Art Nouveau on Stone Island

The most memorable Art Nouveau architectural monument on Stone Island is the Follenweider Mansion, and it is from this mansion that I decided to start the story of my walk around the island. The name "Stone Island" is a stable toponym, but it is not quite accurate, in fact several canals divide this island into several parts. The name "Stone Islands" would be more accurate.

The Follenweider Mansion is located on the bank of the Grand Canal, which crosses the island from north-east to south-west. I was walking towards the mansion on a path along the canal and noticed that the grass seemed to be powdered with white dust. I decided to study this phenomenon more closely... it turned out that the bright green grass was covered in frost. There had been a frost during the night and the hoarfrost had not had time to melt.

The Follenweider Mansion was built in the Northern Art Nouveau style in 1904-1905. Buildings built in this style are distinguished by complex combinations of finishing materials. This technique was used here. The basement of the mansion is faced with granite blocks, also granite pillars of the entrance gate are made of granite. The whiteness of the walls contrasts with both the granite basement and the multi-slope tiled roof. Another characteristic feature of Art Nouveau style is the windows of different sizes and shapes. The architect Robert-Friedrich Melzer designed the mansion.

In summer the mansion is almost completely hidden among the greenery of the surrounding trees, but in autumn, when the trees are free of leaves, we can see this building from several angles. I took a few pictures from different points. On the opposite bank of the Grand Canal there is another Art Nouveau architectural monument, it is called "Dacha Gauswald."

Both of these mansions were often the sets for various films, the most famous of which is the wonderful series of television films "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson" based on the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, filmed in 1979-1986. I still occasionally rewatch these films when I am in the mood, for example, on a long, rainy autumn evening.

Some of the buildings on Stone Island are privately owned, others belong to official structures or educational institutions. Often the purpose of the buildings has changed, and more than once. The two-storey mansion was built in the 1880s in neo-Renaissance style for the Yakovenko family, but 20 years later the building was handed over to the Agricultural Courses. Now it also houses an educational institution - a fishery college. Judging by the photos on the Internet, the building has wonderful interiors. I can imagine how nice it is to study there! I have never dreamed of a career as a fisherman, but such an educational institution is a reason to think about it.

The wooden house nearby is a service outbuilding. It is one of the few surviving wooden houses in the historic part of town. Perhaps it has no special architectural merits, but any wooden building in the centre is now perceived as a rare gem. In this sense, the Stone island can be considered a reserve - several other wooden buildings have been preserved here.

I came to one of these buildings at the end of the walk. The ground floor of this mansion is stone, but the first floor and the tower are wooden. The mansion was built in 1895 according to the project of architect Preis, the architecture of the building is mixed, the house has an asymmetrical shape. This building was built as a summer house, then served as a residential house for some time, now the building houses the Kustodiev Children's Art School.