Travel back in time by walking on Nevskyi prospect in Saint Petersburg

Travel back in time by walking on Nevskyi prospect in Saint Petersburg

Walk along Nevskii prospect, which is compared to a spinal cord of the city and learn how this former supply road was gradually turning from a wild boar and wolves hunting ground into the most fashionable St.Petersburg avenue. See beautiful ensembles which consist of buildings belonging to every style, that were used by many of the chief architects of St.Petersburg during its 300 history. Observe how they developed from the first baroque palaces on the former outskirts of the city to classical ensembles of the Empire style capital, interspersed with eclectic, representing different historical trends and modern style buildings at the beginning of XX-th century. It was a street of "many faiths" where Russian Orthodox churches stand near Protestant, Catholic and Lutheran cathedrals. It was a street of commerce with its first shopping malls and headquarters of banks, credit and insurance organizations. Libraries, theaters, bookstores and concert halls made it a cultural capital of Russia.

Take a walk with me alongside Nevskii prospect-main avenue of St.Petersburg, which used to be called a "big perspective road" connecting the Admiralty shipyard with the rest of Russia. We gonna see the ensembles surrounding Nevskyi, built by high classical architect Rossi, such as Ostrovsky square with Catherine the Great monument in the middle, with all her trusted advisors surrounding pedestal under her feet, with the first drama theater at the background and street of perfect proportions behind it, where everything, including hight, width and length is in relationships to everything else, but consisting of just two buildings on each side, one of them being Royal academy of ballet, where all the famous ballerinas graduated from. Next ensemble, adjacent to Nevskyi, built by ubiquitous Rossi is an Art square with monument to Pushkin the most famous Russian poet, whose marriage to the foremost beauty in St.Petersburg lead to his death at the duel is one of the most dramatic pages in Russian history. We going to see Our Lady of Kazan cathedral, built by Russian architect as а Russian orthodox church, but in Roman style, because the tzar, who commissioned it, Paul I, wanted to become the next Pope himself. We will see art nouveau buildings of the turn of the 20th century, such as Eliseev food emporium, which started as a small market and grew into the whole complex with theater, concert hall and fashionable restaurants, beautifully decorated inside and outside. We will see Signer Sewing machines building, which were built as a headquarters of the company but not in American skype scraper style, because no building supposed to be higher, than Winter palace and that's why we have unique UNESCO protected by putting it on heritage list St.Petersburg skyline. We gonna see the Wavelberg italian palazzo style building built by sweedish banker with stones he hauled all the way from Sweeden, but was criticised for it, because natural stones of grey colour might be good for Italy where blue skies and sunshine are prevalent most of the time, but not for St.Petersburg, where they are a rear ocassion. We travel back in time to see where enormous 2000 thousand room Winter palace made of wood for Elizabeth, while the present version made of stone was still under construction, stood and how chance meeting with one of the Orlov's brothers, who were guards officers there, turned the fate of little known Grand Dutchess who eventually became Catherine the Great. We see a Stroganoff mansion, built by the family, which owned half of Siberia, and had an open house dinners there, prepared by chef from whom this slowly stewed beef recipe come from. We'll see a little cafe, which has to do with death or misfortune of the best Russian poet, writer and composer. Learn this and much more by taking a leisurely stroll along Nevskyi prospect and surrounding squares.