Winter
We begin our exploration at one of the city’s most famous landmarks, Palace Square, home to Winter Palace (Зимний дворец). Once the main residence of the Romanov dynasty, nowadays it’s the main building of the Hermitage Museum. In the early 18th century, a wooden palace stood here where Peter the Great used to spend the colder months, and that’s why each new residence built on this site inherited the name. The building we see today, the Baroque masterpiece by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, is the fifth Winter Palace, constructed between 1754 and 1762.
The sight spread its name to the surroundings as well. Nearby is the Winter Canal (Зимняя канавка), which connects the Neva with the Moika River right beside the palace. Spanning the canal are not one but three Winter Bridges – the First (Первый зимний мост), Second (Второй зимний мост), and Third (Третий зимний мост). They were built at different times but were all designed to fit in with the "old-fashioned" atmosphere. Together, they form one of the most picturesque corners of the historic center.
But winter doesn’t end here! Not far away, on Manege Square, stands the Mikhailovsky Manege. Before 1917, it was used for military drills, exhibitions, and public festivities. In the 1950s, the building was repurposed as the Winter Stadium (Зимний стадион), giving it a second, “seasonal” name. Today, the Manege serves as a major exhibition venue but still keeps the double name.
Ice
To explore the subject of frozen water, we head to the Prospekt Bolshevikov metro station. Here you’ll come across the Ice Palace (Ледовый дворец). Don’t expect the architectural grandeur of the Winter Palace – this one is an arena. Opened in 2000, it is a modern arena primarily used for ice hockey and is the home venue of the SKA St. Petersburg hockey team. At the same time, the Ice Palace easily transforms into a concert hall, exhibition space, or even a public skating rink.
In the nearby park, across the Okkervil River, you’ll find the Ice Bridge (Ледовый мост). Built in 2000, it remained nameless for many years and officially received its current name only in 2017. One of its most distinctive features is its decoration: the bridge is adorned with granite pylons in the form of griffins, embellished with mosaic inserts, a tribute to griffins on the Bank Bridge.
Christmas
Let’s talk about some toponyms that disappeared. Before the Russian Revolution, the historic Peski district was known for its ten Christmas (Рождественские) streets, laid out parallel to one another. They were named in the 18th-19th centuries after the Church of the Nativity of Christ (Храм Рождества Христова), which stood at the heart of the neighborhood.
After the Russian Revolution, all these streets were renamed into Sovetskiye (Советские, meaning “Soviet”) streets, and the church itself was later demolished. Although the cathedral has since been restored, the streets have kept their Soviet-era names.
