Alexander Garden (since 1920 - Workers' Garden, since 1936 - Workers'
Garden named after M. Gorky, since 1989 - Admiralteysky Garden, since
1997 - Alexander Garden) - a garden in the Admiralteysky district of St.
Petersburg. It is located in the very center of the city, adjacent to
the southwestern and southeastern sides of the Admiralty.
The
garden opened in 1874. Named in honor of Emperor Alexander ΙΙ.
The garden covers an area of 9 hectares, it is surrounded by city
attractions and architectural monuments: the Winter Palace, Palace
Square, the Admiralty building, the General Headquarters, the
Lobanov-Rostovsky house, the City Administration / Cheka, the Senate and
Synod buildings, St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Bronze Horseman. As part
of the historical development of the center of St. Petersburg, the
garden is included in the World Heritage List.
The garden
overlooks two squares of St. Petersburg - Palace and Senate. The
Alexander Garden should be distinguished from the Alexander Park on the
Petrograd side.
The prehistory of the garden is associated 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, the Sea Market
was located on part of the former glacis, and the area 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 trellochnik emanating from the
Admiralty. Two beams (the current Nevsky and Voznesensky prospects) were
planned 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. In 1721, by the forces of the
captured Swedes, an alley of birch trees was planted in the meadow,
leading from the main gate of the Admiralty to Nevsky Prospekt.
Since the reign of Anna Ioannovna, festivities with fireworks and folk
festivals have been organized 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 fed to the people. 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. Until the middle of the 18th century, the meadow received
elements of garden design: alleys, palisades, trellis fences. Grazing
was carried out until the 1750s, when the paving of the meadow began,
which was completed only in the mid-1790s.
Under Catherine II,
the transformation of the territory around the Admiralty continued. In
the western part of the meadow, construction began on St. Isaac's
Cathedral, designed by architect A. Rinaldi. The construction of the
third cathedral was completed by the architect V. Brenna in 1802. In the
western part of the former admiralty glacier, a monument to Peter I was
erected in 1782 (sculptor E. M. Falconet, architect Yu. M. Felten). This
event marked the beginning of the transformation of the once gigantic
meadow into a system of three squares in St. Petersburg:
Admiralteyskaya, St. Isaac's and Petrovskaya.
Until 1806, the
fortifications of the Admiralty fortress were located on the site of the
garden. Later, due to the loss of defensive significance, the space
previously occupied by the glacis was added to the Admiralty Meadow.
Along the facade of the Admiralty, the construction of the Admiralteisky
Boulevard began. The author of the project was the architect L. Ruska;
the gardener W. Gould was responsible for the work on the project.
Benches painted green and 50 oil lanterns on wooden poles were
installed. Access to the boulevard was streamlined and landscaped:
turnstiles were installed at the entrance, next to which were three
sentries, and the territory was fenced with wooden railings. Wooden
coffee and tea houses were opened for the walkers, given to the French -
Francois Villo and Marseille. Lilac, viburnum, honeysuckle, large
mountain ash and young oaks were planted in the alleys. Each tree had
props, a plate with the year of planting, and was watered daily. Flowers
to decorate the alley were brought from the Tsarskoye Selo Garden.
The canal along the Admiralty was finally filled up in 1817, and in
its place in 1819, according to the project of the engineer A. D.
Gotman, they rebuilt an alley-boulevard lined with lindens. In 1824, the
eastern part of the boulevard was extended to a granite descent to the
Neva (Palace Pier, built according to the project of Karl Rossi). In
1833, according to the project of the architect L. I. Charlemagne, the
construction was completed with the installation of marble sculptures
“Hercules of Farnese” and “Flora of Farnese”. These sculptures are
copies of antique sculptures made at the end of the 18th century by the
sculptor P. Triscorni. They were moved to the garden from the Tauride
Palace.
In 1822, on the site of the Admiralteisky Meadow,
Admiralteisky Square was built, which included today's Admiralteisky
Prospekt.
Until 1851, Admiralteisky Boulevard was under the
jurisdiction of the Hof Quartermaster's Office, and then - under the
supervision of the Board of the First District of Communications, in
1865 - under the jurisdiction of the city.
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Peter I, the St.
Petersburg City Duma decided to build a city garden here. The idea of
creating a garden belonged to Admiral S. A. Greig. The creation of the
garden was entrusted to the St. Petersburg botanist E. L. Regel. Work on
laying out the garden began on July 3, 1872.
