When Peter I studied the banks of the Neva, he was primarily interested in the possibility of Mother Russia’s access to the sea, rather than the convenience of land for the construction of a future metropolis. The river delta in the place where Petersburg was subsequently laid down was a swampy sparsely populated area with many channels and islands.
Islands of St. Petersburg
Therefore, it is no coincidence that today the cultural capital of our country is called Northern Venice. Most of this amazingly beautiful city spreads on the islands. In total, according to 1864, there were one hundred and one, but as a result of various construction works, thirty-four remained. And this amount is constantly changing. Some channels of the Neva fall asleep, so the islands unite, while in others new ones appear. Many of them, with their western tip, directly go to the Baltic Sea. Therefore, ignorant tourists, while walking, can unexpectedly find themselves on a sandy beach or on a pier. If you ask the locals to name the ten most famous land areas, then most likely Guguevsky Island will not get on this list.
general information
150 years after the foundation of St. Petersburg there was a deserted place. And only from the last quarter of the last century, after the construction of the Sea Canal and the transfer of the St. Petersburg Trade Port here, trade came to life on the island. He began to gradually build up.
To the “New Port” arranged at the entrance to the Neva River, in which large vessels moored, the Portovaya-Putilovskaya branch of the Nikolaev railway was laid. In the twentieth century, Gutuevsky Island (St. Petersburg) significantly increased territorially. Today, its area is more than three square meters with a width of four meters. The Small Frisky and Smooth Islands are also attached to it. Three bridges, including the railway, connect it to the mainland.
History
Witsasaari, which means “shrubby” ... That is exactly what the Finns used to call Gutuevsky Island (St. Petersburg). What region it was in the tsarist years, it is impossible to say for sure. When Peter the Great founded the city, the names began to change. It all depended on the name of the one who was buying a particular land plot. Over his relatively short history, he changed many names. Before the foundation of St. Petersburg, it was called Vitsasaari (Vitsasaari). On the city plan of 1716, it is indicated as Unpopulated, and on the map of 1717 published in France, this place was designated under the name St. Catherine. Subsequently, it was renamed the Round Island (from 1737 to 1793). In parallel, they called Primorsky. The latter name was due to the fact that it is located next to the Gulf of Finland. Among others was Novosiltsov, in honor of a wealthy lieutenant.
The current name has been attached to the island since the mid-18th century, when the Olonets merchant shipbuilder Konon Guttuev (Khugtunen), who arrived in St. Petersburg, became rich, acquired this island.
Previously, there was a boundary channel. He divided Gutuevsky island into two parts - southern and northern. It was dug in the 19th century to drain the local lands. There was also an embankment, which, however, did not repeat the bend of the boundary, but had a direction directly to the Sea Canal.
Even before the revolution, they began to fall asleep. The first part of the canal on the site from the Ekaterinofka River to the street Gapsalsky was buried, and already in the 50s of the last century the entire channel was already drained and buried.
Port construction on Gutuevsky island
In the 1880s, a lot of construction began here. As a result, a port appeared. For him, in the 1899-1903s, the customs building was also erected. The author of the project was the architect Kurdyumov.
After the construction of the port, life here has changed dramatically. Two bridges were built through Yekaterinofka, buoys were created - storage places with a pier.
Here, in barrels, fish was stored. It was mainly herring. About two hundred kataly barrels moved. They did not conduct retail trade here, they sold fish only in bulk. It was thanks to the appearance of the port that the island of Gutuevsky in St. Petersburg became known to the townspeople.
How to get there
Photos of the then port buildings can be seen in the city museum. During the war, several shells got here. As a result, part of the port building was destroyed, but was later restored. This is clearly visible, since on the completed part the brick is still light in comparison with the rest of the massif.
An idle person who comes here to gawk at industrial buildings or wander around will not be able to get to the busy port. Yes, this is not necessary. But outside it there is a lot of interesting things, and these sights (for example, the Epiphany Church, which we will talk about below) can and should even be seen when you get to Gutuevsky Island in St. Petersburg. You can find out how to get to it from old-timers. You can get on Riga Avenue, the completion of which is a bridge over the Ekaterinofka. On the other side, it crosses into Gapsalskaya street, which got its name from the Estonian town of Haapsalu. If you go from the Gunner Island, then you need to get through the underwater tunnel.
