About a month ago, I published an article about the transformer garden near Mariinsky Palace. This unusual attraction can only be seen in summer, as the garden plants are placed on the site for just a few months each year and then moved to other gardens and parks in the city once the season ends. There are several such transformer gardens in St. Petersburg, and today I’d like to take you on a walk through the green space on Moskovskaya Square.
A Walk Through the Transformer Garden
Moskovskaya Square is an interesting city landmark in its own right, as it is the largest square in St. Petersburg. When it was originally planned, this site was intended to become the new administrative center of Leningrad.
Between 1936 and 1941, the majestic House of Soviets was constructed on the square. The project was designed by N. A. Trotsky, L. M. Tverskoy, and other architects. The House of Soviets was the largest public building in pre-war Leningrad. The ensemble of Moskovskaya Square also includes a monument to V. I. Lenin and residential buildings on the western side of the site.
The transformer garden was supposed to appear here last year, but its creation was postponed due to renovation of the Lenin monument. The garden finally opened on June 11, with the event timed to coincide with Russia Day.
The garden on Moskovskaya Square is farther from the city’s central landmarks, but it is still worth a visit — both because of its scale and because it features more plants than its counterpart in the city center. Another distinctive feature is that specialists created artificial terrain with sections of varying heights.
The garden includes 12 species of shrubs, 19 types of flowers, and several dozen linden trees. According to the city administration’s website, in good weather the plants will remain in place until early autumn.
How to Get There
The garden is easy to reach by metro, as the square is located right at Moskovskaya station. Entrance to the garden is free. Benches have been installed, so you can easily include the transformer garden in your walking route as a spot to rest and enjoy the views of the greenery.
If you’d like to learn more about this area, I recommend reading my articles about Moskovskaya Square and the House of Soviets.
Have a nice trip!
