Pillar on the square of the uprising. Square on the uprising square
Z Namenskaya Square is one of the most famous in St. Petersburg.
Now in the center of the square there is a stele in the form of a bayonet, but this was not always the case. The square has greatly changed its appearance compared to the imperial times (and the only one on Nevsky Prospekt) and has changed compared to the Soviet ones.
The people named the square Znamenskaya after the chapel of the Church of the Sign, consecrated in 1765. Holy Mother of God. In 1794-1804, according to the design of the architect F.I. Demertsov, the church was rebuilt in stone. In 1809, a cast-iron fence and two chapels appeared (both of which were rebuilt by P. A. Chepyzhnikov during repairs in 1863-1865). By the name of the church ("Znamenskaya"), Znamenskaya Square and Znamenskaya Street (now the Square and Uprising Street) got their names. The bridge over the Ligovsky Canal, located along Nevsky Prospekt, was also called Znamensky.
The church is pitiful. Many great people went to it, including Academician Pavlov.
My maternal great-grandmother got married in this demolished church...
This is a document and below is herself... Although the print is not very similar to the original. Maybe there was another Znamenskaya?
Previously, there was a monument to the Trans-Siberian Railway in the form of the equestrian Emperor Alexander III on the square.
In Soviet times, the monument stood with the inscription "Scarecrow". And then it was demolished and now it stands behind the backyard in the patio Marble Palace) then the Church of the Sign itself.
There are amusing folk verses about the monument.
"There is a chest of drawers, a hippopotamus on the chest of drawers, a cap on the hippopotamus, what a fool is daddy ?!"
Ilyich was supposed to appear on the square. Lenins and St. Petersburg are firmly connected. No wonder the city was Leningrad. So many monuments were built that the political bird had nowhere to shit.
With the advent of people's power, the area was named "Rebellion Square". And Lenin in the center would be its classic socialist completion. The name obliged, where else if not there ...
A stone was even laid on the square with the inscription: (You will go straight ...) “A monument to Lenin will be erected here. Laid down on the day of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad. But, fortunately, it didn't work out.
The fact that the 250th anniversary of Leningrad was celebrated four years later still surprises contemporaries. But this reason is banal and valid - Stalin died in 1953, there was no time for celebrations. Four years of mourning. In addition, Khrushchev did not like Leningrad (all Soviet leaders differed in this). Nothing good was expected from the intelligentsia and culture. But it is not main reason why the monument to the leader was never erected.
According to some estimates, at that time (1957) there were only seven monuments and busts to Lenin in the open air in Leningrad, mainly on the territory of plants and factories. But then, at least one Ilyich a year appeared in our city.
This is the remains of the Church of the Sign. Now here is the subway lobby. You can come and pray...
Of course, Vosstaniya Square is a serious place, not the backyard of a factory warehouse;
There is a legend that there was a competition. And it won the work of the sculptor Anikushin - the main and most "star" Leningrad sculptor of that time. But the authorities could not install the monument correctly. He did not get up according to all the canons of socialist Feng Shui. All the time he turned his back to something ... or sideways to some city dominant. No matter how you put Lenin, your ass does not lead to communism and does not draw bright prospects, but the matter is political. You will place your outstretched hand in the direction of Nevsky, but what about the passengers leaving the Moscow railway station? Foreign guests will go to the city of the world revolution and the first thing to see is Ilyich's backside. Not politically correct!
They lasted until 1965, and then an order arrived in time to erect a monument to the hero city of Leningrad in connection with the twentieth anniversary of the Victory, and it was decided to build an obelisk on Vosstaniya Square, which would look the same from all sides.
True, this obelisk to the "Hero City of Leningrad" was finished only twenty years later, already in independent Russia. As Rosembaum wrote - they stuck a bayonet in the heart of the city ... as they say, the phrase is beautiful, but if you are serious about the architectural solution, then it tastes and color. For example, I like it. There is not enough vertical in our city.
Above one of the largest city squares stands a grandiose stele "To the Hero City of Leningrad". This 36-meter obelisk was erected in May 1965. The monument is crowned with the "Gold Star of the Hero" and involuntarily reminds every citizen and tourist of the dramatic history of the city during the Great Patriotic War.
sq. uprisings
The building of the Nikolaevsky railway station (named after railway) was erected in 1847-1851 according to the project of the architect Konstantin Ton and is the "twin" of the Leningradsky railway station built by him in Moscow. Until 1868, the station was not repaired, however, due to the significantly increased passenger traffic, it was decided to urgently reconstruct it. So, a two-story wing for receiving luggage was added here, and the right wing of the building was connected to the royal chambers.
