Palace Square
(Dvorcova, Dvortsovaia, Dvortsovaja, Dvortsovaya, Dworzowaja, Dworzowa, Ploschad, Ploshchad, , in St. Petersburg, St.Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Saint-Petersbourg, Sankt-Petersburg, Sankt-Petersburg, -) .
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Palace Square is the first square of the Russian Empire and is perhaps the most important physical location or place in the Russian history of the past 300 years.
The square is arguably one of the most perfect urban spaces in existence anywhere, and is one of most beautiful squares in Europe. According to some theories the square might not have survived until today had WWI and the Bolshevist takeover not occurred. Several proposals to turn the entire square or some parts of it into a park or green field, with trees, grass, flowers and fountains, had been made by 1910. Luckily, none of these plans materialized, and the magnificent square, save for colors of buildings, which have changed over time, looks exactly as it did around 1837.
The name of the Palace Square comes from its most important building, the Winter Palace. Southern facade of the Winter Palace forms the northern side of the Palace Square. This is the fifth Winter Palace built between 1754 and 1762 under supervision of Bartholomeo Rastrelli. At the time of the palaces construction, the space that is known as Palace Square was just a green field, where military parades were occasionally held. The center of the square is marked by the Montferrands Alexandrian Column (or Alexanders Column), worlds largest triumphal column and, at 704 tons, also the worlds largest single piece of polished granite. The northern edge of the building is occupied by the curved facade of the imperial General Staff and ministries of finance and foreign affairs connected by Rossis triumphal arch. Other buildings of this ensemble are the Small or Maly Hermitage, the New or Novy Hermitage and the western facade of the General Staff building of the Guards Corps.
Palace Square is a beautiful place with an incredibly strong feeling of history. Everyone and anyone who ever lived or simply visited St. Petersburg walked upon it. So when you are here, think of all the people who preceded you and whose steps the Square remembers. The Palace Square saw all Russian emperors and members of the royal family since 1700s, most Russian generals, composers, architects, poets, writers and scientists walked here at least once. The Square remembers footsteps of many illustrious foreigners; politicians and heads of state: John Quincy Adams, young Queen Victoria, Otto von Bismarck, , kings, presidents and prime ministers of most historic European nations; composers and musicians: Chopin, Berlioz, Wagner, Strauss, Liszt, Schumann, Verdi: writers and thinkers; Denis Diderot, Alexandre Dumas, Theophille Gauthier, Honore de Balzac and a multitude of less famous literary personalities who came to the city even in the Soviet era (like George Bernard Shaw); innumerable scientists, inventors and industrialists: Bernoulli, Nobel (the Nobel Prize has its origins in St. Petersburg and in Russian industry), San Galli all left their invisible footmarks in this square.
So look around, think of all the famous and no so famous people who were here before you, and enjoy a walk around this magnificent Square.
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