Yusupovsky Garden, Historical garden in central Saint Petersburg, Russia
Yusupovsky Garden is a historic garden in central Saint Petersburg that spans several connected areas throughout its grounds. Stone pathways wind between tree groves and lead past a central pond with decorative bridges, creating a network of walking routes.
Peter I granted the 9-hectare plot between the Fontanka and Sadovaya Street to Prince G. D. Yusupov in 1724; his son laid out a formal garden with two ponds, canals and flower beds, and in 1730 a wooden house designed by Domenico Trezzini was built. In the 1790s N. B. Yusupov commissioned Giacomo Quarenghi to rebuild the palace and replan the garden. The estate was sold to the treasury in 1810 after the owners' divorce, and in spring 1863 Alexander II ordered part of the garden opened to the public, with the whole garden following that year.
The garden's name comes from Prince Grigory Yusupov, who received the land from Peter I in 1724. From 1865 the Petersburg River Yacht Club rented it for winter, laying skating rinks and ice slides, building snow forts and holding Christmas fairs with sleigh rides and fireworks. The world speed-skating championship was held on its rink on 7–8 February 1896, won by the Dutchman Jaap Eden.
The garden has a single entrance on Sadovaya Street, opposite the junction with Rimsky-Korsakov Prospekt. The nearest metro stations are Sennaya Ploshchad and Sadovaya. The garden lies between Sadovaya Street and the Fontanka River.
The garden's single entrance is on Sadovaya Street, opposite the Rimsky-Korsakov Prospekt junction; the nearest metro stations are Sennaya Ploshchad and Sadovaya. The large pond in the middle once held Russia's first figure-skating school, and from 1890 it hosted figure- and speed-skating competitions.
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