Grass instead of cobblestones

Today, we know Palace Square as endless cobblestones, with the only green in the picture being the walls of the Winter Palace. What if we told you that not just once, but twice in the 21st century, the square turned into a green field?

One occasion was in June 2015, when the International Federation of Landscape Architects held an event in St. Petersburg. The organizers covered the square with rolled lawns, added trees in tubs, and created flower beds. The transformation lasted only two days, but during that time citizens could take a seat and relax where they couldn’t before.

The other time happened earlier, in June 2005, to commemorate the start of the Great Patriotic War. The grass growing through the stone was meant to symbolize the victory of life over death. Sculptures of red roses by the German sculptor Sergei Dott also appeared on the square, having previously decorated Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.

Skating rink

St. Petersburg boasts plenty of ice rinks these days, both comfortable and picturesque, but it would be nice to go back to 2007 and visit the most central one of them all. This was the year when, on the first day of winter, a skating rink opened on Palace Square. Built by Bosco Neva, a sponsor of the Russian Olympic team, the rink took up around 5,000 square meters and was considered the largest open-air skating rink in Europe at the time. During the winter season, it hosted hockey matches, performances by professional skaters, and children’s New Year celebrations.

At the same time, the project caused some controversy. Many residents worried that the rink would damage the historic cobblestones, restrict views of the Alexander Column, and change the atmosphere of the square itself. The experiment was never repeated, but Palace Square still beautifully transforms every winter with ice slides and a picturesque New Year tree.

Living chess

Remember the giant chess scene from Harry Potter? We had it our own way a century earlier! On July 20, 1924, the then-called Uritsky Square was painted black and white to host a giant living chess game to celebrate the founding of World Chess Federation (FIDE). In front of 8,000 spectators, leading Soviet chess players Ilya Rabinovich and Pyotr Romanovsky played for five hours with only two breaks. The “black” team was called the Red Army, and the “white” team was the Red Navy. Real horses were used as knights and field guns took the place of rooks. The match ultimately ended in a draw.

A century later, the game was recreated on the same square on a smaller scale to celebrate International Chess Day. This time, there were no horses or military units; instead, all the pieces were portrayed by costumed actors.

The loudest concert

Today, Palace Square is one of the city’s main venues for large public events like the Scarlet Sails festival or City Day celebrations. But many residents still remember another era of Palace Square, when global music stars performed right in the heart of St. Petersburg. In 2004, Paul McCartney gave a concert on the square. 2007 brought performances by Elton John, The Rolling Stones and Scorpions, while in 2009 audiences gathered there for shows by Madonna and Duran Duran.