St. Petersburg is not only palaces and estates of nobles, granite embankments and monuments to emperors. Parks and gardens with fountains and perfect lawns add freshness to the city, diluting the strict pre-revolutionary architecture.
Greening the city began under Peter I and continues to this day. How and why the gardens and parks of the northern capital were built - read in our article.
And if you are planning to rent a hotel in St. Petersburg with a view of the park, choose the Express Sadovaya hotel next to the cozy Nikolsky Garden.
Landscaping was an important part of the improvement of the new capital, and Peter I closely monitored the planting of trees in the new city.
The Emperor ordered the residents of St. Petersburg to plant several maples and other crops on their plots. And if the violator ignored Peter’s decree, then the police did the planting instead, but the trees were purchased at the expense of the owner of the house.
At the expense of the treasury, trees were planted near government institutions and on those streets of St. Petersburg where there were no residential buildings yet. And existing plantings were strictly forbidden to be cut down for firewood, and those who violated the law were severely punished.
However, due to the construction of roads and buildings, trees had to be cut down. In this case, permission was required from the Forestry Administration Office, which carried out an examination and determined the need for felling.
The project for a large garden off the banks of the Neva appeared already in the first years of construction of St. Petersburg. In 1704, Peter I ordered the delivery of various plants, flowers and herbs from Moscow. In 1706, large-scale construction of fountains and alleys began. Sculptures were installed on the territory and perennial plants brought from different countries were planted.
The Summer Garden became the first park complex in St. Petersburg, and according to Peter’s idea, it was supposed to outstrip the garden at the Palace of Versailles in its scale and grandeur. Therefore, the emperor took a personal part in its construction and controlled every bush and sculpture.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several large parks, dozens of small squares and neat rows of shrubs along the main streets of the city appeared in St. Petersburg. The northern capital was green and blooming right before the collapse of the USSR.
After 1991, the institution responsible for landscaping St. Petersburg was liquidated. They stopped caring for the trees and bushes, and all the plantings began to die out without proper care. Moreover, trees began to be cut down en masse, widening the roadways.
Nevertheless, the problem of greening the city has found a response from private initiatives and volunteers. There are several organizations in St. Petersburg that use voluntary donations to plant trees and shrubs on the streets.
Are you planning to rent a hotel in St. Petersburg closer to the green zone? Choose Express Sadovaya Hotel to spend your vacation in the city center, close to the most beautiful parks and gardens of the northern capital.
