Historical center of St. Petersburg: description and photo. UNESCO World Heritage Sites

The uniqueness of St. Petersburg in its extraordinary architecture, which has its own bright personality. It is not for nothing that the historical center of St. Petersburg is a UNESCO heritage entirely.

This young city has such a rich history that it would be enough for several cities. It was the capital of the great Russian Empire, there were events affecting not only this country, but the world as a whole. The historical center and monuments of St. Petersburg are witnesses.

History of construction of the city

In the distant 1703 on the island at the site of the division of the Neva River into 2 arms - Bolshaya and Malaya Neva - the fortress of St. Petersburg was built, the construction of which was conducted in a hurry, as the war dragged on, and on the shores of the Gulf of Finland it was required to gain a foothold in any way.

Marsh lands slowed the erection of the fortress walls and killed thousands of people who could not stand excessive physical effort and hard working conditions. In the courtyard of the building were built the first wooden buildings: the church of Peter and Paul, the Senate, the arsenal and the main pharmacy. Almost 300 years it was required that these places become what is included in the historical center of St. Petersburg.

After 3 years, the earth walls gradually began to be replaced by stone walls, which took almost 35 years. Initially, Peter I wanted the city to be completely in the intersection of channels, following the example of Venice, but the construction went on according to other architectural plans. In modern Petersburg, the channels occupy only 10% of the area, which is about 300 km.

St. Petersburg is also proud of its bridges, which in the city are more than 300 of various sizes and types. Growing up, the city gradually acquired features that are well known today to the citizens of St. Petersburg.

In our time, guests of the northern capital guides tell how the historical center of St. Petersburg looks and why this is its location.

Peter-Pavel's Fortress

The fortress, which became the first structure of the future capital and today known as Petropavlovskaya, received its name from the church on its territory. Today it is the historical center of St. Petersburg, which Petersburgers affectionately call "Petropavlovka" and usually expect from its walls a noon shot from a cannon.

The fortress includes such architectural monuments as the Commandant's and the Engineering House, the Treasury and the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Already at the beginning of the 18th century the bastion became a prison for political criminals, and one of the first prisoners was the son of Tsar Peter I Tsarevich Alexei.

Gradually, the stone walls began to deteriorate, so it was decided to "dress" the Neva and the walls of the bastion in granite. This is what the Peter and Paul Fortress looks like today, which has become the largest museum of history in Russia.

Admiralty

The very first building on the left bank of the Neva was the Admiralty building. Initially conceived by Peter I, the usual shipyard, located not far from the Peter and Paul bastion, became a real fortified fortress. The decision to build a fortress was a constant threat of an attack by Swedes on a young city.

The first building of the Admiralty was completed in 1705, and today this whole architectural ensemble is recognized by UNESCO as one of the best in the world. His appearance changed gradually. In the beginning it was a building built in the form of the letter "P", inside which the shipyards were located. A moat was dug around it, behind which was a meadow for a better view of the terrain.

After a while the meadow turned into the Alexander Garden, surrounded by 3 squares - Isaakievskaya, Senatskaya and Dvortsova. More than 300 ships were built at the shipyard of the Admiralty until it was closed at the end of the 19th century, and the building was completely rebuilt. It was then that it "found" its famous spire. On it is strengthened a weather vane in the form of a ship, covered with gold.

Admiralty today is a beautiful monument of early classicism, a part of the world heritage. The historical center of St. Petersburg originates from the Admiralty and is divided by three rays of the famous streets - Nevsky Prospect, Gorokhovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospekt.

Saint Isaac's Cathedral

Being the fourth largest in the world, St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg has a long and sad history of construction. Given that the first version of the cathedral was built in 1707, and its final version was consecrated in 1858, it took almost 150 years to build.

Originally it was a wooden church, built too close to the Neva. In 1717, it was decided to replace it with a stone building, but in 1724 serious damage was found in the cathedral due to its proximity to the river and a poor foundation. They tried to rebuild and strengthen it on the orders of Catherine I, but after another restoration, he was burnt by a lightning strike.

