Alexandrovsky Garden

Categories / City Topography/Green Areas/Gardens, Orchards
ALEXANDROVSKY GARDEN (in 1920-89 - the Maxim Gorky Workers' Garden, in 1989-97 - Admiralty Garden) is situated along the south and the west facades of the Main Admiralty, with an area of 10 hectares. In 1805-06, gardener W. Guld laid out a boulevard of four rows of limes on the site of the southern rampart of the Admiralty fortress to the designs of architect L. Rusca. In 1819, the boulevard was enlarged at the cost of filling in the fortress ditch and became a popular walking place (mentioned in Alexander Pushkin's novel Eugene Onegin). Popular festivals were organised on a square near the boulevard during Shrovetide and Easter. The boulevard was continued in the direction of the eastern facade of the Admiralty in 1824. Marble statues of Hercules and Flora (sculptor P. Trescornia, copies of antique sculptures) were placed in corners of the central alley by project of architect L.I. Charlemagne in 1833. A landscape garden, with 52 species of trees in it, was laid out on site of the square to the plans of gardener E.L. Regel in 1872-74 (it was called Alexandrovsky after Emperor Alexander II). A fountain was opened in the centre of the garden in 1879 (architect A.R. Geschwend), a bust of V.A. Zhukovsky was installed near the Palace Square in 1887, while a monument to N.M. Przhevalsky (on the opposite side in 1892), busts of N.V. Gogol and M.Y. Lermontov (on the square near the fountain in 1896), M.I. Glinka (1899) and A.M. Gorchakov (1998, sculptor A.S. Charkin by a model of K.K. Godebsky) where also installed. The territory near the Bronze Horseman was reconstructed in 1902-03 (architect N.T. Stukolkin), three alleys were laid out in 1923, opening a view to the Admiralty from Nevsky Prospect, Voznesensky Avenue and Gorokhovaya Street (architect I.A. Fomin). The garden was partly re-planned in 1930-31 and 1959, it was restored and reconstructed in 2001-02.

Reference: Антонов В. В. Адмиралтейская аллея - Александровский сад // Невский архив: Ист.-краевед. сб. СПб., 1997. [Вып.] 3. С. 324-343.

V. V. Antonov. Alexander II, Emperor
Antonov Viktor Vasilievich
Charkin Albert Serafimovich
Charlemagne Ludwig Iosifovich
Fomin Ivan Alexandrovich
Geschwend Alexander Romanovich
Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich
Godebsky K.K.
Gogol Nikolay Vasilievich
Gorchakov Alexander Mikhailovich, Duke
Gorky Maxim (Alexey Maximovich Peshkov)
Guld William
Lermontov Mikhail Yurievich
Przhevalsky Nikolay Mikhailovich
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Regel Eduard-Avgust Ludwigovich
Rusca Luigi (Aloisy Ivanovich)
Stukolkin Nikolay Timofeevich
The Triscornis
Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich
Dvortsovaya Square/Saint Petersburg, city
Gorokhovaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city
Voznesensky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city
Антонов В. В. Адмиралтейская аллея - Александровский сад // Невский архив: Ист.-краевед. сб. СПб., 1997 Admiralty Fortress
Admiralty
1874
1892