Platz - Drill Grounds (entry)

Categories / Army. Navy/Quarters, Arsenals, Riding-halls, Guardhouses, etc.
Categories / City Topography/Urban Network/Squares
PLATZ (from German "Platz" - square) is a large and flat area (squares, waste grounds) for drills and army training. The first platz (drill square) in St. Petersburg was Mars Field. Drill squares were provided in the building of regiment settlements for all guards regiments, including the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment Platz (1741) located in the area between Suvorovsky Avenue, Kirochnaya, Paradnaya, Tavricheskaya and Gospitalnaya Streets (built up in 1870s-1900s); Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment Platz (1740) located to the south of present-day 12th Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, covering the area of present-day Varshavsky and Baltiysky Railway stations (built up in 1800s-1820s); Kavalergardsky Regiment Platz (1744) located in the area between Shpalernaya Street and the Neva River to the east of Tavricheskaya Street (partly built up and alloted for vegetable gardens in 1750-70s). The most well known in St. Petersburg is the Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment Platz (Semyonovsky Platz) built between Zagorodny Avenue, Ruzovskaya and Zvenigorodskaya streets and the Obvodny Canal in 1799-1804 and covering the area of 26.5 hectares. The Platz included a shooting ground, a drilling ground and engineering grounds that were used for the training of several guard regiments, as well as for public punishments (from 1849) and festivals. From 1807, it was gradually built up, including the construction of Tsarskoselsky (Vitebsky) Railway Station, racecourse, et al. The platz was wholly built up in 1906-16. Pionerskaya Square was built at the place of the former racecourse in 1950-60s.

References: Кириков Б. М., Марголис А. Д. Пионерская площадь. Л., 1983.

G. V. Kalashnikov. 12th Krasnoarmeiskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Gospitalnaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Kirochnaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Paradnaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Pionerskaya Square/Saint Petersburg, city
Ruzovskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Shpalernaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Suvorovsky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city
Tavricheskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
The Field of Mars/Saint Petersburg, city
Zagorodny Avenue/Saint Petersburg, city
Zvenigorodskaya Street/Saint Petersburg, city
Кириков Б. М., Марголис А. Д. Пионерская площадь. Л., 1983 Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment
Izmaylovsky Life Guards Regiment
Cavalier Guards Regiment
Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment
Vitebsky Railway Station