In this and the following album, we will walk along
Prospekt Engels. However, we will not make photos of the prospect itself,
but mainly of its closest surroundings. A considerable part of the
commentaries are by Viktor Varganov (he has lived there for a long time
and knows everything :)
This part of Udelny Park (which meets
Prospekt Engels by Svetlana square) is for some reason completely
missing as a park on two of my maps. Still, the park isn't worse off for
it, yet.
Here, in the park itself, are the ruins that used to be the restaurant
The Hunter's Lodge. As Viktor says, in the early 1990s this place was
popular with muscular men in Mercedes cars.
However, later, the restaurant lost out to more conveniently located
competitors, and after that, it withered away and started to fall apart.
The building itself is from the Stalin
period, from the 1950s.
This part of the park, close to Prospekt
Engels, used to be an exemplary model of the Soviet park, with neat
flowerbeds and the unavoidable seesaws. Emptiness reigns now, while on
the other side of the railway, the "wilder" and overgrown parts of the
park look very nice indeed.
The Immanuel orphanage, built in the
early 20th century.
The exterior.
A large block of flats :) on a quiet side
street between Prospekt Engels and Udelnaya Park, at Yaroslavl Prospekt
no. 11.
In flat no. 7 here, which belonged to the worker E. Kalske, V.
I. Lenin hid on 8 August 1917, before departing for Finland. Because of
this, the house was long kept on the list of protected buildings. It
doesn't have that status any longer, so some "investors" want to tear it
down and build something contemporary instead. However, the Committee
for State Historical Objects is against, as it will "deprive the area of
its historical depth".
This seems right, if one appreciates the general look of the place
and the park.
A house from the second half of the 1940s
("the German cottages", built by German POWs).
This school building (Prospekt Engels no.
38), which now houses the Polytechnic College, was awarded architectural
prizes in the early 1950s. Photos of it were included in collections.
The architect was L. E. Ass, and it was built in 1952.
A typical "Stalin" house (built in
1953-1955), which is on the actual Prospekt Engels, no. 37.
People in
the Vyborg area who have broken their arms or legs, or been hurt
otherwise, know this building as the casualty department of the Vyborg
region.
This house is sometimes called the Generals' house.
Beside it is one of the buildings that
belong to the Svetlana Association (by now probably Ltd.) It was built
in 1974.
Now as well, the Svetlana Shopping Centre, offices and the Skoda car
dealer are located here.
The association takes up an enormous territory, and we will return
here at some point (but at the moment, a wall in one of the entrances
has fallen down, and it looks bad in photos:)
Occasionally, one hears the legend of the Svetlana factory being
named for Stalin's daughter.
But Svetlana is actually an acronym derived from "Svetovye lampy
nakalivaniya", that is, "illuminating incandescent lamps".
The railway station "Udelnaya".
It is an old, elaborate building with Style Moderne elements, from
1914-1915, by the architect B. Granholm.
As you can see, the platform
is situated so that one can easily reach it from across the rails.
Because of this, the turnstiles, which have already been installed in
this station, are somewhat less effective than they could have been :-)
A slightly different perspective..
Decorations under the spire.
The station's new glass pavilions hide
contemporary turnstiles, which were installed to fight fare-dodgers. In
Viktor's opinion, however large the loss from those without tickets, the
cost of the turnstile system probably increases the loss. By the way, I
don't agree with him.
The pavilion isn't particularly elegant, but it's nice enough.