Already in 1912, the authorities announced a competition for the design of a new building for the Nikolaevsky railway station, but the architects faced an intractable task. The complexity of the restructuring was that the new station could only be expanded towards the tracks, since by that time Znamenskaya Square had already been formed. However, the architect Vladimir Shchuko figured out how to do it right, which helped him win the competition. Soon the construction of the arrival building began, which was supposed to become the left wing of the new building, without violating the harmony of the Znamenskaya Square ensemble.
In 1923, in connection with the renaming of the Nikolaev railway to Oktyabrskaya, the station received the same name, but in 1930 it was renamed again, calling it Moscow, as it is known to us to this day.
sq. uprisings
In the building of the 1930s, the Nikolskaya Edinoverie Church was previously located. During the years of persecution of religion, the temple was closed and partially rebuilt. Today, the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic is located here, telling Petersburgers about the exploits of travelers, exploration of the most remote corners of the planet and their outlandish inhabitants.
st. Marata, 24
You will not find this street on the city map, but it is still there, although it is hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated behind two doors leading to the Pushkinskaya 10 art center. For all those who are close to the romantic lyrics of the legendary The Beatles, this place will become a real mecca of the Liverpool Four in St. Petersburg. The walls of the building are decorated with a yellow submarine, bas-reliefs of the band members, as well as various elements and details, one way or another connected with the work of the band, which won the hearts of millions of listeners around the world.
art center "Pushkinskaya, 10", Pushkinskaya st., 10 (entrance from Ligovsky pr., 53)
House from a Russian fairy tale
On the quiet Kolokolnaya Street, which runs parallel to Nevsky Prospekt, there is a house from a Russian fairy tale. Its façade attracts attention with bright majolica decor and amazing finishes with many details. Flowers, leaves, kokoshniks on the facade, decoration of balconies - all this can be looked at for a long time, especially if you are lucky enough to get into the yard. In the courtyard of the house there is a whole ensemble with a turret, tiled flyers and beautiful details. The house was built by architect Nikonov in 1900. In early 2012, the building was restored after a fire, today it has acquired an even brighter and more fabulous look.
Kolokolnaya street, 11
The Museum of Bread has a unique collection of more than 14,000 exhibits that allow us to show the life and way of life of our ancestors through the ingenious invention of man - bread. The exposition shows the history of the creation of bread, the development of bakery in St. Petersburg from the moment of its foundation to the present. The museum presents various samples of pastries, tools, utensils, baking dishes, a collection of samovars, signs of trade establishments, paintings, applied arts, documents and a collection of cookery books. A petty shop with a Russian oven and all the necessary equipment for baking and selling bread has been recreated.
Ligovsky pr., 73
"Muzeros"
The museum claims to be the largest in Russia. The exposition tells visitors about the development and evolution of sexual relations from the time of paganism to the present day. A special pride of the collection is a copy of the dining chair of the 18th century for the delights of Empress Catherine the Great. The museum does not forget about the modern achievements of the sex industry: 3D multimedia and interactive attractions are waiting for their visitors. The exposition is constantly replenished by the inhabitants of the city themselves.
The space is open 24 hours a day. Guided tours and master classes.
st. Sedova, 11, shopping center "Evrika"
The first book center of the famous St. Petersburg chain, opened in 2005. For the first time, concerts, master classes, meetings with writers and other interesting events began to be held here (and are still being held). Then the "Park of Culture and Reading" appeared on Nevsky, but for many bookworms, "Bukvoed" on Vosstaniya remains the most beloved. Hidden among the book halls was a café. The store provides access to books for thirsty bibliophiles 24 hours a day.
Ligovsky pr., 10
On Wednesdays, Russian auteur films are shown free of charge in a small hall, and European and Hollywood classics are shown on Fridays. Regulars are advised to come early to take convenient places, and after the show, stay for a discussion of the picture in a close circle of cinema lovers.
Liteiny pr., 58
The amazing exhibits (micro-crafts by master V. Aniskin) are so small that poppy seeds and hair cuts serve as podiums for them. Spectators look at the creations exclusively under the lenses of microscopes, which are mounted in exhibition forms and equipped with an autonomous LED light source.
