How to get to Yelagin Island? There are many ways, but this is not the main thing. Why go there, that is the question. And Yelagin Island in St. Petersburg is attractive to many. Let's start over.
Let's start with amazing landscapes
The natural beauty of Yelagin Island is due to the peculiarity of its location. It is located in the Neva delta, near its very mouth. From two sides it is washed by the Neva branches: Bolshaya and Srednyaya Nevka, and from the coastal side - by the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea.
Since ancient times, coastal lands were low and swampy. Yelagin Island is no exception. Over time, its territory, like others, was drained. As for natural vegetation, it was previously represented by conifers, but over time, "exotics" - broad-leaved trees and various shrubs - began to be planted here. It is believed that the very first "exotic" trees were planted here under Peter I himself - oaks. Now the diversity of the flora of the island is very high. I would especially like to note those places of the coastline along the network of internal water channels, where willows bent over the water, forming natural silvery arbors.
The park ensemble that has formed over time on Elagin Island is annually supplemented in the spring and summer by fields and flower beds of various colors. Especially noteworthy is the period when the tulip festival comes to Yelagin Island. And it really is a holiday! First of all, for the eyes and soul. It is impossible to remain indifferent to such beauty!
Elaginoostrovsky "zoo"
The natural fauna of Yelagin Island in St. Petersburg is represented by a wide range of different types of fauna: fearless squirrels scurry back and forth along the paths and trees - red and blue, field and house mice, water shrew and shrew, weasel and ermine, you can see muskrat in the water. In the bird kingdom, in addition to the usual urban "residents" - pigeons, crows, tits, sparrows, ducks, there are also migratory birds - a chaffinch, a nuthatch, a tit, a gray flycatcher, a thrush, a rook, a nightingale, a wagtail, a woodpecker, a duck, a mallard. In warm weather, the water has a fairly large number of insects.
Thanks to man, a small zoo was founded in the Elaginoostrovsky corner of St. Petersburg, where in cages you can see: a black crow, a variety of chickens, pheasants, runner ducks, mute swans, geese, reindeer, a Cameroon goat, Alice the fox, a domestic donkey Camilla and Masha the sheep.
It was placed in the historical part of the park, on the site of a 19th-century farm, and from 2005 to 2010, zoological thematic exhibitions were held here. The mini-zoo has its own name - "Zoosphere" and is an interactive educational project, within which the Animal Trail is broken.
A bit of history
Elagin Island in St. Petersburg in ancient times, when it was still inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes, had a Finnish name. In many sources it is given as "mistula saari". However, the proposed meaning of this toponym as "bearish" or "black" does not correspond to the translation from The version "black island" can be considered closest in sound and spelling, only in this case its Finnish name will not be "mistula", but "mistu". Let's take as a starting point the fact that the original Finnish name of the island was "Mistu-saari" - "Black Island". According to the legends, at the beginning of the development of these lands by Peter I, the guardsmen of the Preobrazhensky Regiment called the island "Mishin", since bears were found here.
Peter I, rebuilding new territories as a European city of Russia, was very short of money in the conditions of the Northern War, and therefore he gave away the lands in the vicinity of the new city to his associates, but on the condition that they would drain and improve them at their own expense. Yelagin Island was presented to P.P. Shafirov. For the entire XVIII century, nine owners changed each other here: P. Ya. Yaguzhinsky, A. P. Melgunov, G. A. Potemkin, I. P. Elagin, G. V. Orlov and others.
The greatest contribution to the formation of the Elaginoostrovsky ensemble was made by I.P. Elagin, after whom this territory would later be named.
In the 19th century, the estate was bought in favor of the state by Emperor Alexander I and for a century was considered one of the favorite suburban residences of the Romanovs. And how to get to Yelagin Island, the previous owners did not have a question - of course, by water.
Architectural ensemble
Yelagin Island is quite large. To see its architectural sights, of course, you can walk to them in a beautiful park. And if it is limited in time, how to get to Yelagin Island so as to immediately get into its historical heart? Do not hope, the palace and park buildings of the ensemble are grouped in such a way that you still need to walk to them, but the shortest way is: from the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station, enter through the main entrance to the TsPKiO and, after crossing the wooden bridge, go either along the embankment to the right or follow the signpost through the park alley.
