Sennaya Square

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Sennaya Square (Russian: Сенная Площадь, literally: Hay Square), known as Peace Square between 1963 and 1991, is a large city square in Central Saint Petersburg, located at the crossing of Garden Street, Moskovsky Prospekt, and Grivtsova Lane.

The square was established in 1737, and was a market where hay, firewood, cattle were sold. It was built under the extension of the Garden Street, and grew quickly, becoming the cheapest and the most active market in Saint Petersburg. The Hay Market was a place where merchants and farmers could trade. It was there that malefactors were flogged before a large concourse of people.

In 1753, the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God was built in a sumptuous Baroque style. In the middle of the square is a former guardhouse (1818-20). The square was a venue for the cholera riots of 1831. The surrounding district was known for its infamous slums, which provide the setting for Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment.

In 1961 the church was pulled down to make place for a new metro station. Its place is now marked by a chapel. The square's chief extant landmark is the 17,5 meter high "Peace Column", a gift of France to the tercentenary of St. Petersburg. The column features the word "peace" written in 49 languages.

The square is served by two metro stations; the Hay Square and Sadovaya. It is also a tramway, bus and marshrutka station.

[edit] External links

• The Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sennaya Square.
• Illustrated history of Sennaya Square