Ostrovsky Square is a square in the Central District of St. Petersburg in the historical center of the city. Nevsky Prospekt, Architect Rossi Street, Malaya Sadovaya Street, Krylov Lane converge here.
The square is an architectural ensemble, designed by the architects K. I. Rossi and A. A. Modui in the 19th century. On the square there are monuments of history and culture of federal significance: the Alexandrinsky Theater, Eliseyev Emporium, the National Library of Russia, the Anichkov Palace, the monument to Catherine II, the buildings of the Ministry of Public Education and the Directorate of Imperial Theaters along Architect Rossi Street, the building of the St. Petersburg City Credit Society.
Despite the fact that K. I. Rossi failed to realize the whole idea, the ensemble of Ostrovsky Square remains one of the highest achievements of Russian urban art. As part of the historical development of the center of St. Petersburg, the area is included in the World Heritage List.
Catherine’s Garden is the unofficial name of the square in front of the Alexandrinsky Theatre. It was laid out in the 1820s according to the project of the architect K. Rossi, with the participation of the garden master Y. Fedorov, and finally took shape in 1832. Subsequently, the square, which became a popular place for walking, was redesigned: in 1873-1880, work was carried out under the guidance of the architect D. Grimm and the master gardener E. Regel.
