Palace Square
Palace Square (from 1918 to 1944 Uritsky Square) is the main square of St. Petersburg, an architectural ensemble that arose in the second half of the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries.
The square is formed by historical and cultural monuments of federal significance: the Winter Palace, the Headquarters Building of the Guards Corps, the General Staff Building with the Arc de Triomphe, the Alexander Column. Its size is about 5 hectares (according to other sources - 8 hectares; for comparison, Red Square in Moscow has an area of 2.3 hectares). As part of historical buildings the center of St. Petersburg, the area is included in the World Heritage List.
Name history
The original name Admiralteysky meadow (also included the territory of the modern Alexander Garden) has been known since 1736. Given by the Admiralty Shipyard. The name existed until 1772.
The name Palace Square has been known since 1766. It is given according to the nearby Winter Palace, the southern facade of which overlooks the square. In October 1918, the square was renamed Uritsky Square (in honor of M. S. Uritsky, one of the organizers of the assault Winter Palace in 1917, chairman of the Petrograd Cheka, who was killed on August 30, 1918 at the entrance to the General Staff building). On January 13, 1944, a decree was issued on the return of 20 historical names, including Palace Square
Story
Background of the square
The prehistory of the square is connected with the laying of the Admiralty shipyard on November 5, 1704. According to the requirements of wartime, the Admiralty was surrounded by ramparts and a moat. In front of him stretched a vast open space - a glacis necessary for the actions of fortress artillery in the event of an enemy attack from land. Shortly after its founding, the Admiralty lost the function of a military fortress and, along with it, the fortification significance of the glacis gradually became a thing of the past. At first, its territory was used for warehousing and storage of building ship timber, large anchors, and other Admiralty supplies. From about 1712 to 1717, on the part of the former glacis was Sea market, and the territory was overgrown with grass and turned into the Admiralty Meadow.
In 1721, on the initiative of Peter the Great, the main planning scheme of St. Petersburg was laid down in the form of a trellis emanating from the Admiralty. Two beams (the current Nevsky and Voznesensky prospects) arose under Peter I, and the third beam (modern Gorokhovaya Street) appeared in 1736-1737. The rays of these three highways divided the huge Admiralty Meadow into several parts. Since the reign of Anna Ioannovna, festivities with fireworks and folk festivals have been held in this place at public expense. Amusing pavilions, palaces were erected in the meadow during the celebrations, palaces were erected, wine fountains were arranged, giant carcasses of bulls were roasted, which were then given to the people to eat. Until the 1760s, the Admiralty Meadow served as an auxiliary construction site for the Imperial Winter Palace. In the intervals between the reconstruction of the palace, the meadow was used for military drills and grazing court cattle.
On June 16, 1766, the famous St. Petersburg Carousel took place on Palace Square, which was distinguished by special luxury, imagination and scope. The participants of the Carousel were divided into four quadrilles: Roman, Slavic, Turkish and Indian. Each group had appropriate outfits, horse harness, weapons, special chariots for the ladies participating in the competition, and even various musical instruments - all this was done specifically for the holiday. According to the project of Antonio Rinaldi, on the square, which at that time represented a meadow overgrown with grass, a five-tiered wooden amphitheater was built for several thousand spectators with separate boxes for Catherine II and the twelve-year-old Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. On top was a balustrade decorated with vases, and the barrier was painted with garlands, military armor, lion heads. The participants of the Carousel were in luxurious toilets. The audience saw an iridescent mountain of wealth and abundance in precious stones and cavalier and equestrian gold and silver attire, worth many millions of rubles. Among the ladies, Countess Natalya Chernysheva became the winner, and among the gentlemen, Grigory Orlov in the dress of a Roman soldier on a bay horse.
The emergence and development of the area
Ҥ 113. The Palace Square in front of the Winter Palace is surrounded by three amphitheatre-like houses built by the EMPRESS in 1788. On one of them there are two pavilions with fences and benches made of wild stone under an iron roof, in which a fire is laid out in winter for the coachmen standing on the street during the congress at the court. On this square, the guards are replaced, entering the guard, and during great celebrations, roasted bulls and fountains of wine are given here to the people. On solemn days, from the guards and other teams, congratulations are made on it with music and drumming. 1794.
The existing fifth Winter Palace (1754-1762, architect B. F. Rastrelli) became the basis for the development of Palace Square. The facades of the Winter Palace face the Neva, the Admiralty and Palace Square. The southern one, which closes the square, is cut through by an arch. In 1779-1784, four houses were erected along the southern border of the square according to the project of Yu. M. Felten. In their place, in 1819-1829, an arched building of the General Staff building (architect K. I. Rossi) with a triumphal arch was erected. Two buildings, connected by an arch, cover the space of the square, give its appearance solemnity and monumentality. Rossi solved the urban planning problem by creating a composition within the framework of a complex site plan, the arched line of the square's border set by Felten and the acute angle of the square with the Moika River.
