Alexander Park

North of the crownwork of the Peter and Paul Fortress lies Alexander Park — one of St Petersburg's first public parks, laid out on the site of the fortress's former glacis. Today it is a lively public space on the Petrograd Side, home to museums, monuments and even a metro station within its boundaries.

The idea of creating a park on this long-vacant wasteland was first put forward by Alexander I, who commissioned architect Adam Menelaws to design it, but the plan remained only on paper. It was Finance Minister Yegor Kankrin who finally brought the idea to life: in January 1842 he obtained Nicholas I's permission to lay out a park “for the benefit of the public” and commissioned a new, more economical design from architect Anton Kutsy. The territory was placed under the administration of the Mint, and the minister himself personally selected the trees and shrubs together with gardener Gusev. The onset of the Crimean War and the death of Nicholas I halted further improvement of the eastern part of the former glacis.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the park gained several major buildings: in 1898–1900, on the initiative of Prince Alexander of Oldenburg, architect Georgy Lyutsedarsky erected the People's House, later expanded to include the People's Auditorium — today these buildings house the Music Hall and the city planetarium. In 1902–1905 architect Roman Meltzer built the Orthopaedic Clinical Institute for the park in the Art Nouveau style, its façade adorned with a majolica panel of “The Madonna and Child” designed by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin. In 1903 the new Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt, laid out toward the Trinity Bridge, divided the park into two parts.

In 1923 the park was renamed in honour of Lenin, who had twice given speeches at the People's House, though its historic name was later restored. In 1963 the Gorkovskaya metro station opened on its grounds. A major reconstruction in 2002–2003, designed by Galina Sholokhova, added a new pedestrian zone, hundreds of trees and shrubs, and modern lighting. In 2011 the park gained a feature unique in Russia — “Mini-City,” a park of bronze miniatures of St Petersburg landmarks — along with the “Architects” sculptural group, dedicated to the architects of the imperial era.

Today Alexander Park is officially divided into two sections — the western part, between Kronversky Embankment and Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt, and the eastern square beyond the prospekt, which has kept the shared historic name despite attempts at renaming. Among the park's monuments are the memorial to the destroyer “Steregushchy,” unveiled in 1911, and a bronze figure of the Apostle Peter dating from 2008. Regular upgrades to lighting and landscaping continue to this day.

Alexander Park remains living proof of how a once-empty military territory was transformed into a fully-fledged urban space for leisure, science and remembrance. By bringing together museums, a metro station and memorial sites within a single area, the park plays a notable role in the everyday life of the Petrograd Side.