Lenin Square

In the XVIII century, the space of modern Lenin Square was popularly called "Wolf Field". This field was used as a place for cattle, then used as a city landfill. Later part of the dump was taken to the artillery department. There is a training ground and a military camp. In the north of the landfill there was a wasteland called "Kulik Field". At the beginning of the XIX century, the first buildings of the Mikhailovsky Artillery School appeared in the south-western part of the space of modern Lenin Square.

In 1870, according to the project of P. S. Kupinsky north of Simbirskaya Street (now Komsomol), the building of the Finnish railway station was built. The main entrance to it was from the western facade, in front of which there was a small station square. In 1882-1887, house No. 35 on Komsomol Street was built - the former home of employees of the Finnish Railway. In 1907-1908, according to the project of F. F. Miritz and I. I. Gerasimov, a new residential complex was built in the northern part of this square for railway employees (Botkinskaya St., 1).

On April 3, 1917 V. I. Lenin arrived in Russia from emigration. The train took him to the Finnish railway station, where he delivered one of his most famous speeches on an armored car in front of the audience. In 1924, the square south of the station was named Lenin Alley in memory of this event.

On November 7, 1926, a monument to V. I. Lenin was opened near the southern facade of the station building. The authors of this monument, one of the first monuments to Lenin in the city, were S. A. Evseev, V. A. Shchuko and V. G. Gelfreich. In 1926-1927, an alley was laid to the Neva from the station. It arose on the site of demolished brick fences and temporary rail tracks. In 1935-1940 was built house No4/41. The space around the Finnish railway station was reconstructed in the post-war years 1945-1960. Lenin Avenue acquired the status of a square. The monument to Lenin was moved to its center, the sculpture was installed on a higher foundation.