Andreevsky Boulevard - Arbat of local importance. Ah, Arbat, my Arbat ... Long white nights
Arbat is called the prototype of most pedestrian Russian streets, and indeed, many of them are very similar to this Moscow landmark. But at the same time, each of them has its own unique zest, each is worthy of a separate story, and most importantly, it will give you a lot of pleasure and impressions when you are about to walk along it. More details in the new review.
Arbat is the most famous pedestrian street in Russia, and one of the main attractions of the capital. Historical information about this street dates back to the 15th century, and it became a pedestrian street in the 80s of the last century. Guests of Moscow, visiting the capital, be sure to stroll along the Arbat, look with pleasure at numerous restaurants and cafes, willingly buy local souvenirs, taking as a keepsake not only juicy photographs, but picturesque portraits by street artists. On the Arbat there is the Vakhtangov Theatre, monuments, houses associated with the life of famous poets - Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, Andrei Bely and Bulat Okudzhava. Rock music fans consider it their duty to visit the memory wall of rock musician Viktor Tsoi, and street musicians play his songs.
Kamergersky lane became pedestrian in 1998 - the facades of houses were restored there, new stylish lanterns were installed and a monument to Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was erected. This is no coincidence, because the Moscow Art Theater named after him is located nearby, and after the performance you can look into the local cafes and restaurants.
Manezhnaya Street has been officially open for walking since 2005. And it's great, because you can walk along it along the Alexander Garden, in close proximity to the Kremlin, at any time of the year. In addition, art lovers will certainly appreciate the proximity of the Central Exhibition Hall of the Manege.
Lavrushinsky lane
Performances, exhibitions, the holy of holies of artists - all this is here, on Yakimanka, in Lavrushinsky Lane. Walking here, you will talk about art, even if you do not consider yourself an expert on it - how could it be otherwise, because the world-famous Tretyakov Gallery is located here. And by the way, art events are held from time to time in the lane itself, right under the open sky.
Stoleshnikov Lane
Stoleshnikov Lane! In it, like in a drop of water the sun, reflects the whole life of the city…”. This is how the famous writer and journalist Vladimir Gilyarovsky described his place of residence. However, the first mention of Stoleshnikov Lane dates back to the 16th century. Then there was a craft settlement of weavers, and later the nobility settled here: the princes Dolgoruky, Trubetskoy, Kozlovsky.
Now fashionable shops and elite boutiques have grown in the pedestrian lane. The lane was recognized as one of the most expensive shopping places in Moscow, as well as the second most expensive shopping street in the world (!) After the Champs Elysees in Paris ... For those who think not only about the material, but also about the spiritual, as opposed to fashion stores, we recommend that you go to the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, located here.
Malaya Konyushennaya became pedestrian in a festive atmosphere on September 2, 1997. Leading artists, architects and, importantly, business executives of St. Petersburg participated in the project of its arrangement. To enhance the “pedestrian” atmosphere, paving stones were laid here, the pavement was decorated with granite slabs, flower beds were planted, young trees were planted, and benches were installed. Soon, a monument to Gorodovoy appeared on Malaya Konyushennaya (just at the corner with Shvedsky Lane), and at the very beginning of the street, near Nevsky Prospekt, a monument to Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was erected. In the middle of Malaya Konyushennaya there is a unique street clock, more precisely, a “meteorological pavilion-monument with a clock”. It was installed back in 1914, but was decommissioned in the 30s and returned to its place only at the end of the 90s. This small meteorological station records air pressure and temperature and keeps a chronology of their changes with a barograph and thermograph from the beginning of the 20th century.
Those who like walks with meaning, walking along Malaya Konyushennaya, can look into house number 4. Once upon a time, the famous writer Mikhail Zoshchenko lived here, and now his memorial museum “lives” here.
By the end of the 1990s, Malaya Sadovaya Street was also transformed, running from Nevsky Prospect (from the famous Eliseevsky grocery store) to Italianskaya. The Rotating Ball fountain appeared here - a composition of 12 flat granite steps with bronze numbers and a marble ball weighing 739 kilograms. The design makes an amazing impression, because a heavy stone ball, as it were, lies on the water and rotates from its slightest movement. In 2001, a monument to the photographer was also erected on Malaya Sadovaya (on the site of the once extremely fashionable photo studio Karl Bull) - a kind of memorial in honor of all St. Petersburg photographers of the late XIX - early XX centuries. And when you find yourself near house number 3, be sure to look up: here, on the cornice of the second floor, there is a small figurine of Vasilisa's cat. On the other side of the street, by the way, sits her gentleman - the cat Elisha. This is a kind of tribute to the cats that defended Leningrad from the invasion of mice and rats after the war. There is a popular omen among Petersburgers that if you throw a coin to a cat or a cat, something very pleasant will certainly happen. Like it or not, you can only check it personally on Malaya Sadovaya.
