Petrogradskaya Side

Categories / City Topography/Historical Geography/Historical Districts, Localities, Tracts, Municipal Establishments
PETROGRADSKAYA SIDE (in the 18th century - Gorodskaya Side, until 1914 - Peterburgskaya Side), the joint name of the territory that includes the following islands: Petrogradsky, Aptekarsky, Petrovsky and Zayachy. The development of the territory of Petrogradskaya Side started with the foundation in 1703 of St. Petersburg fortress on Zayachy Island (see Peter and Paul Fortress). At the same time, the city centre with administrative and trade establishments and residential buildings for the nobility (the wooden Cabin of Peter the Great has been preserved) was developing to the east of the fortress on the bank of the Neva River (present-day Troitskaya Square). In 1708, to the north of the fortress, Kronverk was constructed; to the west of it, Mytny Dvor (in 18th century customs establishment) appeared (hence the name of Mytninskaya Embankment). In the first third of the 18th century, the radial combined with circular plan, unique for St. Petersburg and typical of Old-Russian towns, was developed (Kronversky Avenue still retains its original "ring"). St. Matthew’s Church (the territory of present-day Matveevsky Lane, demolished in the 1930s), Presentation of the Holy Virgin Church (the corner of Bolshaya Pushkarskaya Street and Vvedenskaya Street, demolished in the 1930s) and Holy Assumption Church (today Cathedral of Prince St. Vladimir) served as the main focus of this district in the 1730s. On Petrogradskaya Side there were following settlements: Tartar (the region of Tatarsky Lane), Cannon (Pushkarskaya) (the region of Malaya Pushkarskaya Street), Powder (Zeleinaya) (the region of Bolshaya Zelenina Street), Gunsmith (the region of Mira Street), Monetary (the region of Bolshaya Monetnaya Street), Chemists ( Aptekarskaya) of the chemist's garden (today Botanical Garden) and Surgical Instruments Works (Instrumentalnaya Izba) (today Krasnogvardeets Public Company). After the administrative centre of St. Petersburg was moved to Vasilievsky Island in the 1720s, and later in 1730s - to Admiralteiskaya Side, and after the construction of stone buildings to the north of Kronverk was banned, Petrogradskaya Side became a suburban region. Here, Nevsky, Peterburgsky, Yamburgsky , Koporsky and Belozersky regiments were quartered. Bolshoy Avenue, which was criss-crossed with a numerous small streets, belonging to the former regimental companies, became the main street of Petrogradskaya Side. By the end of the 19th century, vast territories to the north-west and east of Petrogradskaya Side and on Aptekarsky Island remained vacant. The construction of Troitsky bridge in 1903 initiated the intensive development of Petrogradskaya Side along Bolshaya Nevka Embankment, with industrial zones formed on Petrovsky Island and Aptekarsky Island. The main transit thoroughfare of Petrogradskaya Side is Kamennoostrovsky Avenue. In the 1920s-30s, a number of large public buildings and constructions were erected on Petrogradskaya Side: House of Culture of Industrial Co-operation (today Lensovet House of Culture), Lenin Stadium (today Petrovsky) Stalin Transport Academy, as well as residential houses: First Lensovet House, the House of Experimental Medicine Institute's Assistants, House for Former Tsarist Political Prisoners, etc. During the Siege of 1941-44, all wooden houses that had still existed were demolished for firewood; later, public gardens were laid out on their sites. After the end of war, the existing thoroughfares of Petrogradskaya Side were reconstructed with some new ones built (Medikov Avenue, a part of Pesochnaya Embankment, etc.), banks of the Karpovka River were faced with granite, new capital bridges (Tuchkov, Stroiteley (today Birzhevoy), Svobody (today Sampsonievsky), Grenadersky and Kantemirovsky) were constructed. In 1963, metro stations Gorkovskaya and Petrogradskaya were opened. The television centre with a tower was put into operation. In the early 21th century, vacant lots of Petrogradskaya Side are built up mainly with elite residential houses, industrial enterprises are being forced out by trade and commercial centres.

References: Сукновалов А. Е. Петроградская сторона. Л., 1960; Сементовская М. А. Места за Кронверкским каналом: Особенности ист. формирования Петрогр. стороны // ЛП. 1983. № 2. С. 24-27.

Е. А. Bondarchuk. Lenin (real name Ulyanov) Vladimir Ilyich
Peter I, Emperor
Stalin (real name Dzhugashvili) Iosif Vissarionovich
Bolshaya Monetnaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Bolshaya Nevka River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city
Bolshaya Pushkarskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Bolshaya Zelenina Street/Saint Petersburg, city
Bolshoy Ave of Petrograskaya Storona/Saint Petersburg, city
Kamennoostrovsky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city
Kronverksky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city
Malaya Pushkarskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Matveevsky Lane/Saint Petersburg, city
Medikov Ave/Saint Petersburg, city
Mira St./Saint Petersburg, city
Mytninskaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city
Pesochnaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city
Tatarsky Lane/Saint Petersburg, city
Troitskaya Square/Saint Petersburg, city
Vvedenskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Петроградская сторона
Сукновалов А. Е. Петроградская сторона. Л., 1960
Сементовская М. А. Места за Кронверкским каналом: Особенности ист. формирования Петрогр. стороны // Ленингр. панорама, 1983 St. Peter and Paul fortress
St. Peter and Paul fortress
Cabin of Peter the Great, museum
Kronverk (Crownwork)
Cathedral of Prince St. Vladimir
Petrovsky Stadium.
House of Tsarist Political Prisoners
Siege of 1941-44