In 1837-1843, on the eastern side of Palace Square, on the site of Exertsirgauz (1797-1798, architect V. Brenna), a large building of the headquarters of the Guards Corps was built according to the project of architect A.P. Bryullov. In 1830-1834, in the center of the square, according to the project of the architect Auguste Montferrand, the Alexander Column was erected (the figure of an angel was made by the sculptor B. I. Orlovsky). Like the Arc de Triomphe of the General Staff, the monument is dedicated to the victories of Russian weapons in the war against Napoleon.
Until the 1840s, on the southwestern side, on the corner of Palace Square and Nevsky Prospekt, there was the building of the Free Economic Society. In 1845-1846, a building (architect I. D. Chernik) was built on this site, the facade of which is in harmony with the facade of the General Staff Building. From the northwest side, between the Admiralty and the Winter Palace to late XIX century there was Razvodnaya Square. The area was used for guard posting, it was formed after the destruction of the canal and the bastions of the Admiralty fortress. In 1896-1901, in its place in front of the palace, a square with a fountain was laid out (architects N. I. Kramskoy, R. Schmelling, gardener R. F. Katzer). In the 1920s, the fence of the square was dismantled and used to decorate the park. January 9 at Stachek Avenue. The fountain itself was reconstructed in 2007-2008 with the restoration of its historical appearance.
In the ΧΙΧ-early ΧΧ centuries, Palace Square was the venue for military reviews and parades. On January 9, 1905, a peaceful demonstration of workers was shot at by the tsarist troops on Palace Square. In memory of this event, the Palace Embankment was renamed the Embankment on January 9th (until 1944). On the night of October 25-26 (November 7-8), 1917, the decisive battle of the October armed uprising in Petrograd took place on Palace Square.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Manezhnaya Square was located on the territory of the Admiralty Police Department.
Before the First World War, all the buildings on Palace Square were painted in red-brick colors, against which the events of 1917 took place. In the 1940s, the buildings were again repainted in their usual light colors.
Soviet time
V Soviet time Palace Square was the venue for demonstrations and parades during revolutionary holidays. Since October 1918, Palace Square was officially called Uritsky Square (in honor of M. S. Uritsky, who was killed in the General Staff Building).
In 1918-1921, large-scale theatrical performances "Action about the Third International", "The Mystery of Liberated Labour", "Towards a World Commune", "The Capture of the Winter Palace" (stage directors - Nikalay Evreinov, Yuri Annenkov and others) were held on the square. On November 7, 1920, scenes depicting the events of the October Revolution were played on Uritsky Square in front of 100 thousand spectators. 6 thousand people took part in the performance.
On July 20, 1924, a performance of "live chess" was held on the square with the participation of soldiers of the Red Army (white) and the Navy (black); chess masters Ilya Rabinovich and Pyotr Romanovsky played.
Since 1935, the finish line of the Pushkin-Leningrad run, the oldest run in the USSR, has been held on the square.
It is interesting that during the Great Patriotic War, in the fall of 1941, the option of placing a fighter aviation regiment on the airfield area was considered, while the Alexander Column was to be moved and the Admiralty Garden was cut down, but the idea was abandoned.
The historical name was restored on January 13, 1944. In 1977, significant reconstruction work was carried out on Palace Square and decorative paving was completed, the asphalt pavement was replaced with diabase paving stones, and 4 lanterns at its corners were recreated in their original forms.
On August 20, 1991, a spontaneous rally was held on Palace Square in protest against the actions of the so-called GKChP of the USSR. The rally was attended by about 100 thousand people.
Modern period
During the restoration of Palace Square in 2001, archaeological research was carried out. As a result of the excavations, the foundation of Anna Ioannovna's wing was found. At one time, it was a three-story palace, built according to the project of Rastrelli in 1746. In accordance with the plan for the restoration of the area, the foundation was studied, photographed and re-buried with earth. As one of the options, the idea was considered to leave a fragment of the foundation for viewing, covering it with thick, durable glass.
In 2006, the Alexander Column was restored.
Concerts, annual sports and social events have been held on Palace Square since the 1990s:
Parade dedicated to the day of the city.
Annual international track and field races such as the Pushkin Run - St. Petersburg and the White Nights marathon.
The unofficial holiday of bard song lovers takes place annually on September 1 near the walls of the Winter Palace.
Concerts of musicians. Collective concert during the August Putsch of the State Committee for the State of Emergency (1991); blues artist Joe Cocker (September 15, 2005); operatic tenor Placido Domingo (June 16, 2001); ex-Beatles Paul McCartney (June 20, 2004); English rock singer Elton John (July 6, 2007); British rock band the Rolling Stones (June 28, 2007); German rock band Scorpions (June 13, 2007); anniversary concert of Edita Piekha (August 4, 2007); band Time Machine (September 23, 2007; British rock musician Roger Waters (June 6, 2008); English pop-rock band Duran Duran (June 4, 2009); American pop singer Anastasia (June 4, 2009); singer Madonna, (August 2, 2009)
In November 2007, a paid skating rink was built on Palace Square with artificial ice. The skating rink immediately attracted the attention of numerous public organizations of the city, which protested against the construction of the skating rink, which limited access to part of the Palace Square and the approach to the Alexander Column, access to which should be free. The rink was closed in March 2008.