If tourists flit on other pedestrian streets, then the 6th and 7th lines of Vasilyevsky Island are a delight for the Petersburgers themselves. Perhaps tourists in their eternal bustle simply do not have time to walk with relish along one of the most beautiful pedestrian areas of the city. So you will be in St. Petersburg, do not fail to get to the Vasileostrovskaya metro station, go straight to Sredny Prospekt and go slowly towards Bolshoy Prospekt. At the very beginning of the route you will be met by a blue horse carriage. Once upon a time, even before the advent of trams, this horse-drawn public transport was very popular. It is interesting that this horse-tram is “realistic”, it was restored according to drawings from the archive of the Putilov factory.
On the boulevard (and this is a boulevard, because the middle of the street is planted with beautiful larches) there are a lot of shops, cafes, bars, restaurants for every taste. Also, walking here, you can enjoy the view of two beautiful cathedrals - the Church of the Three Saints, one of the oldest stone churches in St. Petersburg, and the magnificent St. Andrew's Cathedral.
The longest pedestrian zone of St. Petersburg is located in the historical center, next to the metro stations "Vladimirskaya" and "Dostoevskaya". Here, the famous monument to Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is adjacent to modern and even slightly avant-garde sculptures, the wonderful Bridge fountain, elegant lanterns and comfortable benches for relaxation and reflection. Alas, part of the street is now reserved for parking.
Kirova Street in Chelyabinsk is a real paradise for pedestrians, an amazing place arranged with intelligence, love and without the slightest hint of provinciality. Its pedestrian zone stretches from the embankment of the Miass River to the Revolution Square, and along the way you will meet amazing sculptural compositions stylized as a local brand - the famous Kasli iron casting. Here is a fashionista young lady admiring herself in the mirror, here is a shoe-cleaner, here is a thin oriental boy with camels (they are not here by chance, because Chelyabinsk has long been the official "gateway" of the Russian Empire to Asia), but on the contrary - "professional" beggar. By the way, the local urban belief says that whoever throws a coin into his hat and strokes his head will be lucky and prosperous. And there are also monuments to the bard Alexander Rosenbaum, Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and a memorial stele in honor of the founders of the city.
Another Arbat, however, wider and less busy with the public, is in Kazan. Meet Bauman Street: trees in forged fences, the thinnest balls of plafonds of lanterns, ergonomic benches and bright bins - a combination of beauty and common sense. It is pleasant to walk along Baumanka, enjoying, for example, the view of the wonderful fountain with the sculpture "Su Anasy" (a prototype of a mermaid in Russian fairy tales), or you can explore the range of many shops and restaurant menus. However, no matter what you prefer, you will not be left without a company, because Bauman Street is one of the favorite places for recreation of citizens and guests of the city.
Part of Leningradskaya Street in Samara (from to) has been turned into a pedestrian zone. But this place, if the local planners will forgive us, was created not so much for walking as for sitting: squat wide benches beckon to stop, sit comfortably, relax and look around. In summer it is very green here, freshness comes from the fountains, and a heady aroma from the flowers. In general, the local flower beds and lawns are real landscape wonders, they simply enchant with their well-groomedness. And in winter, when it gets dark much earlier, the street fascinates with the light of beautiful classic lanterns and the original illumination of buildings.
On the wide Weiner Street (from Lenin Avenue to Kuibyshev Street) there is an amazing fountain with twisted metal ribbons, it bears the proud name of "Time Spirals" and symbolizes the inextricable interweaving of the past, present and future. Indeed, the Weiner pedestrian street in Yekaterinburg is a real interweaving of eras. Here, the Kunstkamera and fashionable boutiques, fashionable cafes and the Museum of Fine Arts, where the Hermitage collection was kept organically and unobtrusively, coexist organically and unobtrusively. Many buildings here are architectural monuments, and modernity has appropriately added amusing sculptures to them, a kind of frozen everyday scenes of history. For example, "The creator of the first bicycle Efim Artamonov" is a folk craftsman sitting on a huge wheel.
Lovers can keep company with bronze lovers "sitting" on the railing, and children adore the sculptural group called "Friends" (blacksmith, dog and horse). Poor students leave coins on the peddler's tray for good luck, and respectable businessmen sincerely sympathize with the banker "heading" to the car. By the way, according to an urban legend, if you rub a banker's ring, then dreams of material well-being and prosperity will come true. The 3-meter monument to Michael Jackson is the "youngest" here. Fans of the king of pop regularly bring fresh flowers to him.