Nevsky prospect, 81
This is not just a cafe, but a real street courtyard under the roof of one of the houses in St. Petersburg. Sitting at the table, you can watch the dim light from the windows, listen to the murmur of water in the drainpipes or the yard cats meow at each other. The picture is complemented by numerous power lines over chiffonier roofs, antique furniture with various antique utensils, musical instruments placed around the hall. And right there is a shabby black piano, the sounds of which can be heard every Thursday. Any Petersburger entering the Music of the Roofs cafe will plunge into the atmosphere of nostalgia, and every foreign guest will be able to truly feel the “music of the roofs” of St. Petersburg.
st. 1st Soviet, 12
Hotel Oktyabrskaya
"Oktyabrskaya" (or in the old manner "Znamenskaya") on the station square is considered to be the oldest hotel northern capital. No wonder, because for the first time its doors for guests were opened already in 1851. "Oktyabrskaya" does not consist of one building at all, but of two - the first stands exactly on the square opposite the Moscow railway station, the facade of the second overlooks Ligovsky Prospekt. Both buildings were designed by the architect Alexander Gemilian.
Already in the first years of its existence, the hotel managed not only to receive a lot of guests, but also to change a dozen owners. This happened for the reason that in those days there were quite strict rules for the operation of taverns and hotels. Therefore, until 1887, almost complete redevelopment took place here several times.
The revolutionary events did not influence the history of the hotel in the best way - all the property was described, and the “Oktyabrskaya” itself was transferred to the department of the Nikolaev railway. So, in the 1920s, an old hotel with a long history was turned into the City Hostel of the Proletariat, where homeless children were brought from all over the city. By the way, in those days, the Oktyabrskaya, turned into a hostel, was simply called the GOP, and its inhabitants, respectively, were called gopniks. Thus, the word "gopnik" enriched the Russian language not without the participation of old hotel.
Uprising Square
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes
The Roman Catholic Church in Kovno Lane was built in 1903-1909 for the needs of the French Catholic community, designed by architects Leonty Benois and Marian Peretyatkovich.
The appearance of the new Catholic church turned out to be extremely ascetic, strict and gloomy in a Gothic way. The architecture of the building uses Romanesque motifs, as evidenced by the towers, the asymmetry of forms and the portal in the idea of an arch, which is located in the center of the main facade.
After the October Revolution and events civil war all Catholic churches in Petrograd and its suburbs were closed, but the French Church continued its work and remained one of the few functioning Catholic churches in the city. When in 1941 the Soviet authorities severed diplomatic relations with France, and the rector of the church, Father Florent, was expelled from the country, services in the church ceased, but were resumed rather soon.
To this day, the temple is active; divine services and organ evenings are regularly held here.
Kovno per., 7, lit. A
Ovsyannikovsky square. Garden them. N. G. Chernyshevsky
In the second half 19th century on his own initiative and with his hard-earned money, the merchant Stepan Ovsyannikov creates a square for public use. To create the project, he attracts the architect Nikolai Grebenok. This place was not chosen by chance. Firstly, the abandoned wasteland has been embarrassing the eyes of the townspeople for many years, and secondly, the merchant himself lived in a house that still looks at the picturesque square with its main facade, and therefore could not help but attend to the creation green zone where his children and grandchildren could walk.
That square, built in the 19th century, had the shape of a polygonal figure with seven straight sides, on the round platforms of which fountains were built. The square itself was decorated with trees and shrubs of various species, and its territory was surrounded by an iron fence on a stone foundation. There were three entrances to the garden: from Mytninskaya Street, 4th Sovetskaya and Malookhtinsky Prospekt.
When Ovsyannikov dies, at the behest of Emperor Alexander II, the square is named in his honor, and the layout of the square changes several times: the entrance from Mytninskaya Street is removed, the number and direction of paths change, fountains are removed and re-created.
The square received its modern name - the Nikolai Chernyshevsky Garden in 1952: it was here on May 19, 1864 that the civil execution of Nikolai Chernyshevsky, a Russian revolutionary, writer and scientist, took place. Despite such a good reason and the course of time, native Petersburgers still continue to call this green paradise Ovsyannikovsky garden.
Mytninskaya st., 10; Bakunina Ave., 9; 3rd Sovetskaya st., 21
The monument to Alexander Pushkin on Pushkinskaya Street was opened on August 7, 1884 at the initiative of the city public administration. The creators of the monument were the sculptor Alexander Opekushin and the architect Nikolai Benois. The figure of the writer stands on a black marble pedestal, on each side of which lines from The Bronze Horseman are engraved in gold.
