From “Sarskaya Road” to “Victory Avenue”. The Architectural Ensemble of Moskovsky Avenue in Saint Petersburg

Abstract

The article contains a brief overview of the history of the formation of the architectural ensemble of Moskovsky Avenue in Saint Petersburg — one of the major highways in the southern districts of the city. The role of regular urban planning techniques is noted in the process of organizing the main part of the modern highway, starting from Sennaya Square. The highway from the moment of its inception has served as part of a lengthy route important for the whole country, connecting Saint Petersburg with Moscow and Kiev. The process of gradual changes in the architectural characteristics of the avenue in the 19th century is traced, when the composition of the following sections of the highway was formed — from the Fontanka to the square at the Moscow Triumphal Gate. The historical and symbolical emphasis of the Gate is emphasized. The focus of the article is on the part of avenue that was created in the middle of the twentieth century in the neoclassical style of that time. The results of a large competition for the development of planning projects of the highway, conducted when the avenue was named after Joseph Stalin, are briefly reviewed. The authors analyze the spatial structure of the highway, the developed nature of which makes it possible to compare Moskovsky Avenue to Nevsky Avenue. It is shown that the very use of the patterns specific to the order system allowed for the creation of an ensemble, whose solemn character is consonant with the theme of victory in the war of 1941–1945. The authors evaluate the creative contribution of a number of Soviet architects and sculptors in the creation of the ensemble. The article also explores examples of the contemporary urban development of the neighboring city blocks and evaluates the level of their compatibility with the task of preserving the ensemble as an art monument of its time.