Self-isolation is still valid, but we will reach real gardens and squares laden with greenery soon. And for now, we invite you to walk through three disappeared city parks: Pavlovsky Station, Aquarium and Luna Park.  

We will walk around St. Petersburg, which is closed to us because of the forced self-isolation regime, consider the facades of houses, and learn their stories and secrets.

Pavlovsky Music Station

Now: the lantern in Pavlovsky Park reminds of the station.
Where: Pavilion "Big Star" №50 - "Pavlovsky Music Station".

The word "station" came to us from England and meant entertainment with music and dancing. In St. Petersburg, such places appeared at the end of the 18th century - that is, before railway traffic was opened.  The fact is that at first people were afraid to travel by trains. To attract passengers, in 1838 a station was built in Pavlovsky Park, which was both a hotel and a playground for entertainment. Moreover, it was of a very high class: for ten seasons the orchestra was led by Johann Strauss-son, at different times Anna Pavlova and Matilda Kshesinskaya, Fedor Chaliapin and Henryk Venyavsky performed there. 

The Pavlovsky station pavilion was destroyed during World War II. Of the entire ensemble in Pavlovsky Park, only a lantern and a name remained. The familiar Pavlovsky Station was built in a new place.

Theater Garden "Aquarium"

Now: pavilions of the film studio "Lenfilm".
Where: Kamennoostrovsky Prospect, 10-12.

The entertainment garden, built in 1886, was conceived as something like a modern oceanarium, but the audience did not come here for the sake of ponds with carp. Who needs fish when they show "live cards" - naked girls painted in bronze or marble. And in 1907, perhaps the first beauty contest in Russia was held here. Prizes to the winners (there was one gentleman among the beautiful ladies) were awarded by the guests of the Aquarium.

The owner of the garden, philanthropist George Alexandrov built ice towns here, which could compete with the constructions of the times of Anna Ioannovna. In January 1890, the park was decorated with a copy of the Eiffel Tower, 35 meters high!  And in 1896, a fateful event happened - the screening of the films of the Lumiere brothers. Perhaps there is still a predestination, because from 1923 to the present day the territory of the garden is occupied by the Lenfilm pavilions.

Amusement park

Now: the stadium of the Lesgaft Institute.
Where: Dekabristov Street (formerly Officer Street), 35–39.

The country's first Luna Park opened in 1912 in St. Petersburg, and it was equipped with the latest technology. There were attractions for every taste: Roller Coaster, Ferris Wheel, Drunk Ladder, Mountain Railroad and many others. The cherry on the cake was an open-air ethnographic museum - a reconstruction of the Somali village, where real Somalis “worked”.  The more demanding audience was attracted by the drama theater,   directed by Vsevolod Meyerhold after the revolution. During the Civil War, it was closed. 

Luna Park gradually deteriorated, by 1924 its structures were completely dismantled. The stadium of the Lesgaft Institute was built on the site of the garden.