There is a curious urban legend, according to which, before the war, they wanted to move the monument to another place. Workers and equipment arrived, set out to go to the monument, but the children playing in the garden surrounded the workers and began to shout, waving their arms: "This is our Pushkin." Confused workers called one of the Leningrad officials, who was silent for a long time, and then agreed to leave the monument on his historical place.
Pushkinskaya street
Back in the 17th century, the Novgorod tract ran through the territory now called Vosstaniya Square, which ran along the sandy ridge washed up by the ancient Litorin Sea. Natural elevation protected the area from floods. In 1710, the laying of the Great Perspective Road (future Nevsky Prospekt) began, two years later connecting the Admiralty with the Novgorod tract. The resulting intersection later became the Uprising Square. From 1712, for six years, a road was laid here from the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. It connected with the Novgorodsky tract a little north of the Big Perspective Road, which predetermined the only break in Nevsky Prospekt.
In 1718-1725, the Ligovsky Canal was dug along the route of the Novgorod tract to supply water to the fountains of the Summer Garden. A wooden bridge was thrown over the canal here.
Often in guidebooks there is a version that Peter I initially wanted to pave the way from the Admiralty to the monastery in a straight line. But two brigades of builders made a mistake, and brought two sections of the highway here, because of which, supposedly, the only turn of Nevsky Prospekt turned out. For greater persuasiveness, the narrators supplement this story with the fact that Peter I ordered the builders to be flogged at the turn. This story has nothing to do with reality.
Under Empress Anna Ioannovna in the 1730s, an attempt was made to bring Nevsky Prospekt to the dome of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. A new road was laid parallel to the Nevskaya prospective road, thus creating the routes of modern Goncharnaya and Telezhnaya streets. But later this idea was abandoned, returning old road former name - Nevsky Prospekt.
In the middle of the 18th century, between the streets of Vosstaniya and Mayakovsky, there was a royal poultry yard, and opposite, across the prospect, there were stables and a dog yard. The Uprising Square at that time was a huge wasteland. From 1744 to 1778, to the north of the wasteland, there was the Elephant Yard - one of the first menageries in Russia. Its territory was surrounded by a fence, and a sign was hung at the gate with the inscription "Her Majesty's Elephant Hunt." Next to the menagerie, various food was traded from wagons.
At the same time, this place was still sparsely inhabited at that time. According to the historian P. N. Stolpyansky, here once " at 9 o'clock in the evening ... a wolf appeared, ran into a fire inspector who was examining the lanterns, knocked him down and, tearing his left cheek with his teeth, rushed to run ...". [Quoted in: 2, p. 11]
At the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and the Ligovsky Canal in 1765-1767, by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, a wooden church In the name of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, which became known among the people as Znamenskaya. The temple acquired this name from one of its aisles - the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, consecrated in 1765.
After the closure of the Elephant Yard, carriage sheds grew up in its place, next to which there were wooden residential buildings. They stood mainly in the depths of the plots, exposing only fences to the future square.
For a long time this place remained outside the boundaries of St. Petersburg. IN bad weather the wasteland turned into a swamp. For the passage of vehicles, logs were laid on it, on top of which wheel ducts were arranged (two rows of boards). In 1772, temporary sidewalks were arranged along the roadway, which appeared at the behest of Catherine II for passage to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. The cobblestone pavement appeared here only at the end of the 18th century.
The architectural dominant of the square in 1794-1804 was the new stone Church of the Sign built according to the project of F. I. Demertsov. In 1809, the temple was surrounded by a cast-iron fence with two chapels at the corners.
The atmosphere of this place in the 1840s was described by the famous lawyer A.F. Koni: " Znamenskaya Square is vast and deserted... Two-story and one-story houses frame it, and past... a river flows along its steep banks grass grows. The water in it is muddy and dirty, and rough wooden railings stretch along the shore.". [Quoted in: 2, p. 13]
Since 1849, this place has been referred to as the square to the Znamensky Bridge. Since 1857 - Znamenskaya Square, along the nearby Znamenskaya Church.
The eastern side of the square in the first third of the 19th century was marked wooden house merchant A. Timofeev, on the site of which a three-story stone building was built in 1835. Behind him, in 1846-1850, architect Z. F. Krasnopevkov rebuilt the movable house of the Karetnaya part (Nevsky pr. 91). The tower of the moving house was clearly visible from Znamenskaya Square, it was a noticeable part of the appearance of this place.
