Elagin Island: all the most interesting things. Elagin Island. Palace and park complex. Pavilion at the Granite Pier - Pavilion under the flag Let's start with amazing scenery

The pearl of the palace and park ensemble, built on Elagin Island according to Rossi’s design in the 1820s, is considered the Elaginoostrovsky Palace. For the first time in our country, the center around which the ensemble was built was not the square, but the Butter Meadow. In the interiors of the palace, a huge role was given to decorative design. All materials and all craftsmen were exclusively domestic, which was unusual and very patriotic for that time. Nowadays the palace, restored after the war, operates as a museum.

On the territory of the Orangery building you can find one of the most amazing museums in the city. It owes its uniqueness to the collection located within its walls, the basis of which is the products of the Leningrad glass factory. The main exhibition presents the best products of master glassblowers, which were carefully collected from 1940 to 1990.

The eastern part of Elagin Island is closed by a small pavilion, built according to the design of the famous architect Karl Ivanovich Rossi. The building is a rectangular object with an open rotunda skillfully incorporated into it. The elegant pavilion at one time began to be called “Milovida”, but in fact its official name is the Flag Pavilion, because the imperial flag was raised above the flat dome when members of the royal family came to the island.

In 1826, a pavilion appeared on Elagin, which they wanted to adapt as housing for duty officers. However, in the 19th century, concerts began to be given on holidays under the roof of the semi-rotunda with a colonnade. The music pavilion was rebuilt several times, and in the 1980s it was restored to its historical form. Nowadays, the building is periodically filled with music: for example, the famous “Yellow Piano” came here, where anyone could play, and on summer days dancers rehearse here, playing music on a portable player. Do not be surprised. By the way, during the summer at Elagin, military bands perform musical works, but for some reason they do not gather in the Music Pavilion.

Although in the vastness of the Central Park there are many secluded corners where notes of romance are clearly felt, none of them compares with the gazebo “about four stone pillars”. The 18th-century building, created by the chief chamberlain of the imperial court, Ivan Elagin, rises above the island on the third southern pond. It is immediately clear that there was no need to think long about the name for the pavilion. The gazebo is well preserved. It came to us in the “rework” of Karl Ivanovich Rossi. The famous architect “fit” the pavilion into the overall appearance - he added strict elements of late classicism and tinted it in the gray color inherent in the overall ensemble of the green zone.

Iconic figures of lions against the backdrop of an iconic view of the bay. But they shouldn't have been here at all. They were installed and repaired on the Elagin Spit of the island in 1927, when they were already a century and a half old. It is not known exactly when these lions were sculpted. At first, according to scientists, these sculptures were intended for Stroganov’s dacha, then they were transported to his own property near the Chernaya Rechka. There they stood until the beginning of the 20th century. Then they moved to the Putilovsky plant (now Kirovsky). And only after a terrible flood in 1924, for lack of funds for new lions, these lions were installed on the destroyed shores of Elagin Island. Now this is one of the favorite places of all vacationers in St. Petersburg.

During a series of warm days, many come to the Central Park of Culture and Culture not only to take a walk, but also to exercise. Running clubs organize runs here, and rollerbladers and skaters ride along the smooth asphalt paths. The park has its own roller rink with an area of 800 sq.m. You can find it near the Nota cafe. Here there is smooth asphalt and several figures for extreme skiing (for example, an iron ramp). Here you can just ride or take part in freestyle competitions.

Volleyball is also played on the island. For this purpose, several volleyball stands have been installed on the beach. To play, you need to stock up on your own net, ball and, of course, desire.

Last year, a rope park was added to the sports entertainment. The park on Elagin consists of 4 tracks, 50 stages and 12 zip lines.

Few people know that in the vast expanses of the popular green area you can find masterpieces of world art in the public domain, and even transferred from the flat dimension of the canvas to a three-dimensional form. Thus, in 2012, near the Konyushenny building on Elagin Island, a sculpture of Alexander Taratynov was installed, who creates three-dimensional embodiments of classical paintings. One glance is enough to recognize in the composition the famous painting by Henri Matisse “Dance”, the original of which is kept in the Hermitage.

