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Emerald City

6a Pravdy St., Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191119

If you enter the courtyards through the "right arch," you will immediately notice a beautiful path paved with "yellow bricks," just like in the book. Then you will notice the wall of one of the courtyards with a bas-relief of Willina, the good witch from the fairy tale, who invites you to go further. Your further journey will fully correspond to the one Ellie and Toto took in the book. You will encounter the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, as well as the Cowardly Lion.
Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
photo
Jermaine

The residents of houses 2, 4, 6, and 8 on Pravda Street are lucky. They live not only in the most beautiful city in Russia but also in the magical Emerald City. Every day they immerse themselves in a fairy tale and walk along a yellow brick road. Entering the magical courtyard, you find yourself on the yellow brick path that the fairy tale characters Toto and Ellie followed on their way to the Great Goodwin. The yellow path will lead you to the Emerald City, cordoned off by guards, whose gates are protected by Faramant.

Originally, the project planned to install nine figures — characters from the beloved fairy tale. Unfortunately, the fairy tale island quickly took on a rather unsightly appearance, and the characters were covered in paint, scribbled on with markers, and vandalized. Vandals broke off the paw of the Cowardly Lion, and now he is no longer next to his friends — the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. The sculpture was taken away for restoration. The fairy and several guards have also disappeared. The residents of the courtyard and concerned citizens hope for their speedy return. But, unfortunately, the district administration cannot find funds to restore the figures.


The wall of the building is decorated with a bas-relief of Willina, the kind sorceress, inviting you to visit the fairy-tale land. Along the way, you will meet the heroes of the beloved fairy tale, whose figures are located in one of the courtyards — the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow. Peeking into the “scary courtyard,” you will see the antagonists: the evil witch Bastinda, the man-eater, and the flying monkeys.

The Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion are three-dimensional figures. You can walk around them. The other characters are made as bas-reliefs.

All the characters in the composition are forged from iron, and only the Scarecrow is made of copper in an electroplating bath. Thanks to the manufacturing method and the artist’s skill, this character turned out to be the most charming. However, the Tin Woodman can turn his head.

Goodwin is a special creation. If you visit the magical courtyard in winter, you won’t see him — he is made in the form of a flower bed and, like a true wizard, changes his appearance every spring.

In the next courtyard are the scary characters of the fairy tale: the witch Bastinda, the man-eater, and the saber-toothed tigers. The man-eater is hiding around the corner, sticking out his tongue — either teasing or wanting to have you for lunch. But there’s no need to fear Bastinda — she has already been defeated and is melting, turning into a lake. Here you definitely need to look around and up. On one of the eaves, two Flying Monkeys have perched — the others can be seen on the walls of the houses.

The yellow road will lead you to the very Emerald City — a children's playground surrounded by a metal fence. The gates are guarded by Faramant. The guards blend organically into the benches and the City’s fence.

“Emeralds” are scattered all over the courtyards — on grilles and fences.

Like all new monuments, the courtyard’s heroes are beginning to accumulate legends and omens. For example, locals claim that if you touch the niche under the heart of the Tin Woodman, you can meet your true love. And children make wishes to the Great and Terrible Goodwin.

Sources:

https://opeterburge.ru/interesnye-mesta/izumrudnyj-gorod-v-sankt-peterburge.html

https://kudago.com/spb/place/izumrudnyj-gorod/

https://www.spb-guide.ru/izumrudnyj-gorod.htm

https://forum-spb.name/interesnye-mesta-peterburga/49-izumrudnyi-gorod-v-sankt-peterburge.html

photo
Jermaine

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photo
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2 Zodchego Rossi Street, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191023

Petersburg: Stories, Legends, and Myths
Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the development is carried out in exact accordance with ancient canons — the height of the buildings equals the width of the street and is 22 meters, while its length is exactly ten times greater — 220 meters.
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Jermaine

Rostral Columns

Birzhevaya Square, 1 building 2, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 199034

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
Samson Sukhanov: Master of Stonework
Great Architects: Jean Thomas de Thomon
One of the symbols of Saint Petersburg is an integral part of the ensemble of the Spit of Vasilievsky Island. Two rostral columns were erected between 1805 and 1810 according to the design of the French architect Thomas de Thomon, who decorated them with ship prows on both sides of Vasilievsky Island.
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Jermaine

Fountain "Four Sphinxes" or "Four Witches"

Pulkovskoye Highway, 74, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 196140

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
Samson Sukhanov: Master of Stonework
Petersburg: Egyptian Motifs
Great Architects: Jean Thomas de Thomon
At the corners of the rectangular pedestal stood sphinxes, which had "the body of a lion and the head and chest of a girl." Many architects believed that "in terms of originality and artistic value, the Tomonovsky fountain with sphinxes near Pulkovo Hill is unparalleled." The sphinxes were also made of granite; earlier they appeared to be bronze, then, when they turned green from dampness and were covered with moss, the locals nicknamed them the "Fountain of Witches" or the "Four Witches." Now they have been cleaned, but the name has stuck.
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Jermaine

