Nevsky Prospekt

19th and early 20th centuries

Nevsky Prospekt became the business and financial center of the city. As the city guidebooks describe the avenue, it has turned into a "life artery", "the center of splendor, luxury and grace of the capital". "Everything brilliant, precious, luxurious is combined here, which only St. Petersburg trade and industry can flaunt." The most famous and largest shopping center was Gostiny Dvor. By the end of the 19th century, gas lighting and even electric air heating large mirrored windows appeared in some shops. There were up to 300 retail premises, the staff was almost 5 thousand people. "Passage" numbered up to 60 shops. The trade turnover of stores on Nevsky was in the millions. Rich merchants had not only shops on the central street of the city, but also tenement houses and hotels. For example, in addition to four stores (No. 47, 59, 71, 76), the V.I. Solovyov trade partnership owned the Palkin restaurant at No. 47, Bolshaya Severnaya Hotel and its branch in house number 51. The advertisement could no longer fit on the first two floors and therefore sometimes occupied the entire facade of the building up to the roof. In clear weather on the sidewalks of the Nevsky metropolitan beau monde. At the service of wealthy citizens were fashionable hairdressers, tailors, the best photo studios, fashionable restaurants, cafes, pastry shops, and all kinds of clubs. By the end of the 19th century, the end pavement was extended to Znamenskaya Square. Many technical innovations were first tested on Nevsky. From April 17 (29) to May 2 (14), 1879, experiments on electric street lighting were carried out on Alexandria Square, organized by the partnership P.N. Yablochkova. At night, from 10 pm to midnight, the public was shown experiments of "instant extinguishing and ignition" of four electric lanterns out of 12. On the day of the end of the experiment, the monument to the Empress was illuminated with reflectors. On the Moika near the Police Bridge, the first power plant in St. Petersburg was mounted on a barge. On 30 December 1883, the avenue from Moika to Fontanka, the first in Russia, was illuminated electric incandescent lamps. Two years later, electricity appeared on the section from Fontanka to Znamenskaya Square. On Nevsky Prospekt in 1882, the first telephone exchange in Russia appeared, which was located in house No. 26. From the tower installed at the top, wires were stretched in all directions.