Once upon a time, Elagin Island was inhabited by brown bears, but with the arrival of man, the bears had to leave the island and settle in less noisy places, where no one would disturb or stare. However, Elagin Island remained inhabited: now it is inhabited by friendly birds and wonderful squirrels, who are so accustomed to the townspeople that they are happy to be taken into your hands, as long as you have something tasty with you. But the island is not only filled with fluffy pranksters and songbirds. There is also a mini-zoo, established in 2005 on the historical site of a farm where various domestic animals lived. Now there are quite comfortable enclosures here, which are inhabited by reindeer, the chipmunk Susie and the fox Alice, who was thrown to Elagin in a box.

The picturesque park is replete with tall trees, well-groomed flower beds and clean ponds. Here you can stroll along the wide alleys or from the pier go on an exciting boat trip on a boat or catamaran in the company of majestic swans. The boat station usually opens in early May.

The history of the development of Elagin Island began with the emergence of a new capital, St. Petersburg, on the banks of the Neva. At the beginning of the 18th century, the northernmost of the islands in the Neva delta, which received the name Mishin ¹, It was a wooded and swampy area, periodically flooded by the Neva waters. To improve the island, Peter I gave it to one of his associates - Vice-Chancellor P.P. Shafirov, who did not immediately begin to settle in his possessions, since he was abroad for a long time in the diplomatic service.

¹ The original name Mishin or Mikhailin corresponded to the pre-Petrine name on Swedish and Finnish maps: Mistulasaari - as the locals called the island - literally means “Bear Island”. Such names were characteristic of this area, abundant in game, and had long been favored by Finnish hunters. And other islands of the Neva delta had similar names: Zayachiy, Losiny (that was the name of the current Vasilyevsky Island), Koshachiy (now Kanonersky), Vorony (now Aptekarsky). However, the new city required its own explanations, St. Petersburg needed its own - a heroic myth. And such a myth appeared. This is what another (already exclusively St. Petersburg) legend says, as retold by Stolpyansky:

Throughout the 18th century, among the owners of Mishin Island there were outstanding personalities: Prosecutor General of the Senate P.I. Yaguzhinsky, historian, archaeologist, publisher, philanthropist A.P. Melgunov, His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin-Tauride.

In 1777, the island was bought by its most famous owner, Ivan Perfilyevich Elagin, Catherine’s nobleman, chief chamberlain, chief director of court music and theater, writer, historiographer.

His active nature played a significant role in the history of the development of the island. Under Count Elagin, significant reclamation, hydraulic and park construction works: dug ponds and canals, sluices built, raised by filling often flooded areas, the banks are surrounded by a rampart, laid along the perimeter of the island ring road, clearings were cut, pavilions, gazebos, grottoes were built, bridges were thrown across canals and streams. In the eastern part, on the site of the current palace on a high terrace, a large stone house of three floors with a home church was built, and a regular garden was laid out next to it.

From that time on, the final name was assigned to the island - Elagin.

Many historical events are associated with the island. Catherine II loved to visit him. She was here when A.P. owned the island. Melgunov, G.A. Potemkin, willingly came to I.P. Elagin. A frequent guest of the Elagin estate was G.R. Derzhavin, who glorified fascinating walks and meetings on the island in his poem “Picnics”.

According to legend, Count Cagliostro stayed in Elagin’s house.

After Elagin’s death in 1794, the island changed its owners several times until it was sold to the treasury. In 1817, Alexander I acquired it with the aim of creating a summer residence for his “dear mother,” Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

For the Elaginoostrovskaya Church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, she embroidered an image of the Mother of God based on a drawing by Raphael, which was lost in 1929.

The design and construction of the palace and park ensemble on Elagin Island was entrusted to Karl Ivanovich Rossi (1775-1849). This was the architect's first major commission in St. Petersburg.

The Elaginoostrovsky ensemble was built in the style of late Russian classicism (Empire style).

In addition to one of the best landscape parks in Europe with an area of 96 hectares and a palace, it included a number of service buildings - the Kitchen, Stables and Greenhouse buildings, the house of the gardener P. Buk, the ladies-in-waiting buildings, as well as several pavilions - the Musical Pavilion, the Flag Pavilion, the Guardhouse ( now lost).