Portico of the New Hermitage or the Atlantes of the Hermitage

Millionnaya St., 35, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190000

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
The Portico of the New Hermitage is a porch in the form of a covered gallery located in front of the main entrance to the New Hermitage building in Saint Petersburg, situated on the main (southern) facade of the building facing Millionnaya Street. Until the mid-1920s, this was the museum entrance. The portico is adorned with ten huge figures of atlantes created by sculptor A. I. Terebenev and his assistants, made from gray Serdobol granite, standing on pedestals of rapakivi granite and supporting the architrave. The other elements of the portico — pylons, frieze, and balcony columns — are made from Kirnovsky marbleized limestone. During the 2000 restoration of the building, the Kirnovsky stone was painted over to resemble plaster, resulting in the loss of its natural color and texture.
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Jermaine

The Noon Gun at the Peter and Paul Fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191186

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
“To the cannon! Hand on the trigger! Count – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – fire!” For many generations, Petersburgers have synchronized their watches at 12:00 noon with the shot from the Naryshkin Bastion. Interestingly, the crew always loads two cannons, even though only one is fired. Why? The thing is, sometimes there are misfires, old shells are found, and the shot doesn’t go off. That’s why two cannons are kept ready just in case.
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Jermaine

The first Soviet nuclear submarine (SSN) K-3 "Leninsky Komsomol"

Island of Forts, Citadel Highway, 14, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 197760

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
Nuclear submarines today are the foundation of the underwater fleets of all nuclear powers. The first Soviet nuclear submarine, K-3 "Leninsky Komsomol," raised the naval flag on July 1, 1958. Three days later, it was the first in the Soviet Union to operate under its main power plant—a nuclear reactor—and four years later, it was the first in the USSR to surface through the ice at the North Pole. In early August 2021, it was announced that the submarine (nuclear-powered submarine) K-3 "Leninsky Komsomol" would depart from the Northern Fleet to Kronstadt—to its permanent berth at the Museum of Naval Glory, where it is currently located.
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Jermaine

S-189 — Soviet medium submarine of Project 613

Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment, 36, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 199034

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
S-189 is a Soviet medium submarine of Project 613, which was part of the Baltic Fleet. After decommissioning, it was converted into a museum ship in Saint Petersburg.
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Jermaine

Submarine D-2 "Narodovolets"

Skippersky Lane, 10, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 199106

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
D-2 "Narodovolets" (series I, project D — "Dekabrist", factory No. 178) was a Soviet diesel-electric torpedo submarine from the World War II era. During the war, the "D-2" completed 4 combat patrols, carried out 12 torpedo attacks launching 19 torpedoes, sank one ship (4090 GRT), and damaged one ship (2972 GRT). In terms of length of service, no other submarine in the Soviet and Russian fleets matches this vessel. Various winds caressed her naval flag, and the waves of the Baltic, Barents, and Kara Seas closed over her.
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Jermaine

Monument to Catherine II

pl. Ostrovskogo, 1, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191023

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
The monument to Catherine II in Saint Petersburg is located on Ostrovsky Square, next to the Alexandrinsky Theatre. It was erected in 1873 and is one of the main attractions of the city.
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Jermaine

Alliluyev Apartment Museum

10th Sovetskaya St., 17B, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191144

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
The Alliluyev Apartment Museum was opened in 1997, based on the former Lenin Apartment Museum. S. Ya. Alliluyev was a worker from Saint Petersburg who participated in the revolutionary events of 1917. His political activity was connected with some of the most important historical figures: V. I. Lenin, I. V. Stalin, G. K. Ordzhonikidze, and many others. The apartment in the former tenement house is famous because in 1917 V. I. Lenin and G. E. Zinoviev hid here from persecution. In the autumn of the same year, I. V. Stalin lived here. Alliluyev’s youngest daughter, Nadezhda, later became his wife.
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Jermaine

Horse heads at Kolomenskaya 45

Volokolamsky Lane, 9, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191119

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
Walking along Kolomenskaya Street past the corner two-story house No. 45, from the wall of which two horse heads emerge. These two unusual sculptures were cast in the second half of the 19th century and today are among the few surviving artifacts of the Yamskaya part — the carriage drivers' station of pre-revolutionary Petersburg.
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Jermaine

The Bulls of Demut-Malinovsky or the Story of "Vzorushka" and "Nevzorushka"

Obvodny Canal Embankment, 102, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 196084

Petersburg: Unusual Monuments and Places
These are two famous bronze sculptures created by the outstanding Russian master Vasily Demut-Malinovsky in 1827. The statues are considered masterpieces of animalistic sculpture. Among the public and specialists, the sculptures are known as Vzorushka (left) and Nevzorushka (right).
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Jermaine