after the revolutionary events, a monument to the writer and philosopher Alexander Radishchev was erected on the square. The bust was made of plaster. After standing for about six months, it was overturned by a gust of strong wind and has not been restored since then.
During Soviet times, parades and festive demonstrations took place on the square. In the first post-revolutionary years, large-scale theatrical performances on revolutionary themes were held on this territory. At the beginning of the 30s, the square was reconstructed: the paving stones were removed, the space was asphalted; the granite pillars that surrounded the famous column have also been removed. In the 40s, the idea of moving the column and device to the airfield area was considered. But this plan was not implemented. In the 70s, reconstruction work was carried out on the square again. The asphalt was replaced with paving stones. Lanterns were installed at the corners of the square.
Square in the 21st century
At the beginning of the 21st century, restoration work took place on the square, during which an archaeological find was made - the remains of an outbuilding that belonged to Anna Ioannovna. More precisely, the foundation of this building was found - once luxurious, consisting of three floors. Archaeological find was carefully studied, many photographs were taken of it, after which it was again covered with earth. A few years later, the Alexander Column was restored.
The square often hosts social and sporting events, and concerts of famous performers are held. IN winter time an attempt was made to turn the square into a skating rink with a paid entrance, but this caused outrage among many public organizations and the skating rink ceased to exist. Relatively recently, a pavilion with mirrored walls was installed on the square, which reflected the entire architectural ensemble. This pavilion did not last long: it was destroyed by a gust of wind and then dismantled.
Architectural ensemble of the square
Let's tell you in more detail about those historical and architectural attractions that make up the ensemble of the main square of St. Petersburg:
The Alexander Column was erected in memory of the victory of Russian troops over Napoleon's army. The author of this majestic building in the Empire style is the architect Henri Louis Auguste Ricard de Montferrand. The column project he developed was approved by the emperor in the late 20s of the 19th century, and in the mid-30s the grand opening of the monument took place. The column was made of pink granite in one of the quarries located near St. Petersburg. Transportation of the column to the city became challenging task. A special barge was even built for this purpose. Today the column is one of the main attractions of the city. Sometimes, recalling the famous poem by the classic of Russian poetry, it is called the “Pillar of Alexandria,” but this is a wrong name.
The Winter Palace is another important part of the square ensemble. It was built in the middle of the 18th century. The author of the project is Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli. The palace was built in accordance with the canons of the Elizabethan Baroque (the facades and rooms are distinguished by luxurious decoration). Initially, the building was the residence of Russian rulers, where they spent the winter months. In the second half of the 30s of the 19th century, a terrible fire broke out in the palace, which could not be put out for several days. The property salvaged from the palace was piled around the famous column. At the end of the 30s of the 19th century, the palace was restored. During Soviet times, the building housed exhibitions of the State Hermitage.
In the eastern part of the square there is the building of the former Headquarters of the Guards Troops. The author of the project is the artist and architect Alexander Bryullov. The building was built in accordance with the canons of the late classical style. Thanks to its elegance and severity, it fit perfectly into the architectural ensemble, which was very difficult: on one side of the Headquarters there is a Baroque palace, on the other - an Empire style building. The headquarters was built in about six years: construction work began in the second half of the 30s of the 19th century and was completed in the early 40s. Several years before the development of the project and construction of the building, there was an idea to build a theater on this site. This idea was never brought to life.
On the south side of the square rises the General Staff building. It was erected at the beginning of the 19th century. The author of the project is architect Carl Rossi. The three buildings of the building form an arc, the length of which is five hundred and eighty meters. The buildings are connected by a triumphal arch. She is crowned sculptural group, depicting the chariot of Glory. The architects of this group are Vasily Demut-Malinovsky and Stepan Pimenov. In pre-revolutionary times, not only the General Headquarters, but also three ministries were located in the buildings. In the first post-revolutionary years, the building housed the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR. Later there was a regular police station here. Currently, the Headquarters of the Western Military District is located here, occupying part of the building. The wing, located on the eastern side, was transferred to the State Hermitage in the early 90s of the 20th century.