Gutuevsky Island in St. Petersburg is located at the mouth of the Greater Neva. Today it is territorially related to the Kirovsky district. You can get to it by bus (numbers 135, 49, 66, 67, 71), as well as by fixed-route taxi going to Gutuevsky island.
St. Petersburg. Temple: how to get there
At the end of the 19th century, in connection with the appearance of the port, everyone who had anything to do with his work began to settle here: sailors, customs officers, dockers, officials, artisans, etc. All of them were believers, and therefore they needed a place where they could pray. Therefore, according to the subscription list, they began to collect money for the church. The most significant amount - one hundred thousand rubles - was given by the manufacturer Voronin, the owner of the weaving factory. He requested permission to arrange a family tomb in the church. The temple was erected on Dvinskaya street near Ekaterinofka. It was built by engineer Kosyakov Sr. with the participation of Pravdzik. The Epiphany Church was built eight years: from 1891 to 1899.
Temple description
The architect made an attempt to combine the Old Russian and Byzantine styles. The Epiphany Church is the main object for tourists visiting Gutuevsky Island (St. Petersburg). The temple was closed in 1935, it housed a soap factory. As a result, the interior was completely ruined. In the mid-70s of the last century, the facade of the church was a very miserable sight, depressing the former parishioners with sooty walls and a rusty dome. Later, warehouses of the Frunze department store were arranged in it. Everything changed in the 90s of the last century, when the Epiphany Church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
There are three thrones in the church. One of them is dedicated to the Epiphany, the other to the protector of travelers and sailors Nikolai the Wonderworker and John Postnik. There was a unique altar in the temple, completely made of snow-white marble. It looked like it was carved in ivory. Today only steps to the altar have been preserved.
Of the majolica, the Royal Gates were made . Inside the Epiphany Church was all painted. To date, it has been decided to restore the gates and the altar. It was decided to dedicate the Epiphany Church to the miraculous salvation of the Tsarevich: during the journey of the imperial family in the Japanese city, a policeman attacked Nicholas in order to stab him. In the basement there is still the burial of the family members of the manufacturer Voronin.
Other significant objects
In addition to the temple, Gutuevsky Island is known for its Baltic customs, the administrative building of the Seaport of St. Petersburg, and the University of Water Communications.
An interesting building on the island can be called the House of Culture of sailors. It began to be built in the 30s of the last century, and completed after 20 years. As a result, the building turned into an incredible mix of architectural styles.
In a small area on which Gutuevsky Island is located, there is a monument dedicated to sailors and ships of the Baltic Shipping Company.
Objects of architecture of past centuries
Those involved in the history of architecture will be interested to look at the buildings of the former bone-burning and gluing factories. Their usual buildings today look almost like knight's castles with battlements, arches, loopholes, bars ...
Small and Big Frisky Islands
If you look from the Gutuevsky bridge to the south, then right in the middle of Yekateringofka you can see a very small piece of land. This is Small Frisky islet. To the west was his brother, Bolshoi, but today he no longer exists, because as a result of falling asleep, he disappeared from the maps. Today it is considered part of the Gutuevsky island.
Such a very unusual name has its own history. Even at the time of Peter the merchants from Ostashkov began to come to Petersburg. Here they traded fish. Having become rich very soon, they eventually began to deliver their goods to the imperial court. And on a knocked-together condition, they began to buy land, including several islets. So there appeared Big Frisky and Small Frisky. Where do such names come from?
Merchants were known as Rezvova, and, apparently, the island is so named by analogy with their "playfulness." Interestingly, the most active of them - Terenty Sergeyevich Rezvov eventually received the title of Hereditary Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg, and one of his grandchildren became a nobleman and changed his name to Rezvy. Now this island is occupied by military facilities, so it is impossible to get on it. It can only be seen from the bridge.