It was decided to build St. Isaac's Cathedral on the Admiralty Meadow, where he began to divide the St. Isaac's Square and the Senate. The new project was conceived rather monumental and bright, laid out in marble, but the death of Catherine II suspended construction, when the building was erected to half.

Paul I, who ascended the throne, ordered the completion of the cathedral in stone, deciding the remaining marble to be used for the construction of his palace. These inconsistencies in the structure led to the fact that he began to crumble plaster. It took a new reconstruction of the building, for which already Alexander I in 1809 announced a competition between the architects.

This was supposed to be the 4th version of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The project was realized by Montferrand, whose achievements included an unprecedented number of piles (10 762), a 40-year-old construction site and a huge cost for those times, which made the cathedral the most expensive in Europe (23,256,852 rubles and 80 kopecks).

Nevertheless, St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg - today one of the most beautiful in the world and also enters the global heritage of UNESCO.

Nevsky Prospect

Nevsky is the main avenue embodying the historical center of St. Petersburg. It stretches for 4,5 km from the Admiralty to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, connecting 4 islands on the Neva. Immediately conceived as the main "pershpektiva" of the city, Nevsky Prospekt was built from both sides simultaneously and did not escape the incident. Reaching the middle, the builders saw that they were wrong in the calculations, so he has a kink. The part, built in 1718 from the monastery, was called the Nevsky, and the site from the Admiralty, completed in 1720, was called the "Great perspektiva."

Gradual building of Nevsky Prospekt by noble palaces, philistine houses and churches has led to the fact that today it is the only main street in the world where churches of all 4 Christian confessions and the most famous buildings make up the historical center of St. Petersburg.

In Soviet times, the street tried to rename the street, but the names did not take root, so the Nevsky Prospekt in our time is known just like Broadway in New York, Arbat in Moscow and Deribasovskaya in Odessa.

Spit of Vasilyevsky Island

To understand what the historical center of St. Petersburg looks like, it's enough to come to Vasilievsky Island. Even in the time of Peter I it was decided to build the "arrow" of Vasilievsky Island.

According to the project, "Twelve boards" (the supreme state institution), the Exchange, the Cathedral and the Gostiny Dvor were to be built here, but the construction was partially realized. The Kunstkammer and the palace of Queen Praskovia Fedorovna were built, which later became the Academy of Sciences.

On the south side akademgorodok was formed, and on the north side of the "arrow" were berths for unloading ships and the Exchange, where deals were concluded. Also there are Gostiny Dvor and residential buildings.

At the end of the 18th century it was decided to restructure the Exchange and build new buildings of the Academy. Thanks to this, the majestic lighthouse columns appeared on the island, which today are the "visiting card" of the island.

The front embankment of the Neva

The first embankment, which once met foreign ships, was called the English. The gradual construction of the building was immediately aimed at the fact that it is the "face" of the city and follows the principle of "solid facades". After facing it in granite in the late 18th century, it became the most fashionable place in the city. It was here that houses belonged to the most notable people of the Russian Empire.

Palace Square

The image of the Palace Square was gradually formed. Built in 1762, Rastrelli's beautiful Winter Palace overlooks the courtyard on the other side of the square. Its construction became a long process, since only by 1829, according to the project of Carlo Rossi, the construction of the longest arc-shaped building in Europe was completed. Consisting of 2 houses, connected by a triumphal arch, the building is still striking with its beauty and monumentality.

In 1834, the Alexander Column was installed on the Palace Square . In the 40s, the square was replenished with the building of the headquarters of the Guards Corps and the Postal Court.

UNESCO heritage

The entire historical center of St. Petersburg, the description of which does not convey all its beauty and grace, is included in the UNESCO heritage list. Perhaps, he is one of the most "young" historical monuments of such magnitude in this list.