And here you have a complex of surprisingly slender and laconic buildings in the "antique" style. Only one master could build like this - the architect of St. Petersburg, Karl Ivanovich Rossi. The center of the whole composition is the Elaginoostrovsky Palace. In addition, the ensemble included the Armory, Kitchen and Stable buildings, the Musical Pavilion, the Orangery, the Pavilion with a granite pier.
TsPKiO yesterday
In this case, yesterday is a very arbitrary concept. Rather, in the past tense. Why CPKiO? So Elaginoostrovsky park was called in Soviet times, and meant this name - culture and recreation. And now the old name exists among the townspeople.
After the revolution of 1917 the estate was nationalized. And in 1932, a city park was opened in it, which two years after the opening will be named after the Leningrad politician Sergei Mironovich Kirov. The park quickly became a place popular among Leningraders, not only due to its beauty, but also to the abundance of leisure areas: sports, children's and dance grounds, various club associations, chess and checkers tournaments, attractions and the possibility of boating.
In the post-war period, in its first decade, the ensemble was revived practically from ruins, and then returned to the city again as a place for active recreation for Leningraders. A recreation center was opened in the palace. During this time, the park and the architectural ensemble suffered greatly from vandalism. It was only in the late 1980s that the Elaginoostrovsky Ensemble began its true revival.
Leisure center today
The revival of the historic estate began with the opening of the Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts and Interior in the restored building of the palace. Over time, the palace began to organize interactive educational programs that are popular with the townspeople, mainly for children and adolescents. And for adults, fascinating excursions are offered both around the palace itself and interesting thematic routes throughout the palace and park ensemble. Various exhibitions and festivals are regularly held here, evenings are organized for those who are over ..., there are dance, children's and sports grounds, a rope park and a hiking trail, as well as traditional boating and catamaran rides. Every year in June, for seven years now, street theaters on Yelagin Island have presented their work as part of the annual international festival A in the Music Pavilion in the summertime, music evenings and concerts are held.
Here is another route for those who are looking for how to get to Yelagin Island: from the Staraya Derevnya metro station, walk along to Primorsky Prospekt and cross the nearby bridge. And then - where the soul wants!
Park on Elagin Island (St. Petersburg, Russia): detailed description, address and photo. Opportunities for sports and recreation, infrastructure, cafes and restaurants in the park. Reviews of tourists.
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Yelagin Island is a unique nature protected complex. This is the northernmost island at the mouth of the Neva, washed from the north by the Bolshaya Nevka, from the south and southeast by the Middle Nevka, and in the West by a narrow cape protruding into the Gulf of Finland. Once a royal residence, Yelagin Island passed into the possession of the state from the middle of the last century and became the Central Park of Culture and Leisure, from that moment it opened its doors to everyone.
On the territory of the park, in the Elaginoostrovsky Palace, there is the Museum of Russian Decorative and Applied Art and Interior of the 18th-20th centuries, with a permanent exhibition on the first and second floors, which showcases household items from past eras.
Prices on the page are for August 2018.
Address: St. Petersburg, o. Yelagin.
In St. Petersburg on Wednesday after the restoration opened "Pavilion under the flag", located in the eastern part of Yelagin Island. During the restoration, a cellar was discovered in the basement of the pavilion, in which, presumably, Count Cagliostro worked.
In St. Petersburg on Wednesday reopened "Pavilion under the flag", located in the eastern part of Yelagin Island.
The "Pavilion under the flag" is part of the palace and park ensemble, which was erected according to the project of Karl Rossi in 1812-1822 after the order of Emperor Alexander I for his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, widow of Paul I. It is believed that Empress Maria Feodorovna came to Yelagin Island every summer, and for each of her visits, the Russian flag was hoisted on the pavilion.
In addition to this pavilion, there are other famous works of Carl Rossi on Elagin Island - the Big Greenhouse, the Kitchen and Stable Buildings of the Elagin Island Palace, and the Musical Pavilion. The total area occupied by the current State Elagin Palace Museum is 4511 sq. meters.