In 2005, Alexei Kovalev submitted to the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg a draft law "On the use of Palace Square for mass events." It was supposed to determine the territorial boundaries of Palace Square and establish rules for regulating the use of Palace Square during public events. However, the bill was not supported by the assembly. In 2008, after the incident with the skating rink, it was announced that the World Club of Petersburgers was going to develop a bill on the status of Palace Square and the permissible parameters for its use.
Area scheme
1 - Winter Palace.
2 - The building of the headquarters of the Guards Corps.
3 - Alexander column.
4 - The building of the General Staff.
5 - Triumphal Arch of the General Staff.
6 - Admiralty.
Formation architectural ensemble
Palace Square is a single architectural ensemble. northern border is the façade of the Winter Palace, the southern border has a semicircular shape formed by the General Staff Building, two three-story buildings of which are connected by a triumphal arch crowned with a chariot of victory. In the center is the Alexander Column. On the east side, the square is framed by the building of the Headquarters of the Guards Corps.
The construction of the Winter Palace by BF Rastrelli in 1754-1762 marked the beginning of the architectural ensemble of Palace Square. A huge contribution to the formation of the architectural appearance was made by K. I. Rossi, bringing the ensemble to its logical conclusion. The construction of the General Staff building with a triumphal arch by Rossi in 1819-1829 emphasized the ceremonial character central square St. Petersburg. The classical colonnades of the facades of the new building formed a compositional unity with the baroque forms of the Winter Palace. The perception of the facade of the palace from the side of Bolshaya Morskaya Street, leading to the arch of the General Staff, was especially effectively calculated by Rossi. The formation of the ensemble was completed by the construction of the Alexander Column in its center according to the project of O. Montferrand and the erection of the building of the Headquarters of the Guards Corps according to the plan of A.P. Bryullov.
Alexander Column
Main article: Alexander Column
I erected a monument to myself not made by hands,
The folk path will not grow to him, He ascended higher as the head of the recalcitrant Pillar of Alexandria
It was erected in the Empire style in 1834 in the center of Palace Square by the French architect Auguste Montferrand by decree of Emperor Nicholas I in memory of the victory of his elder brother Alexander I over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812.
The project was approved by the highest in 1829, the monument was opened in 1834. Sketch drawings of the pedestal were made by O. Montferrand. The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column in allegorical form glorify the victory of Russian weapons and symbolize the courage of the Russian army; the casting was made at the Ch. Byrd plant. The pink granite monolith was made in the Pyuterlak quarry near Vyborg in 1830-1832. With great difficulty, he was transported from the Pyuterlak quarry in 1832 on a barge specially designed for this purpose to St. Petersburg. The monolith is not fixed and is held only by its own weight. The monument is crowned with the figure of an angel by Boris Orlovsky. In 1876, decorative lanterns were added to the column by the architect K. K. Rachau.
The column (often called the Pillar of Alexandria, according to the poem by A. S. Pushkin "Monument") is one of famous monuments Petersburg.
Winter Palace
Main article: Winter Palace
The current building of the palace (fifth) was built in 1754-1762 according to the project of the Italian architect B. F. Rastrelli in the style of lush Elizabethan Baroque. From 1732 until March 2, 1917, the official winter residence of Russian emperors. On December 29, 1837, a fire broke out in the Winter Palace. They could not extinguish it for three days, all this time, the property taken out of the palace was piled around the Alexander Column. In 1838-1839, the palace was restored according to the projects of architects under the leadership of V.P. Stasov, A.P. Bryullov and others. From July to November 1917, the Winter Palace served as the meeting place of the Provisional Government. In 1918, part, and in 1922 the entire building was transferred to the State Hermitage.
The modern building has the shape of a square with a courtyard and facades facing the Neva, the Admiralty and Palace Square. The splendor of the building is given by the magnificent decoration of the facades and rooms. The main façade, facing the Palace Square, is cut through by the arch of the front passage. In the southeastern part of the second floor there was one of the Rococo monuments, the legacy of the fourth Winter Palace - the Great Church of the Winter Palace (1763; architect B. Rastrelli)
The building of the headquarters of the Guards Corps (houses 2-4)
From the east, the ensemble of Palace Square closes the facade of the building of the former Headquarters of the Guards, built in the late classical style according to the project of architect A.P. Bryullov in 1837-1843. At this place since the end of the ΧVΙΙΙ century there was the building of Exertsirgaus, erected by V. Brenna. It stretched along Millionnaya Street. In 1827, a competition was announced for the construction of a theater next to the Exertsirgauz, with a single "decent" facade. But then the plans were abandoned.
Bryullov was faced with the task of closing the gigantic perimeter by connecting the incompatible - the baroque building of Rastrelli with the classical building of Rossi. And he found a solution by putting up a 4-story building that is both graceful and harmonious, but at the same time neutral.
Now the headquarters of the 6th Leningrad Red Banner Army of the Air Force and Air Defense is located in the building of the Headquarters of the Guards Corps.
General Staff building (houses 6-10)
Main article: General Staff Building (Saint Petersburg)
From the south, the square is framed by the building of the General Staff, built in the Empire style according to the project of the architect K. I. Rossi in 1810-1829. The building consists of three buildings (two in the eastern part and one in the western part), which together form an arc with a total length of 580 meters, connected by a triumphal arch, which is the compositional center and opens the main entrance to the square from Bolshaya Morskaya Street. The arch is crowned with the victorious chariot of Glory (sculpture architects V. I. Demut-Malinovsky and S. S. Pimenov).
