Anichkov Garden in St. Petersburg

The garden of Anichkova estate is the same age as the palace. November 11, 1743 Elizaveta Petrovna "orally directed to transfer the gardener of the Strelnina manor Englishman Ludvik Kinder Tapers to the court of Her Imperial Majesty for breeding in her new Imperial Majesty for breeding in the new her Imperial Majesty's house that at Anichkov Bridge, garden."

Initially, the garden was of regular style and was much larger than the current one. Under G. Potemkin, the regular garden was turned into a landscape garden. The most significant reconstruction of the garden is associated with the name of K. Rossi. On the south side of the palace, a service building curved in an arc was built, with a back wall overlooking the garden and separating the main territory of the palace from outbuildings. Symmetrically, the axes of the palace on the square were built by two pavilions: Din on the corner of Nevsky Prospect, the other in the depths of the square. Along Nevsky Prospekt and the square, the garden was surrounded by an openwork cast-iron fence in the form of copies with gilded tips and wreaths. On the site of the garden launched by that time, the architect A.A. Menelas broke a new one, aged in landscape style. On the project together with Menelas worked draftsman - landscape painter I.A. Ivanov.

Since 1873, the garden has been open in summer for children and their parents and nannies.

In February 1917, the garden, like the palace itself, passed into the jurisdiction of the City Duma. For many generations of Leningraders of the 1930-40s, it is known as the Rest Garden, where concerts of many famous musicians, singers, pop artists took place on the stage of the Summer Theater.

During the Great Patriotic War, the garden land became a temporary refuge for Klodt horse tamers removed from their pedestals on Anichkov Bridge. In the harsh winter of 1941-1942, the garden covered with snow was completely empty. But in May 1942, the Palace of Pioneers and the garden resumed their work. During the summer, several thousand children visited the garden on days of rest, concerts, lectures. On June 28, 1942, a solemn evening was arranged for school graduates at the Summer Theatre.