One of the main streets of the old part of Ryazan - Pochtovaya Street - is popularly affectionately called "Ryazan Arbat", or "Ryazan Broadway". Once it got its name from the presence here of the first post office in the province. And today the townspeople flirt here, musicians perform, local artists exhibit their works. On the first floors of houses, pre-revolutionary buildings, small shops, cafes, restaurants are comfortably located. Over a cup of coffee and dessert, one cannot remember that a luxurious pastry shop was located here. He had a coffee house where they served Viennese cakes (for 1.5 rubles, by the way, then very solid money) and chocolates made according to a unique recipe. According to legend, a sly Ryazan merchant bargained for a bottle of vodka from a visiting Belgian confectioner.
Of course, old Irkutsk is just a handsome man in wooden lace, breathing history, all of it is the delight of tourists with cameras. But the Uritsky pedestrian street, although located in a more modern environment, is interesting and hospitable. And not without reason, in 2011, the architectural ensemble of Uritsky Street was proposed to be recognized as an object of cultural heritage. In addition, the city authorities are trying to carefully and tactfully complement the surroundings of Uritsky Street. For example, not so long ago, the sculptural composition "Magic Cello" was installed here.
This Nizhny Novgorod street is one of the oldest and most beautiful streets in the city. On half of it (from Minin Square to Malaya Pokrovskaya Street) there is no car traffic, but there are cozy benches, various cafes and pretty sculptures. Next to the main post office, for example, there is a postman with a bicycle and a bag over his shoulder, then you can “meet” a fashionista and a young violinist, an innkeeper, a photographer with a faithful dog and a strict but fair policeman.
The monument to the famous Yevgeny Evstigneev standing here is also interesting. The actor is depicted a little tired, as if returning home from distant wanderings, sitting down to rest on a bench near his native theater (Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Drama Theater named after Gorky), where his career began. And, by the way, it will be very handy to combine a walk with a visit to the theater.
Who walks along Andreevsky Boulevard
Boulevards are rare in St. Petersburg, even more so on Vasilievsky Island. In 2001, Vasileostrovsky got its own "Nevsky Prospekt" - with street musicians, fountains, beautiful flower beds and expensive shops. Andreevsky Boulevard over the seven years of its existence has become one of the most favorite places of the townspeople. And first of all - Vasileostrovtsev.
Little province
The official name has been retained - the 6th-7th lines. Previously, cars used to go here and only sidewalks were left for people. Forget about cars. From Bolshoy to Sredniy Prospekt you will not see anything from the ill-fated technology - only people. But it all starts prosaically - from the Lieutenant Schmidt embankment - one of the quiet Lines of Vasilyevsky Island. Where else in Russia can you find streets with that name? You can thank Emperor Peter. Although, he swung not only on smooth highways, but also on canals. We would then swim along all these lines in boats. Didn't get to…
The recently opened Blagoveshchensky Bridge (only the embankment remains from the lieutenant) still has a construction fence. Right on the corner is the famous House of Academicians, where the best minds of our country lived. On the facade, I counted 29 plaques. You will not find such a large number of gray slabs with great and not so great names anywhere else in St. Petersburg. "The famous Russian byzantologist Fyodor Uspensky lived in this house." Now the Byzantologist Uspensky has become even more famous.
With a tobacco shop and an old bookshop, this part of the boulevard looks like a street somewhere in the provinces. Yes, and cross its old alleys with preserved stone pavement.
The Museum of Academician Pavlov is very close. I didn't even know...
Further, along the way to Bolshoy Prospekt, one of the most beautiful old mansions in the city, on which inscriptions about the people who lived and worked here are still visible: "Pharmacy of Professor Dr. Pel and Sons." Now here, as expected, the dentistry of the Northwestern Medical Center. At the very top, under the roof, there is a Russian double-headed eagle. But the inscription "State Bank" is barely visible - it is poorly preserved.
name street
It is really better to walk along Andreevsky from the Neva. The panorama opens up wonderful - here you have the roof of the Andreevsky courtyard, and the spiers of the Andreevsky Cathedral, and the word "why" left by the graffiti artists on the wall of one of the houses (moreover, this wall is on the very top, near the roof). Notice whose name keeps repeating? There is no need to be wise in order to name something on the boulevard - Andrey alone lives here. They can go to their own kindergarten - they call it "Andreyka", pray - in St. Andrew's Church, and even buy goods in "Andreevsky Yard".