The buildings, in addition to the General Staff, housed the War Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance (in the eastern building). After the October Revolution, the building housed the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, and later the police department. At present, part of the building belongs to the Leningrad Military District. In 1993, the eastern wing of the General Staff building was transferred to the Hermitage.
Transport
History began near Palace Square public transport Petersburg: On August 27, 1863, the 1st route of the horse-drawn railway was opened from the Nikolaevsky (now Moscow) station past Palace Square to the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. Then the horse-drawn carriages began to run from Palace Square to the 6th line Vasilyevsky Island across the Nikolaevsky (now Blagoveshchensky) bridge. The first flight of the St. Petersburg overland tram started on September 16 (29), 1907 from Aleksandrovsky Garden, and on November 11 the first bus departed from there along the route Aleksandrovsky Garden - Baltiysky Station. After a long break under Soviet rule, on December 24, 1926, bus traffic was resumed from the square along the route Uritsky Square (Palace Square) - Zagorodny Prospekt - Vosstaniya Square.
As of January 1, 2011, no public transport passes through the square. Nearest metro stations:
The Nevsky Prospekt station on the line has access to the Griboyedov Canal at the corner of Nevsky Prospekt. This station is a transfer station to the Gostiny Dvor station of the line, and passengers of this line can also use this exit. The distance from the metro exit to the center of the square is about 800 m.
After the opening scheduled for 2011, the nearest metro station will be Admiralteyskaya, which will be located on the line between Sadovaya and Sportivnaya stations with access to the corner of Malaya Morskaya Street and Kirpichny Lane. The distance from the exit from the metro to the center of the square in a straight line will be about 300 m, but taking into account the peculiarities of the location of the exit from the metro, the path from one point to another is 500 m.
There is a ground public transport stop "Palace Square" on Palace Passage. Buses stop there social routes No. 7, 10, 24, 191 and a number of commercial routes and trolleybuses No. 1, 7, 10, 11.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How to get there: Exit the Admiralteyskaya metro station, walk about twenty meters to the right along Malaya Morskaya Street. Having reached Nevsky Prospekt, turn left and walk about a hundred meters more. Palace Square will be located on the right side. So trolleybuses 1, 7, 10, 11 and buses 7, 10, 24, 191 go to Palace Square
"Admiralty Meadow"
"Palace Square? Yes, there isn't one here. And there was no birth.” - this is how any Petersburger would have answered back in the middle of the 18th century if he had been asked about the current main square of the city on the Neva. Indeed, the name "Palace Square" appeared on the maps of St. Petersburg only in 1766.
Since 1704, a vast empty space was cleared in front of the ramparts and ditches of the Admiralty, in some places reaching the banks of the Moika. It was called glacis. This term in fortification meant the area in front of the fortification, shot through by the fire of fortress guns.
As the Swedish threat to Petersburg faded into the past, the glacis of the Admiralty began to be used for civilian needs. Already in 1705, 200 sazhens near the Admiralty, "near work", according to the project of Domenico Trezzini, a house was built for Admiral General Fyodor Apraksin. It was located on the site of the current Winter Palace. Admiralty adviser A. Kikin settled near him, with whose name in our city the “Kikin Chambers” are associated not far from the Smolny Cathedral. Gradually, a whole Morskaya Sloboda grew up next to the Admiralty, where officers, sailors and workers of the Russian fleet lived. Since 1705, the Sea Market was opened for them at the beginning of the current Nevsky Prospekt.
Meanwhile, the part of the glacis not mastered by the shipbuilders was gradually overgrown with grass. The townspeople called it the Admiralty Meadow and grazed cows on it.
In the spring of 1721, the city authorities took the next step towards the formation of the space of the future Palace Square. The Great Perspective Road leading to the Admiralty (later Nevsky Prospekt) was lined with trees, which divided the Admiralteysky Meadow into two parts. East End later became Palace Square, and the western one - Admiralteyskaya Square.
Engraving of the mid-18th century with a view of Nevsky Prospekt and the Admiralty. On the right side you can see the Winter Palace and the Admiralty Meadow
Since 1731, on the site of the residence of Apraksin and the house of Kikin, the construction of the Winter Palace of Empress Anna Ioannovna began. Initially, the work was supervised by Domenico Trezzini, but completed in 1735 by F.B. Rastrelli. Thus, from both sides, the future Palace Square took on the form familiar to us, with the Winter Palace near the Neva, and the Admiralty in the west.
Under Anna Ioannovna, the Admiralty Meadow became a place for parades and festivities. It was there that the legendary Ice House was built. Guards marched under the windows of the imperial residence, and on holidays the people received treats - fountains with red and white wine and carcasses of bulls. It is clear that grazing on the Admiralty meadow is a thing of the past. No one dared to drive cows under the windows of the dwelling of mother queen! And the city authorities began to put the territory in front of the palace in order. Since 1750, the meadow began to be paved with turf and cobblestones.