In front of the palace there is a wide Butter Meadow, where sleigh rides were held on Maslenitsa in winter.

In the regular part of the park, oak trees are preserved, remembering Maria Feodorovna and Alexander I. To the north of the palace stretches a vast landscape park with ponds and groves. The long circular paths were once used for horseback riding.

On the embankment, near the granite pier, a pavilion was built, above which the imperial flag was raised on a high flagpole during the stay of the imperial family on the island. The palace and park on Elagin Island were an example of a suburban estate intended for private life with family and closest friends.

There were almost no “undertakings” here, usual for ceremonial imperial residences. The “program” included only the simplest entertainment: horseback riding, boat rides in the summer, and sleigh rides in the winter, dinners and musical evenings with the family.

The center of the architectural composition is the palace. It was erected on the site of I.P.’s old house. Elagin with preservation of the former foundation and external walls.

K. Rossi paid special attention to the layout of the park, giving it a landscape character. The famous master of gardening art of the early 19th century, D. Bush, worked on its creation along with C. Rossi. The park consists of interconnected parts that have their own artistic characteristics - the Own Garden, the Old English Garden, the New English Garden, the Butter Meadow, the Grove and the Western Arrow.

Elagin Island remained in the possession of the Romanov imperial family until 1917. After the revolution in 1918, a museum of noble life was organized within its walls, which did not last long - in 1929 it was disbanded, and its unique collection was partially sold. A significant part of the objects of decorative and applied art was transferred to the State Russian Museum and the State Hermitage. For some time, the palace housed a branch of the Institute of Plant Growing of the Academy of Sciences.

In 1926, a granite terrace appeared on the western spit of Elagin Island, decorated with sculptures of lions. Before the construction of the highway interchange, this place was one of the favorites of photographers and artists.

It is not for nothing that the arrow of Elagin Island is one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.

True, even now you can find a good angle. How long will it be like this?

In 1932, the Central Park of Culture and Culture named after. CM. Kirov, which still exists today.

The Great Patriotic War did not spare the Elaginostrovsky Palace. In January 1942, the roof and ceiling were destroyed by a shell that exploded in the basement of the palace, causing a strong fire. The rich interiors of the palace were destroyed in the merciless flames.

In 1946, restoration of the palace began, which lasted for fifteen long years. In 1961, a one-day recreation center for workers was opened within the walls of the restored building.

And only in 1987 the Elaginoostrovsky Palace became a museum. Its official name is “Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts and Interior of the 18th-20th centuries.

It will take years to revive the lost appearance of the beautiful park and fill the interiors of the palace with objects of decorative and applied art. And it must be said that the museum workers are not sitting idle: the museum is carrying out collecting and research work, and pavilions are being restored. In addition to traditional excursions, thematic and costumed excursions are conducted. You can even go to a real ball, for example, with Empress Maria Feodorovna))).

And on the territory of the park - Tiptoe, as St. Petersburg residents lovingly call the Central Park of Culture and Culture - temporary exhibitions, large concerts, various festivals and cultural events are held.

So on August 29 of this year (2015) Central Park of Culture and Culture named after. Kirova celebrates her birthday. In honor of this event, the park organizes a big festival “Literature. Music. A park"

There are also a lot of squirrels in the park. In my favorite Pavlovsk park, squirrels are not uncommon, there is even a holiday dedicated to these agile cute little animals, but it seems that in Chick there are even more of these fluffy beauties.

There is even a special sign on the island)))

Questions have arisen:

Who called the pavilion “Milovida” and when?

There is no such thing as an imperial flag; there may be an imperial standard, but it was flown only on ships and (in the palace version) above the palace where the emperor resided. The pavilion does not fall into these categories. It is well known that St. Andrew's flag was raised over it.

