Lenexpo, Exhibition complex in Vasilyevsky Island, Russia.
Lenexpo is a former exhibition complex on reclaimed land at the southwestern tip of Vasilyevsky Island, in the Gavani district by the Gulf of Finland. Its long halls have a continuous blue-tinted glazed facade under a flat, light-coloured upper band; a pale stone semicircular arch with a small balcony marks the right end, and the name "Ленэкспо" is mounted on the facade.
The site was first earmarked in the 1910s for Academy of Sciences buildings and a Lomonosov monument, but revolution and economic crisis shelved those plans. In 1963 additional land was reclaimed off Vasilyevsky Island, and in 1968 the pavilions designed by S. I. Yevdokimov and Ye. I. Travnikov opened for the Inrybprom-68 fishing-industry exhibition. Lenexpo hosted the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum from 2006 to 2015.
The name combines "Len" (for Lenin) with "expo", and the complex hosted the Petersburg International Economic Forum from 2006 to 2015. Its pavilions, including the 1968 halls designed by A. N. Lazarev, were later used as a customs terminal and a construction hypermarket before being converted into a COVID-19 hospital in 2020.
The complex stands on the southwestern tip of Vasilyevsky Island in the Gavаn district, beside the Morskoi Vokzal passenger port; the nearest metro stations, Primorskaya and Vasileostrovskaya, are about 2.5 km away. The site lies right on the Gulf of Finland, so boats can moor and be visited during maritime events. Pavilions 1, 2, 3 and 9 are being prepared for demolition, so check which halls are still in use before travelling.
The waterfront location allows boats and ships to be displayed and tested directly in the water during maritime events. This capability makes the venue particularly valuable for the maritime industry.
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