Plan of 1753 showing the Admiralty Meadow
The architect Rastrelli had various plans for landscaping the area in front of the Winter Palace. According to one of the options, he intended to enclose it with a wall with three gates. According to another project, in front of the Execution Palace, they wanted to break a round square, in the center of which there would be a monument to Peter I. Galleries were planned to be placed along the perimeter of the square. Subsequently, Rastrelli proposed several more projects, which boiled down to various forms of “enclosing” Palace Square, modeled on the courtyard Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo.
The brilliant Italian successfully combined the planning of the future Palace Square with the construction of a new (already fourth) Winter Palace on the site of Anna Ioannovna's chambers. The palace was completed in 1762, but then there was the problem of construction debris that had accumulated in the meadow for many years of shock royal construction. In order to clear the territory, St. Petersburg Police Chief Baron Korf found an original solution: the townspeople, through heralds (heralds), were allowed to take everything that was on the square for free. A few hours later, on the Admiralty Meadow, it was possible to iron clothes. Petersburgers did not miss their chance to get hold of building supplies.
Heart of the empire
Under Catherine II, the Admiralty Meadow finally turned into Palace Square. The Empress was very worried about the improvement of the territory under her windows, because until 1784, she had to contemplate from her windows the backyards of houses overlooking the Moika River. In 1765, Alexey Kvasov presented a plan for the reconstruction of Palace Square. Although it was not implemented, all subsequent builders of St. Petersburg followed the line of development in the vicinity of the Winter Palace, proposed by Kvasov.
In the period from 1764 to 1775, the buildings of the Free Economic Society and the Southern Pavilion of the Small Hermitage appeared at the remote ends of Palace Square. And in 1779-1784, the architect Felton built in front of the Winter Palace, in an arc, three typical houses.
As before, the square in front of the Winter Palace continued to serve as a place for public entertainment. On July 13 and 16, 1766, the so-called "Carousels", an analogue jousting tournaments. Under this event, the southern, undeveloped borders of the Palace Square were covered with temporary stands - amphitheatres. However, not all Petersburgers were up to entertainment. On August 7, 1787, Palace Square became the site of the first protest demonstration in the history of the city. 400 men "deputies from a society of four thousand workers, at the production site near the Fontannaya River, came to the Winter Palace with a complaint to Her Imperial Majesty about the contractor Dolgov." The delegates looked “more like the dead than people, and without food and shelter, with deathly pallor on their faces, barely covered by some rags, staggered like ghosts through the streets.” Probably, the kind mother empress was frightened by the sight of the complainers and sent palace guards to meet them, who arrested 17 people for "creating an osprey and a conspiracy." The rest of the dissatisfied, having understood the royal hint, returned to work.
Under Paul I, the center of public life moved to the vicinity of the Mikhailovsky Castle, but after the assassination of the emperor in 1801, Palace Square regained its former significance.
Divorce of the guard on the Palace Square in the reign of Alexander I. Watercolor.
The final formation of the architectural ensemble of the main square of St. Petersburg
fell on the years of the reign of Alexander I and Nicholas I. Under them, majestic monuments were erected opposite the Winter Palace, symbolizing the power of Russia - the winner of Napoleon. In 1819-1829, Karl Rossi built the building of the General Staff on the site of the Felton houses. Its two arched hulls were connected by the majestic General Staff Arch. In 1837-1843, the Headquarters of the Guards Corps built by V. Brenna appeared on the eastern side of the square. Even earlier, in 1834, Auguste Montferrand erected the Alexander Column in the center of the Palace Square, another symbol of the victory over France in the war of 1812.
The Palace Square was kept clean and tidy. Unlike other streets of the capital, it was paved not with wooden end bars, but with cobblestone, which in some places was crossed by strips of paving stones. This pavement was periodically trampled by thousands of feet and hooves. Along with the Field of Mars, Palace Square continued to be the main venue for military parades and reviews.
The flood of 1824 did not spare the main square of the capital. Here is how a contemporary described this catastrophe: “On the square opposite the Palace, there is a different picture: under the sky, almost black, dark greenish water was spinning, as if in a huge whirlpool; through the air, spinning high and fast, wide sheets of iron torn from the new building of the General Staff were rushing; the storm played with them like fluff; two long wooden sidewalks across 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, water pushed a huge barge blocking the street. Caught by the wave, people climbed into the windows, onto the street lamps, clung to the eaves and balconies of houses, hid on the tops of the trees planted around the boulevard.
Until the end of the 1870s, one could sometimes see the most august persons strolling on Palace Square. Royal walks continued until April 2, 1879, when Konstantin Sokolov fired from a revolver on Emperor Alexander II. Moving in zagzags, the sovereign escaped the bullets of the terrorist, but the tsars did not walk around the Palace Square anymore.
From the end of the 19th century, some attention began to be paid to the landscaping of the surroundings of the Winter Palace. In 1896-1901, on the site of the Razvodnaya Square that existed between the palace and the Admiralty, a square with a fountain was laid out. The cast fence of the square received the Grand Prix at the world exhibition in Paris, but today it is not on Palace Square. In 1918-1920, the lattice was moved to Stachek Avenue to decorate the park. January 9 (apparently, as a kind of "trophy" from the lair of a tyrant). And in the early 1910s, the St. Petersburg mayor and architects seriously discussed the possibility of arranging flower gardens on Palace Square.