Among which Palace Square invariably dominates - one of the most beautiful pearls among the European urban masterpieces. It was formed and acquired its modern appearance as a result of the successive creative activities of several generations of Russian architects. But the most significant was Rossi’s work on the redevelopment of Palace Square, which took a whole decade. Developing the urban planning principles of Russian classicism, he created an architectural composition outstanding in its artistic impact, which to this day is considered one of the most ingenious in the world history of urban art. The historical and artistic value of Palace Square, its role and place in the spatial composition of the city center remain extremely important.
Palace Square was intended for military parades involving the movement of large military masses, therefore its space (before the Admiralty Garden was laid out) passed into Admiralty Square and then connected with Senate Square, thereby creating a single urban planning ensemble
The formation of Palace Square dates back to the 1710s, when the first buildings appeared that defined its northern border. The vast “meadow opposite the Apraksin Chambers,” the most significant structure on the site of the future Winter Palace, was not built up. After the construction of Anna Ioannovna’s Winter Palace on this site in 1732-1735, the meadow acquired the character of a parade square. In 1753, a year before the foundation of the last Winter Palace, which played a major role in the emergence of the ensemble, F. B. Rastrelli completed a project for the architectural design of Palace Square. According to him, the square was interpreted in the form of a circle, decorated with a colonnade with a wide gap opposite the main entrance to the palace. In its geometric center there was supposed to be a monument to Peter I, executed by the architect’s father, the sculptor B. K. Rastrelli. The project answered the main task for that time - to arrange a grand entrance courtyard in front of the palace. Palace Square, unfinished during the life of the Italian master, was subsequently designed several times, including due to changing urban planning tasks. The idea of creating an ensemble of three squares in the city center - Palace, Admiralty and Senate - was put forward in 1762 by the Commission on the Stone Structure of St. Petersburg, the main role in the design activities of which was played by the outstanding urban planner A. Kvasov. In the 1760s, the architect planned new quarters near the Admiralty, eliminating its earthen ramparts. This plan predetermined the smooth curvilinear outline of the western part of Palace Square.
Rossi spoke about the creation of an ensemble of central squares in St. Petersburg: “This monument should become eternal...”
In 1779, based on the Commission’s master plan, the Academy of Arts announced an open competition for the layout of the square, in which the simple and original proposal of J. Felten won. In the 1780s, he erected three buildings equal in height to the Winter Palace, with the same type of “model” facades on the site of part of the future General Staff Building. Neighboring them were inconspicuous old buildings that stretched to the Moika embankment. With the construction of houses by the architect, one for J. Bruce and two for Catherine II’s favorite A. Lansky, the future arched shape of the square was outlined, which received a more regular outline of the boundaries.
As proof of the accuracy of his design calculations, Rossi stood on the arch while the supporting structures were dismantled, vouching with his life for its strength
Felten's design of Palace Square lasted until the construction in 1819-1829 by the architect Rossi of the grandiose buildings of the General Staff and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance, which are connected into a single whole by a magnificent double triumphal arch, thrown over Bolshaya Morskaya Street and making a turning point right next to the square. This street, secondary in itself and specially moved by the architect to the center of the arc to consolidate the axis of the square, formed a ceremonial connection between the ensemble and Nevsky Prospekt. Because of its turn, the majestic expanse of the main square of St. Petersburg suddenly opened up, striking the viewer with an almost theatrical effect. The construction of these buildings that form it southern part Palace Square was finally designed as a giant niche. Its creation became one of the most important works of Karl Ivanovich, in which he proved himself to be an innovative architect.