Extensive work was
carried out in the garden: 5260 trees and 12,640 shrubs of 52 species
were planted, most of the trees were provided with tablets in Russian
and Latin. The garden was fenced with a lattice made according to the
project of engineer K. Geoffrio. A granite pavement was laid along the
grate, and 115 cast-iron benches with wooden seats were installed in the
garden.
The official opening of the garden took place on July 8,
1874.
The Alexander Garden opened very solemnly, although the
ceremony took place on a rainy Monday. Emperor Alexander II himself
arrived. Leaving the carriage, he deigned to go to the lawn opposite the
portal of St. Isaac's Cathedral, where he personally planted an oak
tree. There he agreed to name the garden with his own name.
-
"Petersburg leaflet". July 10, 1874
Invitation cards were given
to the grand opening ceremony of the garden, according to which
representatives of secular society entered the territory of the garden,
and the inhabitants of St. Petersburg watched what was happening from
behind the lattice of the garden.
In 1876, in the western part of
the garden, according to the project of the architect A.K.
The original version assumed the placement of three fountains in the
garden, they were supposed to appear in the alignment of three streets
departing from the Admiralty.
The first project, developed by the
architect I. A. Merts, appeared in 1872, but was postponed due to
difficulties with water supply and the high cost of work. The project
undertook to be revised in 1875 by the head of the technical department
of the City Council N. L. Benois. Using the developments of its
predecessors, a new set of design drawings was presented by the
architect A. R. Geshvend, who additionally developed detailed and
working drawings. Works on the arrangement of the fountain, entrusted to
the St. Petersburg merchant E.F. Ovchinnikov, began in 1876. The
fountain was built on the site left for it when planning the garden
opposite the gates of the Main Admiralty and Gorokhovaya Street. During
the construction of the foundation, a filled-in channel of the moat that
surrounded the Admiralty in the 18th century was discovered.
The
official opening of the largest fountain in the city at that time took
place on October 13, 1879 with a massive crowd of the public.
Installation of monuments
In 1880, at a meeting of the City Duma of
St. Petersburg, it was proposed to decorate the Alexander Garden with
busts of famous figures in the field of science and literature. A list
of 14 persons was presented: Cyril and Methodius, Nestor the Chronicler,
M. V. Lomonosov, G. R. Derzhavin, D. I. Fonvizin, N. M. Karamzin, I. A.
Krylov, V. A. Zhukovsky, A. S. Pushkin, A. S. Griboedov, M. Yu.
Lermontov, N. V. Gogol, A. V. Koltsov. The list has been changed and
expanded several times.
On June 4, 1887, a bust of V. A.
Zhukovsky was erected in the garden (sculptor V. P. Kreitan, architect
A. S. Lytkin). The bust was unveiled on the centenary of the poet's
birth. The location of the monument was not chosen by chance: Zhukovsky
was close to the imperial family and was the mentor of Alexander II.
On October 20, 1892, a monument was opened to the honorary citizen
of St. Petersburg, traveler and explorer N. M. Przhevalsky (sculptor I.
Schroeder, based on the drawing by A. A. Bilderling). The bronze bust is
set on a pedestal in the form of a granite rock, at the base of which
lies a camel.
On June 17, 1896, busts of N. V. Gogol and M. Yu.
Lermontov were erected near the fountain (the authors of both are the
sculptor V. P. Kreitan, the architect N. V. Maksimov). On May 31, 1899,
a bust of M. I. Glinka was unveiled (sculptor V. M. Pashchenko,
architect A. S. Lytkin). In 1911, it was planned to install a bust of V.
G. Belinsky in connection with the 100th anniversary of the birth of the
writer. However, the project was not implemented.
Various buildings were erected in the garden - pavilions, verandas,
greenhouses and other buildings. Throughout pre-revolutionary history,
merchants were engaged in trade in the garden. Kiosks were set up to
sell milk, soft drinks (except alcohol), waffles and gingerbread. Trade
was allowed to be carried out from May to October, and for the winter
the stalls were taken away from the garden. In 1885, the architect N. L.
Benois built a wooden greenhouse and housing for a gardener with a water
meter in the garden. Since the summer of 1899, a military band has been
pleasing to the walkers. Classic floor lamps were used to illuminate the
Alexander Garden.