Soon, however, everyone was not up to the flowers. On January 9, 1905, the events of "Bloody Sunday" took place on Palace Square, when the troops shot down a demonstration of workers marching with a petition to the Winter Palace. In August 1914, a large crowd of loyal subjects gathered there in order to contemplate the monarch in connection with the outbreak of the First World War and sing the national anthem "God Save the Tsar" on their knees. Three years later, the dynasty was over.
From the past to the present
After the February Revolution, apparently in defiance of the tsarist satraps, the new authorities began to plan the construction of a cemetery for the victims of the revolution on Palace Square instead of flower beds. This project met with objections from the architects, and the conceived memorial was eventually built on the Champ de Mars.
The events of the October Uprising touched the Palace Square "tangentially". Contrary to the myth created by Eisenstein's film "October", the revolutionary masses did not storm the Winter Palace through Palace Square, but penetrated the last stronghold of the Provisional Government from the Alexander Garden, which was less spectacular, but much safer.
In Soviet times, Palace Square became the venue for mass demonstrations of workers. In 1918-1921, large-scale theatrical performances took place on it: “The Action about the Third International”, “The Mystery of Liberated Labor”, “Towards a World Commune”, “The Capture of the Winter Palace”, in which tens of thousands of people were involved. Like many other objects of Petrograd, Palace Square was renamed. From October 1918, it became known as Uritsky Square, in honor of the head of the Petrograd Cheka, M.S. Uritsky shot under the Arch of the General Staff by L. Kanegisser, who avenged his murdered lover Vladimir Pereltsveig.
In 1924, the square attracted the attention of the press with a session of playing “live chess”, where the role of white pieces was played by the Red Army, and the role of white pieces was played by sailors.
"Live chess" on Palace Square
During the Patriotic War, the option of creating an airfield for a fighter regiment on Palace Square was considered. For this, it was proposed to cut down the Alexander Garden and move the Alexander Column. Ultimately, this idea was rejected. In 1944, the historical name was returned to Palace Square.
In 1977, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution, Palace Square was improved. Its center was paved with paving stones divided into rectangles by slabs of light granite. Thus, the space is 17 thousand square meters. meters covered "grid" of 460 cells.
Every tourist visiting northern capital considers it his duty to visit here. Monumental, but refined, huge, and at the same time cozy, Palace Square in St. Petersburg looks amazing in the photo, and in life it can turn anyone's head.
History of appearance, building
In recent years, its appearance has remained unchanged, but, of course, this was not always the case. Forming their appearance for centuries, St. Petersburg and Palace Square were built up gradually. In November 1704, it was laid down. It was also a fortress, and around it, as expected, a glacis was created - free space for artillery maneuvers in the event of an enemy attack from land. Later, the Sea Market worked here, and the remaining territory was overgrown with grass and turned into the Admiralty Meadow. Cattle were grazed here, military exercises were held, as well as fairs, performances, folk festivals.
In 1753, Francesco Rastrelli designed a new view of the square and the Winter Palace, overlooking it with its southern facade.
D Palace Square is, without a doubt, the heart of St. Petersburg.
The area is surrounded by the Winter Palace, the Headquarters Building of the Guards Corps, the General Staff Building with the Arc de Triomphe, the Alexander Column. Its size is about 8 hectares and it is four times the size of Red Square.
Initially, it was called "Admiralty Meadow" (it also included the territory of the modern Alexander Garden, given by the Admiralty Shipyard). This name existed until 1772.
A curious document dated April 29, 1743, when Empress Elizabeth ordered: “... level the meadow opposite the Winter Palace and sow it with oats ».
Until the 1760s, the Admiralty Meadow served as an auxiliary construction site for the Imperial Winter Palace. In the intervals between the reconstruction of the palace, the meadow was used for military drills and grazing court cattle.
The modern name "Palace Square" has been known since 1766 (given by the nearby Winter Palace, the southern facade of which overlooks the square).
The design of the square received a closed, isolated character. The colonnade was not linked to the layout of the adjoining parts of the city. However, the central axis of the square (north-south), determined by the architect, passing through the main gate of the palace, leading to Bolshaya Lugovaya, was preserved in all subsequent projects and finally fixed by K. Rossi.
Initial draft of 1820, view from Palace Square. Lithograph by K. Beggrov.
But it turned out even better. From a height of 36 m, on top of the building, widely visible from afar, a triumphal chariot soars, drawn by six horses. They are held back by two warriors dressed in Roman armor and armed with spears.
In the wagon stands the winged Nika, stretching the standard over the square with her left hand. In the right hand of the goddess is a laurel wreath. sculptural composition reveals the essence of the monument, the symbol of military glory.
In 1837-1843, on the eastern side of Palace Square, on the site of Exertsirgauz (1797-1798, architect V. Brenna), a large building of the headquarters of the Guards Corps was built according to the project of architect A.P. Bryullov.
