ANICHKOV GARDEN

Location : ANICHKOV GARDEN

Saint Petersburg.

In the area around the Anichkov Palace, between Sadovaya Street and the Fontanka River, there is the Anichkov Palace Garden. On November 11, 1743, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered the transfer of the gardener of the Strelinsky Manor Ludwig Kinder Tapers to Petersburg “for breeding in her new … house, which has Anichkov’s bridge, garden.”

In the XVIII century, the garden of the Anichkov Palace occupied a very large territory: from the palace to Sadovaya Street. During the reign of Paul I, its size decreased significantly. The garden took its final form in 1818, after Alexander I presented the palace to Anichkov with his brother, the future Emperor Nicholas I. The new owner began to rebuild his estate, for which architect Carl Rossi was invited. The territory was cleaned of garbage and temporary buildings, decorated with the Garden Building and two service pavilions, and also fenced from Nevsky Prospect and the future Ostrovsky Square with a cast-iron grate.

Since 1923, concerts in the Anichkov Garden hosted concerts of the Leningrad Philharmonic, which did not then have its permanent premises. Gradually, pop stars: Isaac Dunaevsky, Claudia Shulzhenko and others added to the stars of classical music performing here. Young Arkady Raikin and Leonid Utesov gave concerts there. During the day there were children’s concerts and performances, in the evenings – performances for adults. Anichkov Garden was given a new name – “Rest Garden”. The garden was used as a concert venue until 1967, when it finally became part of the Pioneer Palace located in the Anichkov Palace.

In 1992, the Palace of Pioneers changed its name, becoming the City Palace of Youth Creativity, and the garden again became known as the Anichkov Palace Garden.