Apraksin Dvor

Apraksin Dvor is a shopping district in central Saint Petersburg that stretches between Sadovaya Street and the Fontanka River across roughly 14 hectares. Several freestanding buildings with retail spaces and market stalls form together a large inner courtyard surrounded by public streets.

In the mid-18th century construction began on the land of Count Apraksin with market halls and trading houses. By 1913 the area had developed into a large commercial complex with more than 500 shops and 270 wholesale enterprises.

The name comes from Count Apraksin, whose family owned the land in the 18th century and later released it for trade purposes. Today the smaller shops and workshops still reflect the traditional pattern of Saint Petersburg commerce, where many traders offer their goods directly on site.

The district lies near the Alexandrinsky Theatre and can be reached easily via several public transport lines. Visitors can walk between the individual buildings and courtyards and use different entrances from the surrounding streets.

Unlike the continuous passages of other Russian cities, this complex consists of several separate buildings with spaces in between. This arrangement creates an open market character in the heart of the city that can still be experienced today.