Arriving in St. Petersburg on the Moscow highway, you find yourself on the eponymous avenue leading to the central, historic part of the city. Moscow Square is also located here . St. Petersburg is proud of it, because it is one of the largest areas not only in Russia, but also in Europe.
Excursion into the past
Since its foundation, St. Petersburg has always been actively developed and built. The 40s of the twentieth century were marked, among other things, by the arrangement of the area near Moscow Avenue, which at first did not even have a name, but in theory was supposed to become the center of the city on the Neva. This is a huge space, and the area of its territory is about 130,000 square meters. m
In this zone it was planned to conduct all the main events in Leningrad - holidays, demonstrations, parades. To do this, a demonstration drive was prudently laid along the square. It was even planned to transfer the administrative center of the city to this microdistrict, and Moscow Square should have become its central element. Here, from 1936 to 1941, the House of Soviets was built, which became the architectural dominant of the space.
Military alterations
The Great Patriotic War changed the whole country, the forces of the state were devoted to the defense against fascism, and then to its total annihilation. The front line did not reach just a few kilometers to the southern areas of the city on the Neva. Even the future Moscow Square underwent forced alterations .
St. Petersburg needed qualified specialists able to help the city recover from the blockade and military operations; experts in different fields and on a leaving front were needed. Therefore, despite the blockade and the devastation associated with it, Leningrad actively helped the defense and the front. In the territory allocated for the proposed administrative center, a training minefield was organized , in which both sappers and minnow dogs were trained. And in the House of Lights was the headquarters of the Leningrad Front.
At the turn of the century
The war ended, the peace years became a time of restoration and development of Soviet Leningrad. The master plan, developed in the post-war forties, did not receive confirmation of the transfer of the administrative center of the city. Therefore, various scientific institutes, including defense ones, worked in the building of the House of Soviets.
The territory of the proposed central square in 1953-1955 was designated as multi-apartment buildings in 8 and 10 floors, built on nearby streets. The square itself was named only in 1968. The city was actively developed and built, the number of residents and guests was constantly growing in it, and therefore the transport system was also expanding.
In 1969, a subway station of the same name, Moskovskaya, was opened on the avenue near Moskovskaya Square. It is unusual in that it has two opposite exits on opposite sides of the square, both of which lead to the subway through the underpasses, without any vestibules. The address "Moscow Square, St. Petersburg " became the starting point for intercity buses as a landing pad for vehicles leaving for the airport and on various excursions.
Prospects
Along the perimeter, the territory of Moscow Square is surrounded by Tipanov and Lensovet streets, Leninsky and Moscow avenues. Demonstration passage passes through it.
In 1970, a monument to V.I. Lenin, this monument was supposed to be erected here initially. It is also noteworthy: its total area is 16 square meters. m., height - 8 meters. This monument to the leader of the proletariat is the largest in the former Leningrad and present St. Petersburg. Thus, the era of socialist development received its concrete image in this city, Moscow Square became it .
St. Petersburg is the second most important city in the country, its cultural capital. In 2008, it was here that the G8 meeting was planned and held, this event was preceded (two years earlier) by the opening of a unique complex of "singing" fountains, which are located precisely on Moscow Square.
Singing Fountains
May 25, 2006 is a date that has become significant for St. Petersburg. On this day, the discovery of a light musical water composition took place - fountains on Moscow Square, known to all residents and guests of the city on the Neva. This is an amazing building, consisting of 11 different-shaped bowls, letting in about 600 cubic meters of water per day.
The architecture of the complex is harmoniously inscribed in the look that Moscow Square has. St. Petersburg and its southern part were decorated with the advent of this unique building, because not only the fountains themselves are beautiful, at certain hours of the day they “dance” to the music. The works of world and Soviet musical classics become the basis of an enchanting show. The fountains are also noteworthy - plates of thick greenish glass resemble blocks of ice, along which clear water flows, the bowls are decorated with marble.
The pressure of the water supplied is huge - the jets located in the center rise to the height of a multi-storey building. In the evening, a light show also joins the music of Moscow Square fountains. Unfortunately, this performance can only be seen in the summer, for the winter fountains are closed for maintenance work.
Despite the fact that many people are skeptical about its Soviet appearance, Moscow Square has become one of the iconic places of the city on the Neva . St. Petersburg meets its guests right here, near the monument to Lenin, among the singing fountains, and Petersburgers can rightfully be proud of this unusual, perfectly planned place on the city map.