Palace Square is one of the largest in the world. Its dimensions are from the arch of the General Staff to the Winter Palace - 230 meters, from the building of the Headquarters of the Guards Corps to the Admiralty Garden - 340 meters
The main headquarters corresponded to the dimensions of the Winter Palace in the width of the arc and height, as well as the line of the central axis. In style they are complete opposites. The architect's idea was to contrast the elegantly lush Winter Palace and the majestic and grandiose General Staff Building and, at the same time, to architecturally balance the two monumental facades facing each other. However, Russia managed to achieve their indissoluble unity and mutual complementarity. Thus, the center of gravity of the entire composition was transferred to the square itself. It became an integral urban planning and architectural composition, representing a truly classic example of the high ideological embodiment of ensemble methods of city formation. In addition, due to the intensive development of the state apparatus, its role in political terms changed: now the houses of representatives of noble families could not be adjacent to the palace, and government institutions had to concentrate around imperial residence. Nevertheless, the Winter Palace remained of great importance.
As Doctor of Architecture G. G. Grimm noted, Rossi’s approach to solving urban planning and architectural problems was fundamentally different from his contemporaries: “...Rossi will look for a solution based on the characteristics of the site itself.”
The reconstruction of the main square of the city in a built-up area required the greatest professional tact and strict consideration of economic factors from the architect. Rossi rationally used Felten's buildings, preserving some of their walls and even the interiors, which were distinguished by their splendor despite all the monotony on the outside. He left the facades facing the inner circular courtyard in their original forms. At the same time, the master created a new composition of an unprecedented urban planning scale, characterized by simplicity: the facade from the square, despite its enormous length, was based on only three axes: the main one in the center of the arch and two side ones, emphasized by porticoes of the Corinthian order. With brilliant courage, Rossi embraced the southern side of the “regular square” with a single ribbon of facade, broken in the middle by a huge arch. Its 580-meter-long line slides along a parabola, then turns into straight segments, breaks at a very sharp angle at the Moika embankment, where the main building is adjacent to the Ministry of Finance building, which is slightly different in composition. Surpassing the length of the Admiralty, the composition of the main facade of which is built on seven axes, the facade of the General Staff building is distinguished by even greater restraint of design. Its appearance was conceived by the architect to be emphatically strict and laconic, with the monotony of the rhythm of the “infinitely” extended building, thanks to which the contrast with the central arch was more sharply accentuated. The façade ribbon is not interrupted by protrusions. Even the entrances to the building are made almost invisible. Rows of half-columns of the Corinthian order are fused with the wall in subordination to the solemnity of the arch and spread architectural design its side abutments along the entire enormous length of the southern side of the square. The plastically rich composition of the arch, topped with the chariot of Victory, is dedicated to the military power of Russia, which won the war with Napoleon. In contrast to the rest of the structure, it is richly decorated with sculpture: a 20-meter bas-relief in the attic, figures of warriors between the columns, military fittings, figures of flying geniuses of Glory. The sculptural decoration was made by V. Demut-Malinovsky and S. Pimenov. With the triumphal composition of the arch, one of the peaks of the St. Petersburg Empire style, which is a wonderful example of the synthesis of the arts of architecture and sculpture, Rossi created the key link of the ensemble. The composition and proportions of the arch with its emphatically wide span, horizontal strip of frieze, low stepped attic carrying sculpture are inextricably linked with the general horizontal of the extended facade.
The premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the tradition of that time, were located on the main (here, third) floor and were distinguished by the splendor of their decoration. Especially notable were the reception halls and living quarters in the apartment of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count K. Nesselrode, which have survived to this day in their original form, like few of the interiors of Russia. The Ballroom in the corner of the building is impressive, decorated with artificial marble: the walls are white, and the pilasters, herms and frieze are blue. Grisaille painting with allegorical and historical subjects naturally completed the composition. Due to their purely official purpose, the General Staff premises were decorated much more modestly. Structural innovations were reflected in the use of metal structures made by engineer M. E. Clark to cover the archive galleries and the dome of the headquarters library.
The Palace Square ensemble has become one of the most holistic and perfect in the world, despite the fact that it was not created all at once and with the participation of several generations of architects. By the breadth of the plan and the high skill of its implementation central square St. Petersburg is the crown in the development of ensemble urban planning techniques of classical architecture. The completed architectural center of St. Petersburg amazes with the scope and grandeur of the ensembles of Palace and Senate Squares, which far surpass the works of Western European classicism.