A special role fell to this place when it was decided to build the terminal station of the railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow on its southern outskirts. In this regard, the architect N. E. Efimov in 1844 developed a plan for the layout of Znamenskaya Square. He was approved as the highest on February 8, 1845. The plan was implemented as part of the construction in 1847-1851 of the Nikolaevsky (now Moscow) railway station designed by K. A. Ton (Nevsky pr. 85). With its opening, Znamenskaya Square became the main "gateway" to St. Petersburg.
Since 1843, "calibers" (they were also called "guitars") began to carry passengers from Znamenskaya Square to the Admiralty - droshky with a narrow seat for two people. With the opening of railway traffic from St. Petersburg to Kolpino in 1847, omnibuses began to go from here - covered carriages for 20 people. Petersburgers called them "embrace" or "forty martyrs."
About construction railway station in the city knew in advance. Therefore, the land in the district quickly rose in price and business people began to buy up for the construction of hotels and tenement houses. Plot on northern border The square was donated by Nicholas I to the merchant Ponamarev "and his comrades" for the construction of a hotel here. The merchant was obliged to start construction in 1845 and complete it three years later. But Ponamarev did not fulfill his obligation. The site was given to Count Stenbock-Fermor. By 1851, that is, by the opening of the railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow, north side Znamenskaya Square was designed by the building of the Stenbock-Fermor Hotel (Nevsky pr. 118).
Since August 1863, a ring of horse-drawn railway ("horses") was located on Znamenskaya Square. The carriages were supposed to run every 10 minutes daily from 9 am. However, the timetable was almost never followed, as the carriages stood at the final stop until they were completely occupied by passengers.
Until the middle of the 19th century, Znamenskaya Square and its environs were illuminated by oil lanterns. Their quadrangular pillars were painted with black and white stripes, each of which hung four burners. They shone weakly, giving light only a few steps away from them. In the second half of the 19th century, they were replaced by gas lamps.
The order on Znamenskaya Square was monitored by a watchman, whose black-and-white booth stood at the wide Znamensky Bridge. He was dressed in a gray uniform of coarse cloth and armed with a halberd. On his head the watchman had a shako of impressive size. The duty was carried out in two shifts. One of the guards rested in the booth, and the second kept order. They were assisted by an assistant. By order of the St. Petersburg Chief of Police in 1866, it was prescribed:
"Guards from the Anichkin Bridge ... must be strengthened at night to prevent robberies, and in addition, sometimes ... they must go around Znamenskaya Square in turn throughout the night" [Quoted from: 2, p. 13].
In 1867, the house of the merchant A. Timofeev, by order of the new owner, the furniture manufacturer K. A. Tur, was built on and rebuilt by the architect G. M. Barch (Nevsky pr. 87). A year later, a building was built on opposite side Nevsky Prospekt - a four-story house of merchants Chesnokovs (Nevsky Prospekt 120). The Ligovsky Canal in the area of Znamenskaya Square was taken into a pipe and filled up in 1892. It was replaced by Ligovskaya street, now a avenue. The Znamensky Bridge was dismantled as unnecessary.
The first St. Petersburg taxi began to carry passengers in 1897 from Znamenskaya Square to the Admiralty. Ten years later, a tram and a bus, which replaced the horse-drawn carriage, began to go here. On October 5, 1907, the Petersburg Leaflet wrote about the latter: " Yesterday... the members of the partnership made... a test run so far on the only omnibus-motor in St. Petersburg. The entire trip from the Nikolaevsky railway station to the Alexander Garden took 9 minutes, overtaking 5 horse-drawn carriages". [Quoted in: 2, p. 40]
The center of the square in 1909 was decorated with an equestrian monument to Emperor Alexander III by the sculptor P. P. Trubetskoy.
Since 1910, when Nevsky Prospekt was covered with ends to Fontanka to Znamenskaya Square, one of the first traffic lights worked here. Then it was a circle painted in three colors with an arrow moved by a traffic controller.
In February and June 1917, crowded demonstrations and rallies took place on Znamenskaya Square, clashes between the rebels and the police. In memory of the revolutionary events in October 1918, this place became known as Uprising Square.
Regular bus routes from Uprising Square appeared in December 1926. From here the bus went to the Vitebsk railway station and further to the Palace Square. In total, there were originally five cars on the line.