The building has not been restored since its inception. During the work, filled basements with vaulted ceilings were discovered. Rumor has it that the room is very reminiscent of a Masonic lodge. According to some versions, the dungeon is leading to the palace of the chief chamberlain of the imperial court, Ivan Perfilievich Elagin.
Scientists suggest that Rossi erected a pavilion on the site of an old building built by order of one of the owners of the island, chief chamberlain of Catherine II Ivan Yelagin. It is believed that Yelagin was a well-known Freemason in Russia, and the island, now called by his name, was acquired specifically for practicing the occult sciences. By the way, it was at the invitation of Ivan Yelagin that Count Cagliostro visited St. Petersburg in his time.
The visit of the famous count is described in detail in the book by Ivan Lukash "Count Cagliostro on Elagin Island", which is believed to have been written from the words of the sister of Secretary Elagin. According to this story, Count Cagliostro performed his experiments in a room surrounded by four elements - air, water, fire and earth.
According to one version, which is indirectly confirmed by finds in the basement of the "Pavilion under the Flag", where ceramic vessels and brass brass knuckles were found, the place of Cagliostro's "creativity" is precisely this pavilion. Above it you can watch the sunrise - this is the element of fire. The building was built in the place where the Neva floods into the Malaya and Srednyaya Nevka - this is the element of water. Well, earth and air are everywhere here.
By the way, one of the legends says that when Cagliostro left Russia, he reported that somewhere on the island a treasure was buried and the manuscripts of Solomon were hidden, as well as the sarcophagus of Homer.
However, theories are still theories and at the same time beautiful legends. At the same time, it is planned to open a permanent exhibition dedicated to the work of Carl Rossi in the restored pavilion.
The picturesque island of St. Petersburg, on the territory of which the Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after. Kirov is an ideal place for leisurely walks in nature. What to see on Elagin Island - read in the material of the portal "ZagraNitsa"
Yelagin Palace
One of the imperial palaces of the northern capital is the main attraction of Yelagin Island. It received its name in honor of its first owner, Ivan Elagin. Who built the house in the Palladian style is a mystery, but some historians believe that it was J. Quarenghi. At the beginning of the 19th century, Alexander I bought the whole island for his mother and ordered C. Rossi to rebuild the summer palace. A talented architect and gave the building its modern look.
Photo: shutterstock 2 Museum of Artistic Glass
The unique Museum of Artistic Glass is located in the Greenhouse Building of the Elaginoostrovsky Ensemble. Most of the collection - products of the Leningrad glass factory. It is represented by the most amazing works of master glassblowers of the 1940s-1990s. To date, the modern exhibition space of the museum has more than 700 art products made of glass and crystal. There is also a gift shop open every day except Monday and Tuesday.
Photo: kudago.com 
Photo: vazaspb.ru Kitchen building
The kitchen building, standing not far from the palace, got its name because at one time there was a kitchen in it. The eastern facade of the semicircular two-story building is decorated with a portico with decorative vases in niches, and on the southern facade there are fourteen sculptures of ancient gods and heroes by S. Pimenov. A six-columned Doric portico with massive gates is located in the central part of the façade. Interestingly, all the windows of the kitchen building overlook the courtyard, and the building itself is made so that the rays of the sun never touch the premises in which food was stored and prepared. Today, the funds of the Elaginoostrovsky Palace-Museum are located here.
Photo: locusterra.ru 4 Stable building
The two-story horseshoe-shaped stable building consists of a main façade with propylaea that connects two symmetrical outbuildings. In the past, the aide-de-camp and the suite of the Empress were located here. The building also housed stable officers, chamber-cossacks and grooms, hay and grain were stored, stalls for horses and carriages were located. Despite this purpose of the premises, the stable building is a unique beautiful decoration that has survived to this day. Here are the exhibition halls of the Elaginoostrovsky Palace-Museum.
