Svetlanovsky Avenue in St. Petersburg: the history of the street in the history of the city

The St. Petersburg squares, its avenues and streets, canals and bridges attract tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world. At the same time, the guests of the northern capital of Russia aspire not only to visit the world-famous monuments, but also to gather a maximum of information about all the interesting places of the city on the Neva. It is to such a curious place that Svetlanovsky Prospekt also belongs.

Probably, if you ask a local resident, he will simply tell you that this part of the city route connects Suzdal Prospect and Svetlanov Square, but not everyone can tell about what was here before, and where the modern name came from.

Svetlanovsky Prospekt as such appeared in 1912. However, at that time it was called Ananyevskaya street and connected Staropargolovsky prospect and Benois avenue. Its name was given to the track by the name of Anania Ratkov, a famous landowner, who owned virtually all the surrounding territories. These lands were bought by his father in order to create a new landscaped area on the site of the deforested forests. Completed the construction already Ananias himself, who enjoyed great authority among the local population, who selected him several times as the leader of the nobility and the justice of the peace.

After the October Revolution for a long time, the future Svetlanovsky Prospekt continued to bear the name of Ananyevskaya street, until a major reconstruction was begun in the mid-1960s. So, at the very beginning of this decade, between the prospectus of Engels and Staropargolovsky Prospect, a new route was built, called Novoananievskaya Street. However, this did not stop the restructuring: in 1967, both Ananyevsky streets were merged into a wide and spacious Svetlanovsky Prospekt, which was continued to Ozerkov. We did not think about the name for a long time: in 1920 the Aivaz machine-building plant located here was renamed "Svetlana", since it began to specialize in the production of lighting devices.

In the early 1970s, the Svetlana plant became the first scientific and production association in the Soviet Union as part of the experiment. This enterprise occupied a huge area, the boundaries of which were Svetlanovsky Prospekt, which, back in 1970, was extended by administrative decision to Suzdal Avenue, Manchester Street, Torez and Engels Prospects. At the same time, the newly formed square at the intersection of Bogatyrsky, Murinsky, Svetlanovsky avenues was also named Svetlanovsky.

Since then, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Once located on the borders of the city, Svetlanovsky Prospekt is now one of the most important city highways. The former industrial giant has already lost its importance, along the highway itself there are modern shops and shopping centers. Thousands of Petersburgers and visitors to the city pass through the area every day, without even guessing what a fascinating story lurks behind the familiar name "Svetlanovsky Prospect, St. Petersburg."