138. St. Petersburg Parks #6 - Kirov Park on Yelagin Island
The Kirov Central Culture and Leisure Park occupies basically the entirety of Yelagin Island. It sits to the north of Krestovsky Island, so it's well out from the city center. Despite the overcast weather, I thought this would be a fun destination on a crisp Sunday afternoon. I walked around the circumference of the island and explored the interior, as well. This is perhaps the largest park I've been to in the main part of the city - only Gatchina, Pushkin, and Pavlosk in the suburbs seem larger.
There were numerous Russian visitors on Yelagin Island with the same idea about how to spend their Sunday afternoon. They were there mostly for a stroll on the paths that wind alongside the Neva River, Gulf of Finland, and the ponds scattered about the island's interior. Many people also come to see the historic buildings. Although quite popular with the locals, I don't think this is a frequent tourist destination and I did not notice any other foreigners in the park.
My primary motivation for coming here was a desire to tour Yelagin Palace, which is located at the eastern end of the island. It was designed in 1818 by my favorite St. Petersburg architect, Carlo Rossi (he's responsible for many prominent buildings in the city - perhaps a subject for a future blog post). The commission came to Rossi from Tsar Alexander I, and was intended to be a residence for his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Unfortunately, the building is currently closed for extensive renovations, from August 2016 through at least the summer of 2018, so I will not have the opportunity to see inside it while I'm living here. The exterior was certainly impressive. I also enjoyed seeing the exteriors of several the other historic buildings on the island - the Old Kitchen Pavilion, the Pavilion Under the Flag, and the Old Greenhouse Pavilion, in particular (and I will have more to write about what's inside the latter in my next post). The Western Arrow plaza at the western tip of the island provides a vantage point for great views into the Gulf of Finland and Krestovsky Island. The island also includes a variety of attractions aimed at children and families: a tiny zoo (home to a variety of exotic birds and a wolf), a duck pond, a high ropes course, pony rides, as well as several cafes and food stands posted at the busiest intersections. So it's no wonder that this is a popular park.
There were numerous Russian visitors on Yelagin Island with the same idea about how to spend their Sunday afternoon. They were there mostly for a stroll on the paths that wind alongside the Neva River, Gulf of Finland, and the ponds scattered about the island's interior. Many people also come to see the historic buildings. Although quite popular with the locals, I don't think this is a frequent tourist destination and I did not notice any other foreigners in the park.
My primary motivation for coming here was a desire to tour Yelagin Palace, which is located at the eastern end of the island. It was designed in 1818 by my favorite St. Petersburg architect, Carlo Rossi (he's responsible for many prominent buildings in the city - perhaps a subject for a future blog post). The commission came to Rossi from Tsar Alexander I, and was intended to be a residence for his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Unfortunately, the building is currently closed for extensive renovations, from August 2016 through at least the summer of 2018, so I will not have the opportunity to see inside it while I'm living here. The exterior was certainly impressive. I also enjoyed seeing the exteriors of several the other historic buildings on the island - the Old Kitchen Pavilion, the Pavilion Under the Flag, and the Old Greenhouse Pavilion, in particular (and I will have more to write about what's inside the latter in my next post). The Western Arrow plaza at the western tip of the island provides a vantage point for great views into the Gulf of Finland and Krestovsky Island. The island also includes a variety of attractions aimed at children and families: a tiny zoo (home to a variety of exotic birds and a wolf), a duck pond, a high ropes course, pony rides, as well as several cafes and food stands posted at the busiest intersections. So it's no wonder that this is a popular park.
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