The northern capital of Russia is famous not only for its numerous sights and unique architecture. Separate attention deserves the magnificent gardens and parks of St. Petersburg, the first of which appeared immediately after the founding of the city. Most of them at that time were part of the estates and had the same layout. In addition, for the gardens were characterized by trimmed trees and a symmetrical grid of paths. At the end of the eighteenth century, the first landscape parks of St. Petersburg began to appear. The most famous of them is the garden, destroyed at the Yusupov Palace, and the Tauride Garden. In the nineteenth century, the city began to open the first public parks, such as, for example, Alexandrovsky near the Peter and Paul Fortress. After 1917, all the city's gardens became public. Many parks of St. Petersburg are witnessing important historical events that took place at different times.
Mikhailovsky Garden
At present, the Mikhailovsky Garden is one of the most comfortable and well-known on the territory of St. Petersburg. From the north side the park is bordered by the Moika River and the Mars Field, on the east side by Sadovaya Street. In the south, the garden rests on the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Benois Wing and the Ethnographic Museum, and in the west - in the Church of the Savior on the Blood. The territory on which the park is located today, originally belonged to the Swedish landowner. After the victory, the king decided to build on this site a large estate for his wife and to break down the garden, which was unofficially called Tsaritsyn. To care for the park zone, Peter even specially wrote a famous gardener from Hanover. Thanks to the efforts of the latter on the shores of the garden, lush flower gardens were broken, ponds were created with intricate figured form, numerous flower beds were made, and in the alleys decorative marble sculptures were installed.
Alexander Park
The official opening of the Alexander Park took place on August 30, 1845, and it was timed to coincide with the celebration of the memory of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. This garden is located on the Petrograd side of the northern capital and occupies a rather large territory, by the standards of the center. In its form, the Alexander Park of St. Petersburg resembles a large crescent, which on the one hand is bounded by the Kronverkskaya embankment, and on the other by the Kronverksky Avenue. Currently in the garden are the Music Hall, the monument to the torpedo boat, the Leningrad Zoo and the Artillery Island.
Summer garden
Speaking of such attractions as the parks of St. Petersburg, it is impossible to ignore the magnificent Summer Garden. To put it in his time on the banks of the Neva was ordered by Peter the Great himself. In 1704, the king returned from his journey through Europe and ordered the creation of a park, similar to what he had seen. Peter personally painted the plan and signed a decree according to which it was necessary to plant the garden with annual plants annually. Hence the corresponding name of the park. In 1706 the first fountain appeared on the territory of this large complex, and four years later the Summer Palace of Peter was built near the Neva. The king also wanted to decorate the park with numerous statues, and they were brought in large numbers from all over the world. The heirs of Peter the Great continued this work, and during the reign of Elizabeth there were already about two hundred of them.
Babushkin Park
The Babushkin Park (St. Petersburg, the corner of Obukhovskaya Oblast Prospekt and Porforovskaya Street), formerly called the Vienna Garden, was created at the end of the eighteenth century and conceived as a national entertainment complex. To this end, in 1887, various carousels, swings, shooting ranges were built here and an open playground for dancing was built. In 1931, the garden was officially renamed the park named after IV Babushkin - the revolutionary, whose sculptural bust was installed in the Park in 1956, and subsequently disappeared without a trace. At present, this garden is one of the most interesting places in Petersburg. Founded back in the time of Catherine II, today it has become a real Fairy Tale Park, in which it will be pleasant to spend time both for children and adults. Moreover, there is a complex on the banks of the famous Neva.
Catherine Park
Catherine Park, which is part of the reserve "Tsarskoe Selo" (not all parks of St. Petersburg are located within the city), consists of two parts: the "English Garden" and the so-called Old Garden. The latter was created in 1720-1722 and was located directly in front of the palace of the empress. It was broken on three ledges, the last of which was the Great and Mill Mirror Ponds. In the eighteenth century, the Old Garden was re-planned and significantly expanded. Rastrelli directed all works. Under the project of the well-known architect, pavilions "The Hermitage" and "Grotto" were built, as well as the Catalan Mountain. Later, in 1770-1773, the complex "Admiralty", Upper and Lower Baths appeared on the territory of the park. Five years later Catherine's Park was filled with sculptures and monuments, embodying the greatness of the reign of Catherine II. Among them, the Tower-ruin, the Crimean column and the Turkish cascade are especially noteworthy today.
Moscow Victory Park
Moscow Victory Park (St. Petersburg, 25 Kuznetsovskaya Street) occupies today a territory with a total area of more than sixty-five hectares. Before the Great Patriotic War this place was called the Syzran field and was occupied by quarries of a brick factory. The official laying of Victory Park occurred in October 1945, and more than a thousand Leningraders took part in this event. Within just one month, about seventeen thousand trees were planted, many canals and ponds were dug and ennobled. Completely all the work was completed in 1957, together with the installation of propyls, on the inside of which there are bronze compositions dedicated to the workers of the rear and the exploits of Soviet soldiers.