Beautiful Sunday: A walk around the Admiralty

The Admiralty was built by the Russian architect Andreyan Zakharov in the 1720s. It is a fine example of Classicist architecture and one of the symbols of our city. The ship on the spire of the Admiralty is often used as the logo of various city festivals and events. The Admiralty has become the compositional centre of the layout of the central part of the city. Three streets diverge from the Admiralty in straight beams; these are Nevsky Prospect, Gorokhovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospect. Each of these streets overlooks the central part of the building.

The main purpose of constructing the Admiralty was not at all to create an architectural dominant or a beautiful symbol. This building was erected on the site of the Admiralty Shipyard, and inside there were forges, mast and sailing workshops, and by the Neva River there were slipways and slipways for building rowing and sailing wooden ships. The Admiralty occupied a large area and had a length of bounding walls.

Although the Admiralty building itself has changed little, it has long since lost its significance as a shipyard, and sea and river vessels are now built in large shipyards. In the 19th and 20th centuries the city squares around the Admiralty were occupied for purposes far removed from shipbuilding. A large park appeared on one side of the old building, and on the other side, buildings were built that completely blocked the view of one of the Admiralty's facades.

In that way the Admiralty is simultaneously the most visible architectural landmark and the most hidden; you have to wander around the courtyards for a long time to see the part of the facade that faces the Neva River. The part of the building blocked by the trees of the park is much more accessible. A narrow, quiet street runs along the entire façade on that side and there's nothing to stop one from taking a stroll down the street. That's exactly the kind of walk I took this time. At the end I reached the Neva embankment and turned left into the park, towards the monument to Emperor Peter the Great. During my walk, the evening twilight had turned to night, and I was at the end of the blue hour near the monument.