THE YELAGIN ISLAND

The Yelagin Island is a haven of peace filled with poetry and nature. Whenever I have a little free time, it's one of the places in Saint Petersburg where I particularly like to escape for several hours, surrounded by majestic trees, calm stretches of water, hyperactive squirrels, enchanting birdsong, and gentle gulf winds.

This park is not known as a tourist attraction, however, in itself, it shows one part of the soul of this unique city, which is Saint Petersburg.

Thus, it seemed obvious to me to emphasize the importance of this park, as a "must-see" and its atypical beauty.

BELLE PROMENADE

*Have a nice walk !

FEW FACTS

On Yelagin Island is located the Central Park of Culture and Leisure, named after. CM. Kirov, in the Neva delta, with the narrow cape extending into the Gulf of Finland.

It's a cultural and recreational space for all kinds of audiences and offers a beautiful place to relax from daily vanity.

You can access the park from three different sides or bridges : Krestovsky Island, Kamenny Island, and the metro station Staraya Derevnya. The park is opened daily from 6 a.m. to 23 p.m., and the entrance is free, except on weekends.

In the park stands the beautiful Elagin Island Palace, which welcomes now the Museum of Russian arts and crafts and interior of XVIII-XX centuries, offering a large collection of objects of past epochs.

In the Fraulein Building, takes place every Wednesday series of concerts called “Yelagin Evenings” with music of all styles - from classical to jazz, from folk to tango, from medieval to avant-garde.

In Saint Petersburg (and Russia in general), every upcoming spring is a big holiday, and Yelagin Island is famous for welcoming the Tulip Festival, where you can admire one of the largest varieties of tulips, while winter offers the access to a magic ice skating rink at the Big Square around the Christmas tree.

In the Western part of the island, there is a mini-zoo welcoming the reindeer, the Cameroonian tiny goats, fox Alice, she-ass Kamila, fancy hens, pheasants, turkeys and guinea fowls.

A LITTLE BIT OF STORY

Creating a new capital of the Russian Empire on the banks of the Neva River, Peter the Great organized the space and handed the surrounding territories to his loyalists.

Appreciating the exceptional beauty of the Island, each owner tried to transform and beautify it, inviting the best park constructors and florists to work, creating, for example, greenhouses of rare plants and exotic fruits.

During the 18th century, the island had nine noble owners and was renamed several times ; the first owner was, in 1709, Vice-Chancellor Baron Peter Shafirov.

On behalf of its fifth owner - Ivan Yelagin, the chief chamber master of the imperial court, which was famous for his hospitality, the island received its current name.

In 1817, the island was bought by the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty, and for a hundred years, the island remained in the possession of the Romanovs and was a favorite vacation spot for the imperial family.

Under the reign of Empress Maria Feodorovna, two years of reconstruction work were led by the great architect, interior and decorative arts master - Carlo Rossi, which turned the island into Isola bella of the Russian North -" a beautiful island ", and the park became one of the most beautiful parks in Europe.

Since August 5, 1932, the Elagin Island has become a Central Park and the most favorite resting spot for many generations of Petersburg citizens and three centuries now.