On the eastern spit of the Elagin Island, where the Bolshaya and Middle Nevkas diverge, after restoration, the “Pavilion under the Flag” was opened - one of the earliest works of Carl Rossi.
The granite jetty pavilion with access to the water is located in a relatively unknown part of the park; its main façade faces directly onto the Ushakovsky Bridge. This building is decidedly not similar to the empire-style buildings of Russia: rather, it is a style designated by Igor Grabar as “strict classicism.” This is Russian Palladianism: Quarenghi, Starov, Cameron: a rectangular volume and a semicircular colonnade. A six-column open semi-rotunda overlooks the turnout, under the roof of which there is a surprisingly ringing echo. The façade facing the park is framed by eight Doric colonnades.
The Pavilion has a vestibule and two small rooms symmetrical to it. The Elagin Palace ensemble was built by Rossi in 1818-1822 for the widowed (after the death of Paul I) Empress Maria Feodorovna. By this time, the porphyry-bearing widow - already a middle-aged woman of sixty - was reluctant to drag herself to her main country residences - Pavlovsk and Gatchina. She spent the winters in the Anichkov Palace, and in the summer she went to Elagin. The “Pavilion under the Flag” was the actual pier building; the islands were usually reached by water. St. Andrew's flag was raised on the roof just when Maria Feodorovna was moving to Elagin Island. Here one could have a meal with the courtiers and family; here the empress painted, embroidered, and carved bones on rainy days. After the death of Maria Feodorovna, Nicholas I lived on the island, and in the second half of the 19th century it remained a reserve residence; the grand dukes stayed here and the crowned guests of the Romanovs stayed. Since 1906, the Elagin Palace became the residence of prime ministers: so the restored pavilion remembers Sergei Witte, Pyotr Stolypin, Ivan Goremykin.
The biggest mystery of the “Pavilion under the Flag” is the perfectly preserved basement of the 18th century discovered during the restoration. It appeared under Ivan Elagin, who owned the island from the 1770s to 1807. Apparently, already under him there was a certain building on this place, which Rossi rebuilt. Meanwhile, Ivan Porfiryevich Elagin, a favorite of Catherine II, a statesman, theatergoer, writer, collector of ancient Russian literature, was also the head of Russian Freemasonry. He created a whole system of so-called Elagin lodges. They were famous for their openness; their meetings were accompanied by music playing. When the Freemasons were subjected to repression in the 1790s, Elagin and his comrades continued to gather quietly.
A version appeared in the media: the basement is nothing more than a room where a Masonic lodge met under the leadership of Ivan Elagin. And the dungeon was connected through secret passages to the Elagin Palace and Stone Island. This is, of course, nonsense. Firstly, the height of the basement - about one and a half meters - does not allow a person of even average height to be here freely. Secondly, the Freemasons were not like the friends of Gaidar’s Timur, whose team, as is known, gathered in a specially equipped attic. The Freemasons met in palace drawing rooms, not in the dungeons of Gothic novels. The restorers did not find any underground passages. However, the purpose of the basement is really not clear (pantry? wine cellar? torture chamber?). The Rossiyev pavilion, restored with English money, is mysterious in itself, without the Freemasons.
LEV LURIE They dug up a basement under the flag // Newspaper "Kommersant St. Petersburg", No. 120 (2489), 07/12/2002

Pyotr Arkadyevich lived on Elagin Island with his family in the summer from 1907 to 1911 at the invitation of Nicholas II. The island in the Neva delta became the royal residence in 1816. The first mentions of the island in Russian written sources date back to the first half of the 18th century, when it was called Misha Island. Mishin may have been consonant with the Finnish name Mistulansaari.

The island began to be “inhabited” on the initiative of Peter I. In the 18th century, the island often changed owners, one of them was Prince Grigory Potemkin, who sold the island to Ivan Perfilyevich Elagin. In 1786, a palace was built on the island and an English park with ponds and canals was laid out, at which time the name Elagin Island was established. The park on the island was opened to public visits for the first time.

In 1817, by decree of Emperor Alexander I, Elagin island was purchased by the treasury. Alexander I wished to create a residence on the island for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. A commission was created to rebuild the palace on the island, and the project was entrusted to the architect Carlo Rossi. He completely rebuilt I.P.’s house. Elagin, leaving only strong external walls, giving the new palace features of the Empire style. The powerful rotunda in the center of the building was complemented on both sides by side porticoes with pediments and columns of the Corinthian order. The western façade was decorated by C. Rossi with a portico with six columns.

