51. St. Petersburg Parks #1 - The Field of Mars

The Field of Mars is a long strip of mostly open parkland, situated between monumental buildings to the north and west (I'm not quite sure what some of these are currently used for, though they were clearly something important in years past), a street and small canal to the east, and the Moyka River to the south.

The view to the southwest from the east side of the park is spectacular, with the domes of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood rising majestically above the treetops. This perspective of the church is only rivaled by the view of the church from the south or north along Griboyedov Canal. The center of the park includes an eternal flame monument as well as the graves of several notables from the early twentieth century. At the north end, the streets along the edge of the park converge on the Troitskiy Bridge and the Neva River, bringing cool breezes into the field.

This is the only major park in the city center that opens up a bit - the rest are either smaller plots surrounded by buildings, or larger areas full of trees that restrict the view. On a nice early summer's day, many people come out to relax in the grass and laze in the sunshine. Located a brisk 30 minute walk from my house, this isn't a place I plan to return to every week, but during the summer months it's an especially nice place to rest while in the neighborhood.