Medved Restaurant

Categories / City Services/Restaurants, Cafes, Cafeterias
MEDVED (BEAR). A restaurant, opened on 1 October 1878 by Belgian entrepreneur, E. Hiegel in the building of the Demoute Hotel (see Demoute's Tavern; 27 Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street). In the entrance hall, a stuffed bear carrying a tray in its front paws was placed. Medved had two halls (with 100 and 150 tables) and 29 separate dining rooms, with staff of 200 and an orchestra of 24 musicians. The restaurant was usually closed during the summer. Medved hosted dinners in honour of M.G. Savina (over 1,000 guests), K.A. Varlamova (with V.F. Komissarzhevskaya as Master of Ceremonies), on the occasion of the Teatr i Iskusstvo (Theatre and Art) journal’s fifth anniversary (1902), and, in 1908, a celebration in honour of A.S. Suvorin. In the 1910s, Medved was visited by F.I. Shalyapin, Prince F.F. Yusupov, and other dignitaries. In the early 1910s, restaurateur A.A. Sudakov (who owned Yar Restaurant in Moscow) became Medved's owner. In 1914, the interior of the main hall was redesigned (architect N.I. Alexeev). After October 1917, the restaurant continued operating. In 1929, the main hall was adjusted to accommodate the children’s theatre (New TYuZ (Young People's Theatre), headed by B.V. Zon); the Variety Theatre was opened on its premises in 1938.

Reference: Алянский Ю. Л. Увеселительные заведения старого Петербурга. СПб., 1996. С. 150-152; Ковалевский В. Душа деянием жива. СПб., 1999. С. 82-86.

I. A. Bogdanov. Alexeev Nikolay Ivanovich
Chaliapin Fedor Ivanovich
Hiegel E.
Komissarzhevskaya Vera Fedorovna
Savina Maria Gavrilovna
Sudakov A.A.
Suvorin Alexey Sergeevich
Varlamov Konstantin Alexandrovich
Yusupov Felix Felixovich, Duke
Zon Boris Wulfovich
Bolshaya Konyushennaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 27
Ковалевский В. Душа деянием жива. СПб., 1999
Алянский Ю. Л. Увеселительные заведения старого Петербурга. СПб., 1996 Demoute's Traktir
Variety Theatre