In the years 1830-1834, in the center of the square, according to the project of the architect Auguste Montferrand, the Alexander Column was erected (the figure of an angel was made by the sculptor B. I. Orlovsky).
Like the Arc de Triomphe of the General Staff, the monument is dedicated to the victories of Russian weapons in the war against Napoleon.
Parade at the opening of the Alexander Column in 1834. From a painting by Ladurner.
On December 17, 1837, the Winter Palace burned down... but was rebuilt. The laxity of the servants led to the gift. There was a smell of smoke - they ordered to eliminate it. It turned out that the brickwork of one of the pipes of the palace had cracked, and they simply plugged it with a washcloth, and covered it with clay on top. The washcloth, on occasion, of course, caught fire .. I have a separate post about the fire.
When the last Winter Palace was built, the square was a natural dump from the remaining building materials. The king then prompted a good idea - to allow the townspeople to take whatever they want and the area was cleared in one night.
Interiors of the Winter Palace...
Parade of troops on the square.
Cabbers.
The area is beautiful both in winter and summer.
With the advent of the Alexandrinsky Pillar, the square acquired a modern look.
In an anti-scientific environment, it is believed that there is some similarity between the Angel and Alexander I, but this has not been proven ...))))))
There is a legend that in Soviet times, instead of an angel, they seriously planned to erect a monument to Lenin. It would look something like this)))
There is a legend that they did not put Lenin in, because they could not decide in which direction Ilyich would extend his hand. Luckily the angel survived...
Hermitage building.
In October 1918, the square was renamed Uritsky Square (in honor of M. S. Uritsky, one of the organizers of the storming of the Winter Palace in 1917, the chairman of the Petrograd Cheka, who was killed on August 30, 1918 at the entrance to the General Staff building).
Boris Kustodiev. “Celebration in honor of the 2nd Congress of the Comintern on Uritsky Square” (1921, Russian Museum).
"On July 20, 1924, on Uritsky Square (now the historical name Dvortsovaya has been returned) in Leningrad, the Red Army (black) and Red Navy (white) parties played. queens in sundresses, horsemen, gunners with cannons... I wrote about this -
Before breaking the blockade of Leningrad, on January 13, 1944, a decree was issued on the return of 20 historical names, including Palace Square.
5th battery of the Leningrad Higher Artillery School named after Red October (LVAKU 1984). I'm in the front row, eighth from the right in a cap pulled over my eyes))
In 2001 during new year holidays the sculptural group on the arch of the General Staff building caught fire. It was closed by scaffolding, which was ignited by firecrackers. At that time, I filmed the process on video ... they extinguished it quickly, but it still suffered. Alas, for a long time it was restored and it cost about 10 million rubles.
There is also an interesting angle here, in which the General Headquarters looks like a wall. To do this, you need to go to
Winter Palace on Palace Square - the former royal residence, a symbol architectural style Elizabethan baroque, most Grand Palace In Petersburg. Since the first Soviet years, the most famous museum in Russia, the State Hermitage Museum, has been operating here.
Admiralty Meadow
Palace Square originated as part of the glacis, an open space in front of the Admiralty, founded in 1704. Since that time, there was a meadow here, where cattle were often grazed. They called it the Admiralty.
Near the shipyard, the highest naval ranks immediately began to settle. In 1705, at a distance of 200 sazhens from the Admiralty, according to the project of Domenico Trezzini, the house of Admiral General Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin was built. Two years later, Admiralty adviser A. Kikin settled nearby. In 1712, Apraksin's house was rebuilt in stone, in 1716 the building was redone again, this time according to the project of the architect Leblon.
The western part of the meadow, near the route of the future Nevsky Prospekt, has been occupied by the Sea Market since 1705. It arose at the request of local artisans, who complained to the governor A.D. Menshikov about the absence of an establishment selling food and drink in the Sea Settlement. The market sold not only products, but also firewood and hay.
Near the market, on the site of house No. 55 along the Moika embankment, was built according to a standard project for the eminent house of the admiral, president of the Admiralty College Cornelius Kruys. Different sources speak differently about the fate of this house. It either burned down in 1710, or was dismantled for the construction of the Petrovsky circle tavern.
After Kikin's execution in 1718, the Maritime Academy occupied his mansion.
In the spring of 1721, an alley was planted on Bolshaya Pershpektivnaya Road (Nevsky Prospekt). She divided the Admiralty Meadow into two parts. The western one later became the Admiralteyskaya Square, and the eastern one gradually turned into the Palace Square.
In 1728, according to the will, Apraksin's house 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, since 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 site belonging to the Maritime Academy was purchased. By 1735, the new Winter House of Anna Ioannovna was built here, the main facade overlooking the Admiralty.
The area 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 square was cleared of random wooden buildings that appeared here right up to the alley itself. Near the southern end of the Winter Palace, on the edge of the Admiralty Meadow, only a few outbuildings were left. Among other things, a wooden arena built in 1732 according to the project of F. B. Rastrelli was transferred from here. By November 10, 1738, it was opened "in the place shown by the bereiter Shiderer near the stable hut houses" on the banks of the "new" Ekaterininsky Canal (section of house No. 28 on Nevsky Prospekt).
