The name of the square in honor of St. Isaac’s Cathedral
The Square is named after St. Isaac Cathedral, which was constructed in 1818-1858 by Auguste Montferrand. The massive dark brown building is the former German embassy built by Peter Von Berentz.
The Blue bridge
The Blue bridge is called so because of the colour of its railing. It is the widest bridge of our city; it is 99.9 meters wide.
The former palace of Grand Duchess Maria
The former palace of Grand Duchess Maria, the daughter of Nicholas I was created by architect Stakenschneider in 1844 as a wedding gift; she married prince Maximilian Leichtenberg, nephew of Napoleon. From the late 19th century it was used as the State Council Building, and now it houses the legislative committee of the City Hall (Municipal Council).
The monument to Nicholas I
In the centre of the square you can see one of the rarest equestrian statues in the world,the monument to Nicholas I, unveiled in 1859 and designed by architect Montferrandand sculptor Peter Clodt. The statue has only 2 points of support, the hind legs of the horse. Four female figures decorate the pedestal. They symbolize four virtues of Nicholas I: justice, wisdom, faith and love. At the same time these statues resemble his wife and three daughters of the emperor.
The hotel Astoria
The dark brown building to the right of the St-Isaac’s Cathedral is the hotel Astoriabuilt by Lidval in 1912 in the Art -Nouveau style. Hitler planned to have a banquet party here in 1941 after the fall of the city. The building to the right of the St-Isaac’s Cathedral is the former palace of Prince Rostovsky built by Montferrand in 1819.
