Demidovs’ Mansion
Per, Grivtsova 1
A stunning building of a bygone era, that provokes utter admiration with its decadent look. The building is securely hidden from prying eyes by the facades of other less colourful houses, but once in the yard, you will face a real St. Petersburg’s mansion standing silently in the heart of the city. There’s little information about the construction - it used to belong to a wealthy nobleman Grigory Demidov from an armoury dynasty in the middle of the 18th century. One of the writers of that time wrote about this building, "The house is almost aristocratic, not because of nobility or its tone, but because of the wealth, connections, and even more so because of how it claimed to be so.” Echoes of this atmosphere still peek through the cracking paint.
Dohodniy House of Basin
Pl. Ostrovsky, 5
The house was not only created, but also belonged to an architect Nikolay Basin. Actually, he built it at the end of the 19th century, and he wasn’t at all bothered by the dissonance with the rest of the houses in the square. Today, the building stands out so much, that it completely steals the show. Do not hesitate and come closer - the facade has been decorated in a very vivid way and reminds of a carved box. Now, the house is beloved by St. Petersburg actors and directors, apparently because of its proximity to Alexandria Theatre.
Stieglitz Academy
Str. Tchaikovsky, 3
This is a real architectural jewel of St. Petersburg that not many people know about. This is one of the most respected and applied arts institutions in the country; it was built with funds donated by the banker Baron Alexander Stieglitz. Here Sergei Diaghilev arranged exhibitions and exhibited the works of Vrubel and Benoit ... The facade of the building is covered in plates with the names of the prominent figures of fine art. By the way, during the Soviet era, the institution bore the name of Vera Mukhina, which is why it’s still referred to as "Fly" (mukha=fly) by many St. Petersburg citizens.
The house of Singer company
Nevsky Prospect, 28
A favourite building not only among tourists but also of many indigenous inhabitants of St. Petersburg, also known as House of Books (Dom Knigi). It was built in the beginning of the last century by order of the famous German company of sewing machines. But it never belonged to just the Singer company. It housed many shops and private offices, and, of course, the legendary bookstore. Initially, the German barons dreamed of building a real skyscraper like the ones in New York, but the public rebelled, everyone thought it was too close to St. Isaac’s Cathedral. And the authorities didn’t allow it. Today, the top floors of the building are occupied by the vk.com headquarters - the biggest social network in Russia.
Five corners
Country ave., 9
It's not exactly the house, but the whole area is a must-see in St. Petersburg. The famous place of meetings and visits and the starting point of almost every bar crawl. Here is the crossing of four major arteries of the city - Zagorodny prospect, streets Razyezzhaya, Lomonosov and Rubinstein. Thus, the square does not really have four corners (eg it is not a square), but five! Fyodor Dostoevsky called this place "the nerve centre of St. Petersburg." The most famous building here is the so-called tenement house with a tower in the spirit of neoclassicism - a spot loved by all the photographers. The famous poetess Akhmatova loved to visit it.
