Proletarian Dictatorship Square: past and present

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Proletarian Dictatorship Square got its current name in 1952. It remains an open question whether its name will change again. The fact is that the space on which the square is located is associated with many historical events. And not the most significant of them is that in the building of the Smolny Institute back in 1918, the II All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held, which established the Soviet government headed by V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin). Before the regime of the Dictatorship of the proletariat was established throughout the country, the life of the square was quite noticeable.

Location and occurrence

Tverskaya and Lafonskaya streets, as well as two alleys: Smolny Avenue and Suvorovsky Street, flock to Proletarian Dictatorship Square.

The first name of the square is Orlovskaya, it isreceived about 200 years ago in honor of the street of the same name, part of which at that time was Lafonskaya. State lady of the imperial court Sofia Ivanovna De Lafont was the first to head the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens in 1764 and managed this institution until 1797.

In her honor, the square from Orlovskaya was renamed Lafonskaya in 1854, and under this name it existed until 1918.

Then it became known as Dictatorship Square, and only in December 1952 was the clarifying possessive pronoun "proletarian" added to the name.

You can get to it by shuttle bus, bus number 22 or number 46 and metro.

Smolnaya alley

Since 1970, the territory of the Proletarian Dictatorship Square has increased due to the construction of the building of the House of Political Education.

Now she has approached Piazza Rastrelli, they are united by an open space (esplanade).

Lafonskaya Street, facing Proletarian Dictatorship Square in St. Petersburg, had the same name for 65 years (until 2017). Today it has returned to its historical name. Through the former Lafonskaya Square or along Smolnaya Alley, you can go to Smolny.

Its history began in 1764 with the Decree of Catherine II, who ordered to open an institute for noble maidens at the Resurrection Novodevichy Smolny Convent. The empress assumed that the nuns would be involved in the upbringing of the girls, but it turned out that this requiredpedagogical talent, which the nuns of the monastery did not have. Therefore, in the future, the institute became a secular institution and, as such, met the year 1918.

And in the premises of the former Novodevichy Smolny Convent today there are institutions of various directions, for example, the faculties of sociology and international relations of St. Petersburg State University, and since 2009 the faculty of political science has been added to them.

Former orphanage

In St. Petersburg, many buildings with an interesting history have been preserved, even if the names of the streets have been changed. For example, on Proletarian Dictatorship Square, 5, there is a building in which in 1902 a shelter for children was established by Baron Vladimir Frederiks. The structure was designed by architect Weiss for the 120 children attending classes and the 30 girls of primary school age who live permanently in the orphanage. The building had 3 floors and a basement, which housed utility rooms.

After the revolution, the shelter suffered the fate of many institutions. However, in 1937 the building was given over to an orphanage. During the war years, a hospital worked here, and then, starting from the 50s of the last century, a children's institution (boarding school).

In 1961, the Leningrad Art School named after V. A. Serov was located in the former orphanage building. Before the 1990s, the artists received a new building on Grazhdansky Prospekt. Now this is a school named after N. K. Roerich.

And the empty premises were handed over to the music school, which existed in a building on the former Lafonskaya street, 5 until 1992. After a major overhaulthe Consulate of the United Kingdom settled down, the opening of which was attended by the Prince of Wales in 1994.

Between past and future

Proletarian Dictatorship Square in St. Petersburg is surrounded by Lafonskaya Street, the Smolny Historical Museum and the eponymous avenue.

It turned out that in this place the history of different eras was connected: from Catherine II to the revolution of 1918.

In 2017, attempts were made to return the square to its historical (pre-revolutionary) name, but the Toponymic Commission did not have a unanimous opinion on this issue. Therefore, it turned out that the dictatorship of the proletariat no longer exists, but the Proletarian Dictatorship Square remains.