After visiting the palaces, museums and cathedrals of Saint Petersburg, it’s time for the gardens. Tired after a long day of tours with our guides, you will want to sit in the shade of the trees and enjoy a refreshing local traditional drink.
In this article we recommend 5 gardens to visit and enjoy, unique places more similar to the paradises of fairy tales.
Peter the Great Botanical Garden
The history of the Peter the Great Botanical Garden dates back to the founding of St. Petersburg.
At that time, for the needs of hospitals, apothecary gardens were created, where medicinal herbs were grown.
Gradually, the territory of the garden increased, new plants appeared, and scientists conducted research there. Under the reign of each emperor, the garden underwent significant changes and expansion, thanks to which, by the beginning of the 20th century, it had one of the largest plant collections in the world.
However, all this splendor was destined to die in the fires of the Great Patriotic War: trees were damaged by incendiary shells, greenhouses were destroyed during shelling, and the entire landscape was dotted with bomb craters.
After the war, the garden was planned to be closed, but thanks to the enthusiasm and efforts of many people, a gradual restoration of the destroyed plants was achieved.
Since the fateful war, a tradition of hanging ribbons of St. George on the trees that survived the war appeared, this tradition continues to this day.
Summer garden another jewel of the gardens of Saint Petersburg
Like most of the historical sights in St. Petersburg, the Summer Garden was built by order of Peter I on a separate island in the center of the city.
The emperor himself participated in the design of the garden, which was built according to all the trends of the early 18th century: straight alleys with trees and bushes of a strict geometric shape.
The summer garden got its name not because of the fact that Peter I lived in the local residence during the warm season, but because of the annual flowers that were planted every year.
For a long time, the garden remained a closed imperial residence, and under the reign of Nicholas I it was opened to the whole world.
To enter, visitors had to pay a small fee and dress decently, so peasants and poor townspeople were not seen in the Summer Garden in those days.
Since then, the landscape has changed many times, but managed to retain the features that appeared in the time of Peter the Great.
Tavrichesky Garden
Tavrichesky Garden is one of the largest gardens in Saint Petersburg. It is located in the central part of the city, close to other famous places in the Northern capital; the Smolny Cathedral, the Suvorov Museum, the “Water Universe” Museum and others. The area of the Garden is about 21.1 hectares.
Main structure of the park is the Tavrichesky Palace, from whose name, the garden got its name. Together, the Palace and the park form a single landscape and architectural complex.
The Garden was inaugurated during the reign of Catherine II (in 1780). Garden specialist William Gould worked on the Tavrichesky Park project.
Over the years, it was considered the best Garden in St. Petersburg and was only available to royalty.
After the revolution, the Garden was renamed “Park of Culture and Recreation named after the First Five-Year Plan”. The historical name was returned to the garden in 1975.
Over the years, many buildings and structures were built in the Tavrichesky Garden, which significantly changed its original appearance.
In addition, the park was heavily damaged during bombing during World War II.
The reconstruction of the Tavrichesky Garden took place from the end of 1990 to the beginning of 2000.
Today on its territory there are the Greenhouse, the Gazprom sports complex, the Center of the history of parliamentarism, as well as various monuments.
Yusupovsky Garden in St. Petersburg
Yusupovsky Garden, located between the Fontanka embankment and Sadova Street in the Admiralteysky district of St. Petersburg, is a true oasis in the center of the metropolis.
The spreading branches of trees, the age of which has passed for a century, completely isolate from the buzz and bustle of the city.
Often the Yusupov Garden is confused with the park near the Yusupov Palace on the bank of the Moika Canal.
Initially, the territory of the Yusupov Garden was 2 times larger.
The realization of the garden began in 1724, when Peter I transferred the territory to a participant in many military campaigns, a representative of the princely family, General Gregory Yusupov.
Since then, the garden has changed in appearance along with the changes in the residence of the Yusupovs.
At the end of the 18th century, the Yusupov Garden became a model of luxury. The pond was one, but with 4 islets. Hills were poured into the territory, in one of them, called Parnassus, a grotto with an arch was erected among many other luxurious works.
Shortly before the sale of the estate to the city treasury in 1810, Yusupov made an attempt to turn part of the territory into a public park, but the idea failed.
In 1863, by order of Emperor Alexander II, the Northern part of the Yusupov Garden was opened for free visits by citizens.
Winter Palace Garden
The Winter Palace Garden with an impressive fountain and flower beds is an example of the park architecture of the second half of the 19th century.
This Garden was intended to separate the Palace from the road: the crossing front of the Palace passage and the Admiralty Embankment created excessive noise.
It was also a kind of buffer that protected the Winter Palace from possible attempts against members of the imperial family.
On the second floor of the west wing were the rooms of the emperor with his wife, and on the first, the daughters’ bedrooms.
Furthermore, in the Winter Palace Garden itself, the emperor and his family could walk away from prying eyes.
The Garden was founded in 1896-1897 according to the drawings of the architect of the Ministry of the Imperial Court.
Sketch of the cast-iron fence by the architect and artist Meltzer R. in the rastrellevsky baroque style with a pattern in the form of Acanthus leaves, the emblem of the emperor and the coat of arms pleased Nicholas II and his wife.
The installation of the Garden’s cast-iron fence ended only in 1902.
After the Bolshevik revolution and the Great Patriotic War, the garden lost much of its brightness and color. Only in 2007-2008, the Garden of the Winter Palace returned to its original appearance, when the fountain, originally made of granite, was restored.
The Garden area is 1.09 hectares, it is a place to relax in the center of the city. An island of greenery and fresh air.
Visit some of the gardens of Saint Petersburg
Our tour guides in Saint Petersburg will give you recommendations and all the details to visit one or more gardens.
Do not hesitate to ask us your questions, contact us.
