Apraksin yard - a market in the center of St. Petersburg

Apraksin yard is a market that is known to every Petersburger. It has value for the cultural capital, because it has its own history and is a kind of attraction.

general information

In the heart of St. Petersburg is the famous Apraksin yard, and in simple terms "Apraška", as it is customary to call it in the people. A variety of shopping centers, tents, cafes - all this is concentrated on 14 hectares of land.

In the market you can buy both wholesale and conventional way. The variety of goods offered on retail space, as well as their very democratic prices attract tens of thousands of visitors every day. All the necessary information about the shopping complex Apraksin yard (market), opening hours can be found in any guide to St. Petersburg. Presented data on the sights of the cultural capital and in our article.

Apraksin yard is a huge flea market. Interesting is the fact that there is an absolute opposite - an elegant and expensive Gostiny Dvor. Randomness is a regularity - no one knows.

During the long history of the market there were many events: two fires, the blockade of Leningrad, the proposal for the reconstruction of the shopping complex. Apraksin yard (market) on the city map is still there, but they tried to erase it. However, due to its historical significance, this did not happen. The entire territory of the Apraksinoy court is currently a cultural property of the Russian Federation.

Market history

The modern layout of Apraksin's court was not always so. Initially, the market territory was divided into two parts: one belonged to the merchant Ivan Shchukin and agricultural products were sold on it, and the other was owned by Count Fedor Apraksin (in his honor the market was named).

In 1754, a lot of shops began to be built on the Apraksin site. So there were quite impressive shopping arcades. In the second half of the nineteenth century, in Shchukin and Apraksin yards there was the largest assortment of books in the city.

In 1833, Nicholas I ordered to merge the yards into one large market, which began to bear the name of Count Apraksin.

In 1862 there was a great misfortune in the history of Apraška - a fire that erupted destroyed most of the buildings. It required extensive reconstruction and erection of new buildings. This process took several decades. But half a century after the first fire, July 1, 1914, there was a second similar misfortune, which, however, was not as devastating as the first.

Before the outbreak of the First World War, the market became the largest in Europe in terms of the number of goods sold. And in the period of the USSR's existence, commission trade was realized in this territory .

During the blockade

The sad events that occurred during the siege, which took place from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944, did not escape the Apraksin yard.

The market suffered during numerous bombardments. In one of them, Apraksin yard got several shells and air bombs, which caused further destruction of the shopping complex. The largest damage was to the building number 1, which went to Sadovaya Street. It was destroyed by walls, arches, floors, almost all glass is broken. After the destruction, the building was immediately restored.

Apraksin yard came to trade ordinary citizens. They sold or changed their goods, brought everything that could be sold, exchanged for products that were very scarce in those days.

Apraksin yard is a market where food was distributed during the blockade. From the street of Lomonosov there was a point of delivery of products, where thousands of people came every day and stood in lines waiting for a small piece of bread.

Modern market

Currently, the entire territory of the market has the status of "Object of the cultural heritage of the Russian Federation". The market occupies the territory of the land in the amount of 14 hectares, on which 57 buildings are located, most of which belong to the city. The main buildings were built between 1870 and 1880 and have survived to this day.

Apraksin yard is a market that has preserved old buildings, but the atmosphere in it is slightly different today. Trade is made both outside, in the tent rows, and inside the buildings. Most sellers are of foreign origin. They call customers, offer to buy goods of supposedly famous brands at a low price. And not always of high quality.

Apraksin yard (market). Address and contact information

Every Petersburger knows the location of the Apraksinsky Yard, but not every guest of the cultural capital can immediately orient in a big city.

In the heart of St. Petersburg is the Apraksin Yard (market). Address of the shopping center: st. Garden 28/30. It is within walking distance of the metro stations Gostiny Dvor, Sadovaya, Spasskaya, Sennaya Ploshchad.

The territory of the market is limited to the streets of Sadovaya, Lomonosov, the embankment of the Fontanka River and Apraksin Lane. The market can be reached both by bus (routes 24, 181, 191), and by trolleybus (numbers 1, 5, 22). If you go here by your own car, there may be problems with the parking space, because the market does not have its own car park.

To visit the Apraksin yard market, which is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, it is recommended to allocate a separate free day, because for a couple of hours it is impossible to bypass all the trading rows.

Reconstruction

Reconstruction Apraksinoy court, perhaps, can be considered one of the most painful topics for the city government. Apraksin yard is a market that was planned to be renewed two decades ago, but so far this grandiose plan of transformation has not been realized yet.

In 2007, the city authorities announced a competition for the reconstruction of the market. The winner was announced in 2008. His plan of action included the transformation of the general appearance of the shopping complex and the introduction of some new ideas. It was planned to rebuild the renovated retail premises, offices, apartments, hotels, social and cultural facilities (art workshops). However, the construction company failed to realize all these innovations, and in 2013 it was decided not to renew the contract with this firm. At present, the issue of reconstruction of the Apraksin yard remains open.