Vosstaniya Square

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View of Nevsky Prospekt from Znamenskaya Square in the 1890s

The Church of the Sign on Znamenskaya Square (built in 1794-1804)

Vosstaniya Square (Russian: Пло́щадь Восста́ния, lit. Uprising Square) is a major square in the Central Business District of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The square lies at the crossing of Nevsky Prospekt, Ligovsky Prospekt, Vosstaniya Street and Goncharnaya Street, in front of the Moskovsky Rail Terminal, which is the northern terminus of the line connecting the city with Moscow. Administratively, the Vosstaniya Square falls under the authority of the Tsentralny District.

Prior to the February Revolution, the square was known as Znamenskaya, after the church of the Sign, which was built there in 1794-1804 to a Neoclassical design by Fyodor Demertsov. The square was a scene of many revolutionary demonstrations and protests. After the Bolsheviks seized the city, they had the square renamed into the Uprising Square to commemorate these events. The church of the Sign was torn down in 1940 to make room for a Metro vestibule.

The roundabout at the center of the square was formerly dominated by Paolo Troubetzkoy's equestrian statue of Alexander III of Russia. In 1937, the Communist authorities moved the famous impressionist sculpture out of the square (it was put into the courtyard of the Marble Palace in the early 1990s). An obelisk "To the Hero City of Leningrad" was erected on the same spot, in order to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Victory Day in 1985.

The Vosstaniya Square is a major traffic hub of Saint Petersburg. It's home to the large Moscow Rail Terminal, from where trains depart for Moscow, Novosibirsk and other major cities, it is filled with passengers every day. The square is home to two metro stations; Mayakovskaya and Vosstaniya Square. The square is also a main hub for marshrutkas, taxis, buses, trolleybuses and trams.