By the end of the 19th century, the trees in
the garden had grown so large that they began to obscure the monument to
Peter the Great. Therefore, in 1890, Emperor Alexander III ordered to
destroy part of the green spaces of the garden from the western facade
of the Admiralty, again giving the territory the appearance of a free
square. The new boundary of the garden on this site was the continuation
of Galernaya Street. In 1896, in connection with the relocation of the
Palace Bridge, part of the Alexander Garden was cut off from the side of
Palace Square, arranging Palace Passage in its place, connecting
Vasilyevsky Island with Nevsky Prospekt.
In 1902-1903, according
to the project of the architect N. T. Stukolkin, the area around the
Bronze Horseman was reconstructed. As measures for the restoration of
the garden, architects M. M. Peretyatkovich, S. V. Belyaev, A. A. Grube,
V. A. Pokrovsky and M. S. Lyalevich proposed cutting down trees, placing
a parterre garden here. This variant of the transformation of the
territory was not accepted for execution, a compromise variant of the
architect Ivan Fomin was implemented, according to which it was proposed
to cut only clearings that continue the prospects of three highways,
while retaining the rest of the garden. This project was already
implemented in 1923. At the same time, numerous flower beds and rose
gardens were laid out in the garden, this tradition has survived to this
day. In 1903, due to dilapidation, the greenhouse was demolished.
Alexander Garden is connected with the history of public transport
in St. Petersburg: on September 16, 1907, a tram of the overland
transport system set off from the Alexander Garden (a monument was
erected next to the garden at the site of the ceremonial launch), and on
November 11, the first public bus departed from the garden along the
Alexandrovsky route. garden - Baltic Station.
After the October Revolution and the establishment of Soviet power,
no work was done in the garden for some time. In 1923, the
pre-revolutionary project of the architect Ivan Fomin was implemented,
clearings were cut through the garden.
In 1929-1931, the garden
was re-planned according to the project of L. A. Ilyin: for the
convenience of the demonstrators' passage from Uritsky Square to
Profsoyuz Boulevard, a clearing was cut through. All symmetrically
arranged lawns and paths were given rectangular outlines. The corner
facing Uritsky Square was cut off for the convenience of transport
moving from October 25 Avenue. At the same time, a number of garden
buildings were liquidated, children's and sports grounds were placed in
the garden. In addition, the organization of passage for trucks was
planned (not implemented).
In 1920, the Alexander Garden became
known as the Workers' Garden, and on August 3, 1936, it was renamed the
Workers' Garden named after M. Gorky.
During the siege of
Leningrad, anti-aircraft batteries were installed among garden trees.
During air raids, a huge number of air strikes were inflicted on the
territory of the garden, many trees were damaged by bombing and
shelling. But not a single tree here was cut down by Leningraders for
firewood.
In the 1950s, a major reconstruction of the garden was
carried out. In 1958, an outdoor flower exhibition was organized in the
garden. It demonstrated varieties of flowers used in the design of
squares, streets, gardens and parks of the city. After that, in 1959, a
concrete flower garden with two pools was built in the garden near St.
Isaac's Cathedral, as well as a rose garden with 25 varieties of roses.
In the 1960s, the flower decoration of the garden consisted of tulips,
daffodils, hyacinths. At the same time, the old tradition of placing
annotations with the names of plants next to the plantings was resumed.
In April, the garden was closed for spring drying. At this time, the
benches were usually repaired and painted, the garden was cleared and
prepared for the opening on the May Day holiday. Until 1970, the garden
was also closed at night. In 1970, the old fence was partially replaced
with a pink granite parapet. The entrances to the garden were decorated
with granite hemispheres on pedestals. On the sides of the main entrance
to the garden opposite Dzerzhinsky Street, along the axis of the
fountain and the central gate of the Admiralty, antique cast-iron
anchors were installed on rectangular pedestals.
In 1989, the
garden was renamed Admiralteisky.
In 1997, the name was returned to the garden - Alexander Garden.
On October 16, 1998, a bust of the Russian diplomat, Prince
Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, by the sculptor A. S. Charkin, based
on the model of K. K. Godebsky, was unveiled in the space near the
fountain (a small bust made in 1870). The opening was timed to coincide
with the bicentenary of the diplomat's birth.
Since June 2001,
the garden has been reconstructed. A set of works was carried out: the
fence along Admiralteisky Proyezd from Palace Square to Admiralteiskaya
Embankment was recreated (including the historic Petrovsky fence), trees
and shrubs were planted, lawns and flower beds were laid out, alleys and
paths with stuffed surfaces. Threat trees were eliminated in the garden,
paths were laid out, plant land was brought in for lawns and flower
beds, and sewerage was laid. On August 20, 2002, the restoration work
was completed.
