Wednesday Walk near the Smolenka River

a month ago · 3 min read · Saint Petersburg

The Smolenka River is one of the small rivers of St Petersburg. This river flows in an area where you can find historical buildings of different periods: separate old buildings of the XIX century, and blocks of mass construction of the XX century, and modern high-rise buildings, for which suddenly found a place among the old houses, when the cost of land has risen sharply. The Smolenka River separates Vasilievsky Island from Dekabristov Island; I started my walk on Vasilievsky Island and then moved to the opposite bank of the river, thus moving from the historical neighbourhood towards more modern buildings.

I started my walk near the Harbour Workers' Town. This is a complex of several 5-storey buildings erected in the early 20th century. The project called for the construction of residential flats, an outpatient clinic, a canteen, a kindergarten, a library, and utility rooms for various purposes in one complex.

I photographed a stall selling fruits and vegetables as a typical typical element of the urban environment. In summer and early autumn there are quite a lot of such stalls in the city. The assortment is approximately the same as in supermarkets, but the quality of fruit and vegetables depends very much on the owner of the stall. In some stalls you can buy the freshest and very tasty products, in others vice versa. Locals usually know which stalls are trustworthy.

I walked on, and a brightly coloured poster on the lawn caught my eye. At first I thought it was an art object, but as I got closer I read the text: ‘There is an oak tree growing here! Don't throw rubbish, please.’ Obviously, this installation is addressed both to passers-by and to the public utility workers: the young oak tree needs attention and protection.

Meanwhile, I approached the bank of the Smolenka River. The monument to the pioneering Arctic explorers is located on Novosmolenskaya Embankment. I crossed the bridge and found myself on the Decembrists' Island, which in the XIX century was called Golodai Island. This island is quite low-lying and suffered a lot from floods until a protective dam was built.

My attention was attracted by two similar houses of unusual architecture, characteristic of the 1970s. The building itself looks rather simple, but the round-shaped outbuilding should make it stand out from a number of similar structures. Both buildings were built for scientific institutes. I walked around looking for interesting angles and unusual details, and in one of the courtyards I found an old car. It looks like it was parked even earlier than these houses were built.