In 1822, the palace was ready; at the beginning of summer, from the pier opposite the Winter Palace, Alexander I took his mother and her retinue to the newly built country residence for the first time on a steamer. Rossi met the imperial steamer on the Granite pier of the island and organized a ceremonial display of his creation, which Maria Feodorovna liked. In addition to the palace, the architect built the “Flag Pavilion,” a semicircular rotunda in the shape of an ancient temple, a kitchen pavilion decorated with niches with statues of ancient gods, and a music pavilion. For K. Rossi, this project became a real victory and elevated him to the heights of world fame.

After the death of Maria Feodorovna, the palace served as the summer residence of the Romanovs. The interiors of the palace are remembered by the guests and owners of Elagin Island, Maria Stolypina recalls: “Despite its large size, the Elagin Palace turned out to be very cozy, and without spending a week in it, we began to feel as if this house had been familiar and dear to us for years. Downstairs there is a very beautiful oval hall with choirs, living rooms, an office and a reception room for the pope, as well as two always locked rooms in which Alexander III used to live. Upstairs there is a small living room and all the bedrooms, as well as a house church and two rooms for visitors.”

Palace from the 20th century

Like other royal estates, after the 1917 revolution the palace came under the jurisdiction of the Petrograd Council of People's Commissars. Until 1929, the palace housed a museum of history and life, then an institute of plant growing. In 1932, a cultural and recreation park was organized on the island, which in 1934 began to bear the name of S.M. Kirov, champion of the traditions of the Russian nobility. During the war, at the beginning of 1942, a fire started in the palace, in which the unique interiors of C. Rossi were destroyed. Restoration of the complex took place from 1952 to 1960, after which it served as a holiday home for Soviet citizens. Fortunately, in 1987, the Elagin Palace was given the status. On the ground floor, the empire interiors of C. Rossi were recreated.

How to get to Elagin Island? There are many ways, but this is not the main thing. Why do you need to go there, that is the question. And Elagin Island in St. Petersburg is attractive to many. Let's start from the beginning.

Let's start with amazing landscapes

The natural beauty of Elagin Island is due to the peculiarity of its location. It is located in the Neva delta, near its very mouth. It is washed on both sides by the Neva branches: the Bolshaya and Srednyaya Nevka, and on the seaside side by the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea.

Since ancient times, the coastal lands were low and marshy. Elagin Island is no exception. Over time, its territory, like others, was drained. As for the natural vegetation, it was previously represented by conifers, but over time, “exotics” - broad-leaved trees and various shrubs - began to be planted here. It is believed that the very first “exotic” trees were planted here under Peter I himself - oaks. Now the diversity of the island's flora is very great. I would especially like to note those places on the coastline along the network of inland water channels where willows bent over the water, forming natural silver arbors.

The park ensemble that has formed over time on Elagin Island is annually supplemented with fields and flower beds of various flowers in the spring and summer. The period when the tulip festival comes to Elagin Island is especially noteworthy. And this is truly a holiday! First of all, for the eyes and soul. It is impossible to remain indifferent to such beauty!

Elaginoostrovsky "zoo"

The natural fauna of Elagin Island in St. Petersburg is represented by a wide range of different types of fauna: fearless squirrels scurry back and forth along the paths and trees - red and blue, field and house mice, shrew and shrew, weasel and ermine, you can see a muskrat in the water. In the bird kingdom, in addition to the usual city “residents” - pigeons, crows, tits, sparrows, ducks, there are also migratory birds - chaffinch, nuthatch, blue tit, gray flycatcher, thrush, rook, nightingale, wagtail, woodpecker, duckling, mallard. In warm weather there are quite a large number of insects near the water.

Thanks to man, a small zoo was founded in the Elaginoostrovsky corner of St. Petersburg, where in aviary cages you can see: a black raven, a variety of chickens, pheasants, running ducks, mute swans, geese, reindeer, a Cameroon goat, the fox Alice, and a pet donkey Camilla and the sheep Masha.

It was located in the historical part of the park, on the site of a 19th-century farm, and from 2005 to 2010 it hosted zoological themed exhibitions. The mini-zoo has its own name - “Zoosphere” and is an interactive educational project, within the framework of which the Animal Trail is laid out.

