This place, known as Smolenskaya Square, was called Smolensky Market for a long time. Actually, there were two markets here: Smolensk, with a large assortment of goods (primarily food), and Sennoy market, which was quite closely adjacent to it, where firewood, boards and hay were traded.
And today Smolenskaya-Sennaya and Smolenskaya squares adjoin so closely that it is very difficult to determine the border between them.
History
Russian writer V. A. Gilyarovsky called the Smolensk market "a child of the plague of 1771." Of course, there was a market at this place before the plague (since the 17th century), but the events of that year, which pushed trade from the central part of the city to its outskirts of those times, accelerated the development of market trade on Zemlyanoy Val.
In the 17th century, the Streltsy Sloboda Anichkov G. M. (Colonel) was located inside the Earthen Wall, and the sovereign's court Shchepnoy (wood-burning) was located on the outside. Rafts with scaffolding were brought here along the river for government construction. In those days, the temple of St. Nicholas on Schepy arose, which still exists today. In the settlements at that time, the courtyards were small, and 10 parallel lanes led to the Smolensky market. After the liquidation of the Streltsy's army and the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg, the lands of the suburbs were settled by merchants and raznochintsy, and a free forest market arose on the site of the former sovereign's court.
In early July 1736, the market and the surrounding buildings were completely destroyed by fire, but subsequently the market and the surrounding settlements were restored. The earth rampart, which had fallen into disrepair back in the 18th century, was demolished in 1820, and the Smolensky market was formed on the spacious cleared territory, which operated until the mid-twenties of the last century. In 1875, the City Council built stone trading premises on the square, however, trade continued around it both by hand and from carts. After the events of 1917, a “French Row” arose here, where trade was carried out by descended people from the nobility.
The project for the reconstruction of the square was drawn up exactly in the middle of the 20th century by a group of architects: Gelfreich V. G., Steller P. P., Lebedev V. V.
Location and origin of the name
Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square in Moscow is located in the Arbat district (Central Administrative District of Moscow). The border with the Khamovniki region runs along its southern outskirts. The square adjoins the Garden Ring, Smolenskaya Square, Smolenskaya Street and Smolensky Boulevard. One of the notable structures standing on it is the building of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The square got its name from the names of two markets that were once located on this site: Smolensky and Sennoy.
Located near the Smolenskaya-Sennaya metro station. This is the Smolenskaya station of two lines: Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya and Filevskaya. As you can see, it's easy to get to.
Description
Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square, in fact, is a continuation of Smolensky Boulevard from the exit point of Glazovsky Lane from the central part of the city and Ruzheiny Lane, coming from the Moskva River.
Going north, the square in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs forms a large triangular square with Smolenskaya Street, which opens onto it on the left, which reaches the Arbat and then passes into Smolenskaya Square.
Constructions and buildings
On the odd side of Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square there are the following significant buildings and structures:
- Dwelling house 23-25. The historian A. Gorsky lived here. Today it houses the Strela cinema.
- Dwelling house No. 27. Biochemist A. Braunstein lived in it.
- House No. 27-29/1 (6th building) - Russian Geophysical Company.
Even side:
- House number 30 (3rd building) - the former building of the gendarmerie (1900).
- House No. 30 (6th building) - Nesvitskaya's house (built in 1740-1750); at the Rukavishnikov Correctional Asylum, a corps for juvenile delinquents under investigation (1890), and with it the church named after St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (1879).
- House No. 32-34 - the building of the Russian Foreign Ministry (built in 1953); scientific library at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federationand the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO.
Undoubtedly, the high-rise of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, designed by architects Gelfreich V. G. and Minkus M. A., can be called the compositional center of modern Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square.
In conclusion, it should be said about the existence of a common misconception that the high-rise of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located on Smolenskaya Square. In fact, it is located on Smolenskaya-Sennaya, and Smolenskaya Square has actually turned into a street (after the liquidation of the former market of the same name).