Photo: fotokto.ru 5 Pavilion under the flag
A small pavilion with a flagpole can be found in the picturesque eastern part of the island near the granite pier. K. Rossi also worked on its creation, changing the layout of the park gazebo located here, but at the same time retaining its main appearance. The structure looks like a small ancient temple and is a rectangular building with an open rotunda. The building is called the “Pavilion under the Flag” due to the fact that the imperial flag was raised above its dome when the royal family honored the island with their visit.
Photo: panoramio.com 6 Music pavilion
The musical pavilion is located along the embankment of the Srednyaya Nevka River. It consists of two symmetrical rooms and an elegant open semi-rotunda with a marble colonnade. The building of the music pavilion, built in 1824-1826, was rebuilt several times, until it was restored to its original form during the reconstruction of the 1980s. A beautiful view of the Old English Garden can be seen behind the pavilion.
Photo: vikni.livejournal.com
butter meadow
The green carpet of Butter Meadow was used as a platform for all kinds of festivities as early as the 18th century. During the time of Yelagin, this place turned into a parterre garden with many flowers. Architects Carl Rossi and Joseph Bush Jr. decided to completely change the regular layout and turn the Butter Meadow area into a spacious field with free, smooth contours.
Pyotr Arkadyevich lived on Elagin Island with his family in the summer from 1907 to 1911 at the invitation of Nicholas II. The island in the Neva delta became the royal residence since 1816. The first mention of the island in Russian written sources dates back to the first half of the 18th century, when it was called Mishin Island. Mishin may have been consonant with the Finnish name Mistulansaari.
The “settlement” of the island began at the initiative of Peter I. In the 18th century, the island often changed owners, one of them was Prince Grigory Potemkin, who sold the island to Ivan Perfilievich Yelagin. In 1786, a palace was built on the island and an English park with ponds and canals was laid out, at the same time the name Yelagin Island was fixed. The park on the island was opened to the public for the first time.
In 1817, by decree of Emperor Alexander I, Yelagin, the island was redeemed to the treasury. Alexander I wished to create a residence on the island for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. A commission was created to rebuild the palace on the island, the project was entrusted to the architect Karl Rossi. He completely rebuilt the house of I.P. Yelagin, leaving only solid outer walls, giving the new palace the features of the Empire style. The powerful rotunda in the center of the building was complemented on both sides by side porticos with pediments and columns of the Corinthian order. The western façade was decorated by C. Rossi with a portico with six columns.
In 1822, the palace was ready, in early summer, from the pier opposite the Winter Palace, Alexander I took his mother and retinue to the newly built country residence for the first time on a steamboat. Rossi met the imperial steamer at the Granite Pier of the island and organized a solemn display of his creation, which was to the taste of Maria Feodorovna. In addition to the palace, the architect built the Flag Pavilion, a semicircular rotunda in the shape of an ancient temple, a kitchen pavilion decorated with niches with statues of ancient gods, and a music pavilion. For K. Rossi, this project was a real victory and elevated him to the heights of world fame.
After the death of Maria Feodorovna, the palace served as the summer residence of the Romanovs. The interiors of the palace remember the guests and owners of Yelagin Island, Maria Stolypina recalls: “Despite its large size, the Yelagin Palace turned out to be very cozy, and without spending a week in it, we began to feel as if this house had been familiar and dear to us for years. Downstairs there is a very beautiful oval hall with choirs, living rooms, an office and a waiting room for the pope, as well as two always locked rooms in which Alexander III used to live. Upstairs is a small living room and all the bedrooms, as well as a house church and two guest rooms.
Palace from the 20th century
Like other royal estates, after the 1917 revolution, the palace came under the jurisdiction of the Petrograd Council of People's Commissars. Until 1929, the palace housed the Museum of History and Life, then the Institute of Plant Growing. In 1932, a culture and recreation park was organized on the island, which in 1934 began to bear the name of S.M. Kirov, a champion of the traditions of the Russian nobility. During the war, at the beginning of 1942, a fire broke out in the palace, which destroyed the unique interiors of C. Rossi. The restoration of the complex was carried out from 1952 to 1960, after which it served as a rest home for Soviet citizens. Fortunately, in 1987, the Yelagin Palace was given the status of . Empire style interiors by C. Rossi were recreated on the ground floor.