A little history

Elagin Island in St. Petersburg in ancient times, when it was still inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes, had a Finnish name. In many sources it is given as "mistula saari". However, the proposed meaning of this toponym as “bearish” or “black” does not correspond to the translation from. The version “black island” can be considered closest in sound and spelling, only in this case its Finnish name will not be “mistula”, but “mystu”. Let us take as a starting point that the original Finnish name of the island was “Mistu-saari” - “Black Island”. According to legends, the guardsmen of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, at the beginning of Peter I’s exploration of these lands, called the island “Mishin”, since bears lived here.

Peter I, while rebuilding new territories as a European city of Russia, was very strapped for funds in the conditions of the Northern War, and therefore gave away lands in the vicinity of the new city to his associates, but on the condition that they would drain and improve them at their own expense. Elagin Island was donated to P.P. Shafirov. Over the entire 18th century, nine owners replaced each other here: P. Ya. Yaguzhinsky, A. P. Melgunov, G. A. Potemkin, I. P. Elagin, G. V. Orlov and others.

The greatest contribution to the formation of the Elagino Island ensemble was made by I. P. Elagin, in whose honor this territory would later be named.

In the 19th century, the estate was bought in favor of the state by Emperor Alexander I and for a century was considered one of the favorite suburban residences of the Romanovs. And how to get to Elagin Island was not a question for the previous owners - of course, by water.

Architectural ensemble

Elagin Island is quite large. To explore its architectural sights, of course, you can walk to them through the beautiful park. And if you are limited in time, how to get to Elagin Island so as to immediately get into its historical heart? Don’t get your hopes up, the palace and park buildings of the ensemble are grouped so that you still need to walk to get to them, but the shortest way is: from the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station, enter through the main entrance to the Central Park of Culture and Culture and, crossing the wooden bridge, walk either along the embankment to the right or follow the sign through the park alley.

And here in front of you is a complex of surprisingly slender and laconic buildings in the “antique” style. Only one master could build this way - the architect of St. Petersburg, Karl Ivanovich Rossi. The center of the entire composition is the Elaginoostrovsky Palace. In addition, the ensemble included the Armory, Kitchen and Stable buildings, the Music Pavilion, the Greenhouse, and the Pavilion with a granite pier.

Central Park of Culture and Culture yesterday

In this case, yesterday is a very relative concept. More like in the past tense. Why CPKiO? This is what Elaginoostrovsky Park was called in Soviet times, and this name meant culture and recreation. And even now the old name is used among the townspeople.

After the 1917 revolution, the estate was nationalized. And in 1932, a city park was opened in it, which two years after the opening would be named in honor of the Leningrad politician Sergei Mironovich Kirov. The park quickly became a place popular among Leningraders, not only because of its beauty, but also because of the abundance of leisure areas: sports, children's and dance areas, various club associations, chess and checkers tournaments, attractions and the possibility of boating.

In the post-war period, in its first decade, the ensemble was revived practically from ruins, and then again returned to the city as a place of active recreation for Leningraders. And a recreation center was opened in the palace. During this time, the park and architectural ensemble suffered greatly from vandalism. And only from the late 1980s did the Elaginoostrovsky ensemble begin its true revival.

Leisure center today

The revival of the historical estate began with the opening of the Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts and Interior in the restored palace building. Over time, the palace began to organize interactive educational programs that were popular among the townspeople, mainly for children and teenagers. And for adults, fascinating excursions are offered both around the palace itself, as well as interesting thematic routes throughout the palace and park ensemble. Various exhibitions and festivals are regularly held here, evenings are organized for those who are for..., there are dance, children's and sports grounds, a rope park and a hiking trail, as well as traditional boating and catamaran rides. Every year in June for the past seven years, street theaters on Elagin Island present their work as part of the annual international festival. In the summer, musical evenings and concerts are held in the Music Pavilion.

Here is another route for those who are looking for how to get to Elagin Island: from the Staraya Derevnya metro station, walk along to Primorsky Prospekt and cross the nearby bridge. And then - wherever your heart desires!