Palace Square is
the central square of St. Petersberg, which conjoins some of the city’s
major landmarks and monuments, including most famously the Winter
Palace. Because it is so spacious it regularly functions as the grounds
for national parades, bards, and concerts. In the past, square has been
transformed during the winter months to become a free ice rink.
Palace
square was also the setting for some of Russia’s most significant
historical events including the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the
1905 massacre Bloody Sunday, where peaceful protesters were gunned down
while trying to present Tsar Nicholas II with a petition .
Although
the buildings surrounding the square were built in different eras, they
were all built to scale, giving the square a beauty in symmetry.
Practical Info
The square is a single architectural ensemble, in
the northern boundary is the Winter Palace, to the south the General
Staff building, a two story arch mounted by the chariot of victory, and
installed in the center is the 156 feet (47.5 m) high and 500 ton
granite Alexander Column. It also connects key city areas such as Nevsky
Prospekt and Palace bridge, which leads into Vasilievsky Island.
As Palace Square is considered one of the
biggest hubs in the city, it is easily accessible by the metro to
Admiralty and by other modes of transportation at Nevsky Prospekt.