In the early 1930s, the Church of the Sign was about to be closed. But then the world famous scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov had an influence on the power of the city. According to one of the legends, Pavlov got married in this church. It is also known that the scientist was a deeply religious person and often visited here. Immediately after his death, the temple was demolished in 1936, the site it occupied for a long time remained fenced, behind which the first station of the Leningrad metro was being built.
In 1937, the monument to Alexander III was moved to the courtyard of the Mikhailovsky Palace.
The Great Patriotic War stopped the tumultuous life of Vosstaniya Square. The last echelon left the Moscow railway station on August 29, 1941. In winter, the tram did not work, but the following spring, the people of Leningrad managed to get it working again. On March 20, 1944, the first post-siege train to the capital departed from the Moscow railway station. A solemn farewell ceremony was held on the square on this occasion.
In 1950-1952, the facades of all buildings on Vosstaniya Square were restored. In 1952, its center was occupied by a square, in which a foundation stone was installed. In its place, it was planned to erect a monument to V.I. Lenin. By this time, the tram ring was removed from the square, the tram stopped running along Nevsky Prospekt. The roadway of the square was filled with asphalt concrete.
The place of the Znamenskaya Church was occupied by the pavilion of the Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro station, built according to the project of I. I. Fomin, B. N. Zhuravlev and V. V. Gankevich, opened on November 5, 1955. This metro station was one of the first eight to open in Leningrad.
The obelisk "To the Hero City of Leningrad" was opened in the center of Vosstaniya Square on May 8, 1985, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
In the 1980s, projects began to be created to create a two-level interchange on Vosstaniya Square, thanks to which the already heavily loaded transport hub would be unleashed. Ligovsky Prospekt, according to the plans of Soviet engineers, was supposed to pass under Nevsky. However, due to the high cost, the project was not implemented by the 1990s, and then, due to a change in the economic system, it was completely forgotten. In the 2000s, the project of creating a new building under Vosstaniya Square was widely discussed. shopping center. But due to the fact that underground work may adversely affect the condition of neighboring historical buildings, modern architects treat this project with great care. Its implementation is also expensive for the modern capitalist economy. At the same time, there are still proposals to replace the obelisk with a monument to Alexander III.
Reflection of the architectural Stalinist era of the 40s - 50s in Moscow were seven monumental multi-storey buildings, which guides and residents of the capital refer to as "". One of these skyscrapers is located on Kudrinskaya Square, which until 1992 was called Vosstaniya Square. One of the architects wrote in his memoirs that the design of the skyscraper was connected with the development of the general composition of the square, so that the building would be organically connected with it, become flesh of its flesh.
architectural solution skyscrapers
The construction of a giant residential building was started in 1948 and lasted almost 6 years. Two talented Soviet architects A. Mndoyants and M. Posokhin worked on the project of the future skyscraper in close and fruitful cooperation with the designer M. Vokhomsky. The building is a high 24-level central building, which is symmetrically adjacent, making up the overall structure of the building, two side wings, each with 18 floors. The entire array of the building rests on a powerful basement. In total, there are about 450 apartments in the residential building.
Traditionally for Moscow skyscrapers of that time, the main facade is crowned with a tower with a spire, and together with the pointed top, the Stalinist skyscraper has more than 150 meters. The house is decorated with openwork attics, turrets and sculptural groups on the facade. The architect's plans also included framing the structure with green spaces, but the original plan was never realized.
The building looks no less majestic inside. Marble staircases, huge lobbies, decorated with mirrors and luxurious chandeliers. Large entrances have three elevators, small ones have one elevator.
For whom was such a chic building built, and who received apartments in a prestigious building? Part of the apartments was provided to employees aviation industry, designers and test pilots found housing in the center of Moscow. Their neighbors were the party nomenklatura and high officials state apparatus. But, nevertheless, the skyscraper was often called the "house of aviators" by the people. However, behind this gigantic residential building another name was also fixed: “high-rise building on Vosstaniya Square”. The upper floors were residential, while the first and basement floors were occupied by shops and a cinema.
Later, the technical premises located in the side buildings were converted into residential ones. And for the 850th anniversary of the capital, the Moscow skyscraper was cosmetically repaired, patched up, the tiles of the facades were cleaned, in a word, they were renovated.
