St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) is a unique and extraordinary city on a global scale. It lies at the mouth of the Neva River, at the Gulf of Finland. There are currently about 5 million inhabitants. It is considered the second capital of Russia. It is an important economic center, scientific and cultural center. This city is rich in many attractions. And the main "artery" of St. Petersburg, which emerged during the time of Peter the Great, is Nevsky Prospect.
What is it?
This is a symbol of the city, and it is located in its very center. The length of Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg is 4.5 km, it starts from the Admiralty and the Winter Palace, and ends at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The street initially served as a route to Novgorod.
Over time, churches, palaces, cafes and theaters arose here. Today it serves as the central city street. This is the place of luxury shops, expensive hotels and restaurants, but also extremely attractive attractions such as the Admiralty, Kazan Cathedral, Gostiny Dvor, the Hermitage, Vorontsov Palace, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a monument to Catherine II and many others. The question is, how long is Nevsky Prospect, many people ask. And the thing is that this street is undoubtedly such a part of St. Petersburg that is firmly inscribed in the history and culture of the city, so a walk along it is an obligatory route for tourists who come here.
History
The city was founded by Peter I at the beginning of the 18th century, hence the name that it originally had, that is, Petrograd. Its location on the Baltic Sea coast has greatly facilitated its development. Here were fortified cities, which were a defensive bastion in front of the Swedes. The construction of the entire city lasted only 9 years, and immediately after that it became the capital of Russia.
This title allowed the creation of a center for the development of science and culture, and gave rise to the emergence of new institutions and universities, such as the Maritime Academy, the Engineering School, the Academy of Sciences or the Mining Institute. The period after World War II was not the best for him. During the siege of Leningrad, over a million people died of starvation in 900 days. Since then, the city has been restored, and along the entire length of Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, life began to boil again.
sights
The whole city is cut through by canals, thanks to which St. Petersburg is famous and considered to be Russian Venice. If you are going to explore its sights, walk along the entire length of Nevsky Prospekt from Uprising Square. The chain of attractions originates from the Admiralty building and stretches for 4.5 km to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, from which, as it is believed, the avenue took its name. Many magnificent buildings are concentrated on the site to the Gostiny Dvor. And in his area there are most of the best shops.
Kazan Cathedral
Moving along the entire length of Nevsky Prospect, it is impossible to miss this magnificent building. Kazan Cathedral - a building with 96 Corinthian columns that are lined up in four rows. They create a wide arc towards the avenue. This Orthodox church is dedicated to the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. It is built in neoclassical style.
Walking along the entire length of Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, you should pay attention to the opposite side of the street (the intersection of the avenue and the Griboedov Canal). There is the house of the Singer company. This is the former headquarters of this company, built in 1902-1904. The building features a characteristic glass ball. Currently, it houses the Book House.
Savior on Spilled Blood
Be sure to see the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, located on the Griboedov Canal. This is a decoration that is always noticed by everyone who moves along the entire length of Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg.
The church arose on the site where Tsar Alexander II was killed on March 1, 1881. The total area of the temple is 1642 m 2, height - 81 meters. The temple is crowned with 5 domes. The interior is decorated with beautiful mosaics created by 30 outstanding artists of the then Russia. The facades of the church are decorated with 144 mosaic compositions symbolizing individual provinces (former provinces) in Tsarist Russia.
Church of St. Catherine
Church of St. Catherine (Nevsky Prospect, 32-34) was built in 1763-1783. Moving along the entire length of Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, she is noticed by the characteristic features of the Baroque and Classicism styles. The coffin with the remains of King Stanislav Augustus Poniatowski rested in the crypt of this church. Only in 1989, an urn with the remains of the last Polish king was transferred to Warsaw.
In 1938, the church was closed, and its property was destroyed or looted. Then the church was turned into a warehouse, which burned down in 1947. Reconstruction was started in 1977, but the church burned down again in 1984. Only in 1991 the parish of St. Catherine was again registered.
Gostiny Dvor
Initially, there was a stable, and from the middle of the XVIII century this characteristic building with arcades became the largest market in St. Petersburg. There are more than 300 stores where you can buy everything: clothing, cosmetics, souvenirs, and sweets. The yellow building has the shape of an irregular quadrangle. The total length of the facade of the building is almost 1 km.
At Anichkova bridge on Nevsky Prospekt, the length (in km) is 0.25. It was built in 1826. The bridge is one of the most recognizable bridges in the city thanks to four cast-iron griffins that are located on both sides of it.