As part of the celebration of the Day of Russia on
June 12, 2007, the I International Flower Festival was held in the
garden. Within the framework of the festival, the Carnival of Flowers
was held - a procession around the Alexander Garden, the Flower Gardens
competition among the administrative districts of St. flower arranging
and floriculture and much more.
On June 29, 2007, during a
concert of The Rolling Stones on Palace Square, vandals damaged
sculptures in the Alexander Garden near the Admiralty. The bust of V. A.
Zhukovsky was especially damaged, he was seriously damaged. The
specialists of the Museum of Urban Sculpture decided to carry out an
emergency restoration.
Since the winter of 2009/2010, a roller
coaster has been built in the Alexander Garden. It is recreated
according to engravings of the 18th century. In those days, the roller
coaster in the Alexander Garden was one of the main Christmas
amusements, and, first of all, representatives of the royal court loved
it. The opening takes place at the behest of the main Santa Claus of the
country. The hill in front of the Admiralty is open daily from December
30 to January 6 from 12:00 to 21:00.
In the XVIII - early XIX century, the place of the future garden was
called the Admiralty Meadow. In 1819, the Admiralteisky Boulevard was
laid out in a meadow near the Admiralty.
On July 3, 1872, the
laying of a new garden took place, which was solemnly opened on June 8,
1874. The garden was named after Emperor Alexander II - Alexander
Garden.
When the royal names were eradicated from the toponymy of
the city in 1920, the garden was renamed the Garden of Workers. On
August 3, 1936, to perpetuate the memory of the writer M. Gorky (who
died on June 18, 1936), the garden was named after him.
In 1989,
the Garden of Workers named after Maxim Gorky was renamed the Admiralty
Garden. It was a misguided attempt to bring back the historical name. In
1997, the mistake was corrected, and the historical name Alexander
Garden was returned to the garden /
The popular name of the
garden is "Sashkin's garden" /
East side of the garden
Monument to V. A. Zhukovsky, facing the
Palace Square.
Sculpture "Flora Farneseskaya" at the beginning of the
Admiralteisky passage on the corner with Palace Square.
Memorial
plate on the site of the first line of the St. Petersburg tram (2007).
It is located on the sidewalk along Admiralteisky Prospekt. The
inscription on the slab: "The first line of the St. Petersburg tram"
Headquarters - 8th Line V. O. "passed here, opened on October 29 (16),
1907."
In the center of the garden
Fountain (1879, architects
I.A. Merts, A.R. Geshvend, engineer N.L. Benois). The bottom, barrier
and outer rim of the fountain are made of Serdobol granite from quarries
from the island of Janisaari. The pool of the fountain is installed on
stone underground galleries, under which water pipes are laid. The
height of the gallery is up to seven feet from the cobblestone floor. On
one side there is an entrance hatch to the gallery. The central jet of
the fountain hits a height of up to 17 meters. Around it are eight
tubes, the jets of which are directed to the central rod. The remaining
40 tubes, located parallel to the tank wall, beat in a circular fashion,
that is, one after the other. The fountain has a feature: the height of
its jet can change to the beat of the music sounding in the garden.
Therefore, the fountain is called "musical" or "dancing".
Monument to
M. Yu. Lermontov.
Monument to M. I. Glinka.
Monument to A. M.
Gorchakov.
Monument to N.V. Gogol.
West side of the garden
The oak planted by Alexander II is decorated with an elegant square
fence.
Monument to N. M. Przhevalsky.
Sculpture "Hercules of
Farnese" at the turn of the Admiralteisky proezd.
In the garden, a
functioning public toilet from the time of Alexander III of a
characteristic building has been preserved.
Admiralteisky Boulevard was "the center from which news and rumors
spread throughout the city, often incredible and ridiculous." They were
printed by newspapers designed for the townsfolk and petty-bourgeois
tastes. They were called "Boulevard Newsman". The etymology of the term
“tabloid”, meaning newspaper or literature, goes back to that famous
Admiralteisky Boulevard.
Due to the similarity of Nikolai
Przhevalsky on the monument in the garden with Joseph Stalin, a legend
circulated in urban folklore. "Why Stalin with a camel?" - was a common
question of unpredictable tourists, which all Leningrad guides were
afraid of. They say that old women, loyal and firm admirers of Stalin,
still bring bouquets of flowers to the monument.