What the legends say
It is often said that the construction of a skyscraper was carefully controlled not only by construction supervision specialists, but also by more serious services: the Security Committee. This should not be surprising at all, you need to remember at what time the construction of the house took place. There are also rumors about some mythical secret corridors in which the conversations of the residents could allegedly be eavesdropped. Legends are legends, but, in a house, for example, each floor could be tightly isolated from the stairs and the elevator platform, and a spacious bomb shelter and underground garages were equipped in the basement.
Stalin's skyscraper today
More than half a century has passed since the construction of the Moscow high-rise building, it outlived its creators and even the state in which it was erected, but still remained a prestigious apartment building. On the upper floors, as before, there are service premises, many of which are rented by various commercial structures. The cinema has been closed for a long time, and a bowling alley has been opened in the basement.
The house continues to live its own life and is an object of tourist interest, like other skyscrapers of the Stalin era.
Uprising Square neznaiko wrote in January 20th, 2014
Probably, every second person who comes to St. Petersburg leaves the Moscow railway station on Vosstaniya Square. The first thing a guest sees is Ligovsky Prospekt, always stuck in traffic jams, on the square itself, there is an obelisk of victory and the building of the Oktyabrskaya Hotel with the inscription "Hero City Leningrad" on the facade.
Vosstaniya Square, n.v.
The square is very interesting story. Also here you can notice the visual deception of the obelisk, and it has its own, no less interesting, history.
In 1765, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered to build a church at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt. In those days it was the border of that, the first St. Petersburg. A village was located on the site of the Smolny Cathedral, instead of Ligovsky Prospekt there was a water channel originating in the Liga River. In 1794, instead of the church, a stone church was laid, and in 1804 the construction was completed.
The Church of the Sign is named after the attached chapel. The main aisle was consecrated in the name of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, the side chapels were consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Sign of the Mother of God.
The Church of the Sign was dismantled in early 1941. (The date 1936 is erroneous - the church was still active in the first half of 1937).
Znamenskaya Square, between 1890 and 1905
Znamenskaya Square, view from the Ligovsky Canal (now - Prospect), 1860s
The square itself was formed in the 1840s in connection with the construction of the St. Petersburg - Moscow railway. A little later, the building of the Nikolaevsky (now Moscow) station was built.
The station building of the St. Petersburg-Moscow railway, between 1855-1862
Vosstaniya Square, filmed from an aircraft, 1931.
It was built in the middle of the 19th century. The hotel was then called "Northern", "Big Northern", and after the revolution it became "October". In the 1920s, a city dormitory for the proletariat was organized in the hotel, where all Petrograd homeless children were taken. In short, the hostel was called GOP, and its juvenile inhabitants were called gopniks.
In 1909, a monument to Alexander III was erected in the center of the square. In October 1937, the monument was dismantled and transported to the courtyard of the Russian Museum. In 1994, the monument was erected in the courtyard of the Marble Palace.
Opening of the monument to Alexander III on May 23, 1909
Uprising Square, a monument to Alexander III
On November 17, 1918, the square, where large-scale events and manifestations of the February Revolution unfolded in 1917, was renamed the Uprising Square.
In the late 1930s, work began on the construction of the subway, which was frozen at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and the blockade of the city.
During the war, Uprising Square was an active active point - the station worked (evacuation of residents of the besieged city), pillboxes were placed.
DOT (long-term firing point) on Vosstaniya Square, 1944
Square on the site of the Church of the Sign, 1948
In the post-war period, in 1952, the square was reconstructed, a front square was laid out, in the center of which it was planned to later erect a monument in memory of the historical events of the city.
View of Vosstaniya Square from Goncharnaya Street, park in the center, 1970s.
In 1955, the metro station "Ploshchad Vosstaniya" was opened.
Opening Art. m. "Rebellion Square", November 15, 1955
View of Nevsky Prospekt and the lobby of the station. m. "Rebellion Square", between 1960-1970
The obelisk to the "Hero City of Leningrad" was erected in 1985.
Obelisk "To the Hero City of Leningrad", view from Ligovsky Prospekt, 2000s.
Obelisk "To the Hero City of Leningrad", view from Nevsky Prospekt, 2000s.
Interestingly: on Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, two high-rise dominants - the Tower of the City Duma and the Obelisk "To the Hero City of Leningrad" are regular pentagons in plan.
This creates a favorable effect from all vantage points and fits well into the urban landscape, which is why many citizens traditionally believe that both of these structures are square in their plan.