Alexander Nevsky Square is one of the most famous squares in St. Petersburg.
The square is ancient and legendary. Its center is decorated with a monumental monument to Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky.
The square is located at the south-eastern edge of the central district of St. Petersburg. It crowns one of the most visited and beautiful streets of the city - Nevsky Prospekt, and marks the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
During the history of the square was called:
- until 1923-Alexander Nevsky Square (after the monastery of the same name located nearby);
- from 1923 to 1952-Red Square (for anti-religious propaganda and " for the purpose of expressing the revolutionary spirit of the time»);
- since 1952-Alexander Nevsky Square-the name was assigned to the 250th anniversary of St. Petersburg.
The formation of this area takes its history from the foundation of the nearby monastery, which was founded in 1710 and dedicated to the holy Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky and which in 1779 was awarded the status of the Lavra - this is the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
As a square, the area was created in 1784-1790 by the architect Ivan Yegorovich Starov, as a space in front of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Approximately in the same years, the same architect created the Gate Church in the name of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Mourn", which is the main entrance (entrance) to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and is located on the south-eastern side of Alexander Nevsky Square (behind the monument to Alexander Nevsky).
From the gate church in both directions departs stone semicircular fences, which emphasize the boundaries of the monastery territory.
View of the gate church and the fences of the monastery complex, as well as the monument to Alexander Nevsky on Alexander Nevsky Square
On the western side of the square there is a stone fence of the monastery with the building of the former Lavra almshouse built into the fence.
The small building of the former almshouse is designed in the style of strict classicism and overlooks Alexander Nevsky Square. Read more about the Alexander Nevsky Lavra…
The center of the square is decorated with an equestrian monument to Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, installed in 2002-for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.
The monument was made by the sculptor Valentin Kozenyuk.
In 2005, bas-reliefs depicting the Ice Battle and the transfer of the relics of Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg were installed on the pedestal of the monument, made of pink granite. In the last bas-relief was inserted a piece of the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky. On the pedestal there is an inscription: "To the Holy Great Prince Alexander Nevsky in 2002".
The image of Alexander Nevsky depicted in the monument does not have a portrait resemblance, but rather is a collective one.
Alexander Nevsky Square stretches in a north-easterly direction - up to the drawbridge of Alexander Nevsky across the Neva.
Before the construction of the bridge after the Great Patriotic War, there were stone barns built in the middle of the 19th century. Most of the barns were rented out to grain merchants for a fee of 1,100 rubles a year.
On the north-eastern side of the square stands a shopping center and a hotel
The 4-star Moscow Hoteloffers some rooms with views of the Neva River and the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
The seven-storey building of the hotel was built in 1974-1979 according to the project of the group under the leadership of D. S. Goldgor.
In 2005-2007, the building was reconstructed according to the project of architects V. M. Freifeld and D. B. Sedakov, as a result of which the facades were changed, the building received an attic floor, and inside, in addition to the hotel, there is also a shopping center.
In the hotel: restaurants, including panoramic restaurant beef bar, free Wi-Fi, spa and wellness center, private Parking. On the floors there are coolers with hot and cold drinking water.
Each roomhere will provide you with a refrigerator, air conditioning, a free safety deposit box and free toiletries. Most rooms have an electric kettle.
Breakfast is included in the room rate. Link to the hotel
The address of the hotel and shopping center: Alexander Nevsky Square, 2.
The lobby of the metro station "Alexander Nevsky Square 1" (line M3) is located near the building of the shopping center and the hotel "Moscow". The station is a transfer hub to the trains of the fourth line.
Near Alexander Nevsky Square, at the intersection of Chernoretsky Lane and Nevsky Prospekt, there is a building where the lobby of the metro station "Alexander Nevsky Square 2" (line M4) is located.
The wall of the lobby above the escalator passage is decorated with a mosaic panel "Ice Battle", made according to the sketch of the artist A. K. Bystrov.
The station is an interchange point for trains on the Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya line (M3).
All accommodation facilities in Saint Petersburg, including in the city center and near Alexander Nevsky Square, can be viewed and booked here