The stone church in the name of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was built in the second half of the 18th century. There are many cathedrals in St. Petersburg, but Andreevsky is one of the recognizable ones; perhaps even largely because of its pleasant pinkish color. Among believers, it is believed that it is here that the most beautiful voices sing during worship.
According to tradition, on the day of the memory of the saint, November 30, solemn services are held in the temple and knights of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called come from all over the world. Recently, a bust of Fyodor Golovin, the first holder of this honorary order, was erected here.
One of the most respected awards in Russia (and, by the way, the highest state award) is also mentioned on the stele near Bolshoy Prospekt. Decrees concerning the origin and revival of the order - Peter, Paul I and Boris Yeltsin - are written on memorial plaques. The first president of Russia also went down in history.
Let's sit on the cannon
The sea spirit of the nearby Harbor and the Gulf of Finland is felt on Andreevsky Boulevard like nowhere else on Vasilyevsky. Knowledgeable people will advise you restaurants called "Flagman" or "Sea Wolf". Knowledgeable people will not be surprised by sailors who look out for beautiful girls on weekends and smile beautifully at them. Ribbons on peakless caps are one of the distinguishing features of the boulevard.
On this patch it is quite possible to study the history of the island - for the fourth year the monument to lieutenant Vasily has gone. Do not pass by - the legendary commander of an artillery battery sits next to his cannon and smiles at passers-by. To incomprehensible children, who think that this is Munchausen, adults tell a well-known tale - that it was this lieutenant that Peter the Great had in mind when sending someone to the then nameless island, to Vasily.
As befits cult sculptures, Vasily has already been polished to a shine, and they began to call him in their own way - Vasya. Climbing up to his cannon is considered a matter of honor. Street musicians usually gather at Vasya's. The place is crowded, so they play (depending on the day of the week) either a young man with a guitar, or a grandfather with an accordion.
Another sculptural composition on Andreevsky Boulevard has not such a happy fate - now you will not be able to see the horses standing at the horse-drawn carriage. Someone constantly turned their ears away to these horses, sat on them at night, and a couple of months ago they were taken for restoration. So the horse is still horseless. It was at this place that the first horse-drawn railway appeared at the end of the 19th century.
"Shoe" boulevard
In the center of the street there is a small garden - young spruces stand all year round with cones, pansies look from numerous flower beds. And all this beauty is interspersed with fountains. Everything is as it should be - benches, a toilet, there is even a department of the philological faculty of St. Petersburg State University. But most of all on the boulevard of shoe stores (at least ten, that's for sure). It is difficult to explain such popularity of this particular product on this particular part of the land.
The vestibule of the metro station "Vasileostrovskaya" opens onto Andreevsky Boulevard. Here, I would not say anything about the province. The hubbub is around the clock.
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Calm begins again from Sredny Prospekt - the boulevard ends and continues with lines 6-7, but there are very few cars here. At the same time, there are signs everywhere: "Do not put cars in front of the entrance." The most beautiful sign is at the gates of the Church of the Annunciation (two Orthodox churches on the same street at once): it says in Old Slavonic script: "Do not obstruct the passage to the church."
You walk along the Line - you can look into the windows. Everyone has flowers on the windowsills (pike tail is popular). And again, a little from the provinces - on the basketball court, the boys are chasing the ball, on the benches of the grandmother, and in the children's town near the temple - noise and din - mothers walk their children. Sometimes dads show up.
Behind Maly Prospekt, Andreevsky Boulevard does not even smell - factories begin there. Above the street there is a large pipe and a whole corridor from one workshop to another.
Lines 6-7 end at the Smolenka River. If it were not a street, but a canal conceived by Peter, it would be possible to get from the Neva directly to that same Smolenka.
A bit of history
Andreevsky Boulevard is a fertile (and grateful) place for historians, local historians, and just those who love St. Petersburg. There is even the second stone building of the city - the so-called Merchant Troekurov's House. According to some testimonies, the architect of the house is none other than Domenico Trezzini. The history of the mansion, it seems, will soon end happily. For a long time there were taverns in its cellars, and now, after a long reconstruction, a mini-hotel with 17 rooms is being opened.
The territory of the nearby market and the street itself are recognized by historians as practically the only place that has survived within the real boundaries of the first plan of St. Petersburg.
We also note that at the last meeting of the "round table" on the aesthetics of the urban environment of the World Club of St. Petersburgers, Andreevsky Boulevard was recognized as a very successful architectural project. And this is even in comparison with similar pedestrian Malaya Sadovaya and Malaya Konyushennaya. In addition, Andreevsky Boulevard stands far from Nevsky Prospekt and is already popularly called St. Petersburg's Arbat. Which is well deserved.
