Theatre Garden

The garden is situated in the centre of the city on the crossing of Lenin, Sibirskaya and Soviet streets in the district of Lenin. The foundation of the garden dates back to 1846 , when at the corner of two streets a small wooden theatre building was built. It burned down in a few years, but it was soon reconstructed in 1870. After some years the citizens raised an issue of foundation of a new theatre, made of stone. Many people, including workers, merchants, employees donated funds for the  foundation of the theatre. It was projected and built by two architects Karvovsky and Popatenko. In 1883 started works on turning the Theatre Square into garden : lime trees, maples , birches, cedres were planted, instead of previous benches the new ones were set along with big flowerbeds. It was such a significant event in the city, that one could read in offical city newspaper an article devoted to this event. According to the article, there was a fountain in the centre of the garden, that looked like stone grotto. An electric lighting was set there in order to get special light effects. This fountain is still in the garden.
The foundation of Perm' theatre was finished in 1880. The whole city was celebrating this event. Most of the actors, working in this theatre, had a strong influence on the culture of the city. Annual concerts and perfomances pf actors, balalaika players and others helped the citizens to get closer to art.
After the Revolution of 1917 Theatre Garden became the place of frequent  meetings of workers and soldiers. The First Perm' Congress of Workers and Soldiers, which announced the Soviet power, was held here. After the Great Patriotic War special reconstruction works were held and the monumet to Lenin was founded. In 1957 the garden was a place of celebrations, dedicated to the regional festival of youth. Most of the events were sport, cultural and health-improving ones.

On the 12th of June, the day of Perm', in 2009 the monumet to the writer Boris Pasternak, first one in Russia, was opened in the garden.

How To Get There : Lenin Street, 58.

Chekhov Park of Culture and Recreation

To the 50th anniversary of death of the writer Anton Chekhov in 1954 a new park was given his name. The creation of the park was started after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The architect Kupof projected the plan of the park, which included sport stadium and Chekhov house of culture.

Ceremonial opening of the park was held in summer in 1949. That very day the actors were perfoming and people could enjoy the festive firework.There were concert stage, dance area , summer cinema, restaurant and cafe. Alleys and playgrounds were provided for people. The architectural decoration of the park was a summerhouse in the form of rotunda, located in the centre of the garden. The main verdure of the park consisted of birches, apple trees, rowan trees, poplars and various bushes.Leisure activity was very saturate. There were regular family evenings, dances, district holidays and concerts. Annual holidays such as " Happy Birthday, Perm' fellow-townsmen! ", Victory Day, Pancake week, Day of Children's Defence and many others.

Chekhov Park consists of big alley and recreational zones, situated on the both sides of it. Currently the park is planned to be reconstructed, the architects are going to construct seven colourful bridges across the reservoir. It will be a place of recreation in modern style.

How To Get There : between Gaivenskaya and Pisarev Streets.

Booking.com

 Gor'ky Garden

The history of the park began in the 19th century, when the governor decided to improve the look of the city. On the southern line of Perm' was dug out a big ditch to take aside the snow water. Along the northern line extended a boulevard, consisting of four rows of birches : the side alleys were meant for pedestrians and the middle ones - for the transport. The creation of boulevard was very important as at that time the city had no private gardens or places for walk. At first, the boulevard was connected with forest and extended to the river. As it was out the city boundaries, people started calling it Country Garden.

Another significant step was made with the arrival of Alexander I. Specially for his coming a wooden rotunda was constructed beside the Country Boulevard, projected by Sviyazev. Practically all great people of Russia visited this place: all the Emperors, scientists, poets, artists, theatre figures. Famous stage director Nemirovich-Danchenko mentioned this garden in his memoirs : " The boulevard is realyy wonderful. It is beside the city. I saw a pair of goats, which horns were painted green. They were walking very adultly."
 
In the end of the century a summer placement of Public Club was built. It was made as a protest against Noble Assembly, considered as an elite club. The garden was very popular among citizens,especially in autumn and spring, when most of people were in city and not in their country houses. There were small theatre,cafe, cinema, game room in a small summer placement. In the end of the 19th century an additional tree plantation was held. 

In the Revolution of 1905-1907 the garden turned into a place of political protests of workers. In July of 1905 the crowd of people demanded a rendition of " Marceillaise" from the orchestra.The whole crowd started singing and throwing leaflets of Russian Social-Democratic Party.

After the Revolution of 1917 the garden changed a lot. Elite public disappeared and the constant visitors became workers and peasants. In this garden people could meet the representative of the party. At that time appeared many attractions and the garden started working the whole year round. There were regular perfomances of poets, singers, orchestras and many others. People always came here to celebrate New Year. In 1945 Gor'ky Garden ( renamed in 1936) was invited to Moscow to take part in All-Soviet Park Exhibition. By that time the garden was already replenished with the doll, stage and summer thetres, room of laughter, cinema " Rest". In the end of 1940-50s various sculptures such as disc thrower, football-player, gymnast, wightlifter were set.

One would like to learn that Gor'ky Park is famous for its snow sculptures. One of the first creations was a group of sculptures,depicting the friendship of the continents ( half of bear and half of American eagle). It was the beginning of the history of the annual festival " And snow, and ice, and flame". With the coming of spring all the sculptures melt and turn into water. A few monuments were set in different periods :

• In 1967 a monument to workers, who took part in the demonstration in 1905, was founded
• In the early 1990s a bust to the writer Alexey Gor'ky was built
• Another memorable sign, the copy of one of the obelisks of Siberian gate, has been set recently

Nowadays Gor'ky Park is one of the rare places, where one can communicate with nature. The park uses its natural conditions to organise various cultural, educational and sport events.

How To Get There: between Komsomolsky Avenue and the crossinfg of Sibirskaya, Krasnov and Revolution Streets.

source:

cultpermi.ru/

Alexandra Dibizheva