The Admiralty Meadow was used as a platform for parades and festivities. For example, on January 27, 1740, a review of the imperial guard took place here. The troops proceeded along Nevsky Prospekt to the Winter Palace with music and fluttering banners. At the same time, a masquerade was arranged in the palace for the nobility, and treats were put out on the meadow for the common people - roasted bulls, fountains of red and white wine.
The space next to the imperial residence required appropriate care. In 1750, the paving of the Admiralty Meadow with turf and cobblestones began. Since that time, "meadow" in the strict sense of the word has disappeared.
The final touch in the creation of the ceremonial appearance of Palace Square was the re-facing of the houses of the "depot cards" and the Free Economic Society under a single facade with the building of the General Staff. This was done in 1842-1845 by the architect Ivan Chernik, who thus completed the design of Carl Rossi.
Palace Square was part of the route morning walks Emperor Alexander II. He alone, without guards, walked along Millionnaya Street, the Winter Canal and the Moika Embankment, walked along the square to the Winter Palace. So it was on April 2, 1879. When the tsar turned from the Moika to the square near the Pevchesky Bridge, he quickly headed towards him. tall man in an overcoat. Having caught up with Alexander II, he shot him with a pistol. The shot was unsuccessful. The king, deftly dodging, 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 came to the rescue. The man who made an attempt on 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, events took place in St. Petersburg, including on Palace Square, that went down in the history of Russia as Bloody Sunday.
The cobblestone paving of the Palace Square, of course, caused inconvenience both for passers-by and for the carriages passing through it. In 1911, the mayor of St. Petersburg suggested that the senior city gardener consider arranging a flower garden on it. The following year, the magazine "Architect" published the following article:
“More than 10 years ago, a project for the reorganization of Palace Square arose in the Administration, and the architect Meltzer drew it up. It was supposed to pave this square, plant a line near the sidewalk with lindens, set up flower beds, put up fountains and, among other things, demolish the boulevard from the headquarters to the Palace Bridge, cutting off the curvature of Aleksandrovsky garden, and in this place to arrange a passage. The project received the highest approval, but so far it has not been started. Currently, the project is being discussed again in the Council, and the city gardener has made an estimate for the complete reconstruction of the area in the amount of 418 thousand rubles "[Cit. . according to 1, p. 269].
Despite all these plans, under the tsarist regime, Palace Square remained with a cobblestone pavement.
Before the First World War, all the buildings on Palace Square were painted in red-brick colors. The events of 1917 took place against such a backdrop. In the 1940s, the buildings were again repainted in their usual light colors.
Palace Square after 1917
Immediately after the February Revolution of 1917, the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies approved the decision to "bury those who died during the days of the coup" on Palace Square. The architects were given the task to decide in which place of the square the burial would be made and how the monument above it would look like. The funeral was scheduled for March 10. Three days before this, Alexei Maksimovich Gorky spoke in the Council, who proposed to leave Palace Square alone and arrange a burial place on the Field of Mars. This option caused controversy in the Council, in which the idea even arose to arrange 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 a lot of piles were driven in around the Alexander Column and it would be extremely difficult to dig graves there.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin spoke twice on Palace Square. This happened for the first time on May 1 (April 18), 1917, when, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, he spoke about the significance of the May Day proletarian holiday 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 on the occasion of the laying of a monument to Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. This monument was going to be erected in the garden of the Winter Palace, next to the temporary monument to Radishchev already there.
After 1917, Guards Square became part of the Palace Square.
On August 30, 1918, the chairman of the Petrograd Extraordinary Commission, Moses Solomonovich Uritsky, was killed in the entrance of the eastern building of the General Staff Building. The murderer was the Socialist-Revolutionary Leonid Kanegisser, who avenged the execution of his comrade by the Chekists. 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 subbotnik in 1920, 7,000 workers, students and cadets cleared the western part of Uritsky Square from boulders and rubble left over from the pedestal destroyed a year ago. To help the workers, a narrow-gauge railway was even laid here. Railway, which moved 100 wagons. The fence was later installed around the January 9 Park.
Since then, the labor motive will become the main one for all demonstrations on the main square of Leningrad. In Soviet times, demonstrations were held here on May 1 and November 7. For speeches at such events by leaders of various sizes, a tribune 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 the sailors, the black ones by the Red Army. The horses were real. The moves were made according to the commands of I. Rabinovich and P. Romanovsky, who gave them over the phone.
In the spring of 1932, the Palace Square was asphalted. 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, the historical name of Palace Square was returned.
By 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. Boikova, F. K. Romanovsky and artist V. A. Petrov drew up a project, according to which the square 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 lobby of the Admiralteyskaya metro station. To place 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. 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 the Soviet era, every New Year, On May 9 and on City Day (May 27), mass festive events are held on Palace Square. Since the 2000s, the Scarlet Sails holiday has been held here on a large scale for school graduates.
On December 1, 2007, a commercial ice rink. His appearance here caused heated debate in the public. The main arguments of the opponents of the skating rink were: the violation of the architectural ensemble of the Palace Square and the inability to get close to the Alexander Column. The skating rink existed here for the entire winter season, but did not appear in subsequent years.
