The Moika River from the Blue Bridge to the Nevsky Prospect

The most memorable building on the Moika Embankment from Isaakievskaya Square to Nevsky Prospekt is the building of the trading house ‘S. Esders and K. Scheyfals’. The openwork dome with a spire can be seen from afar. The building was built in 1906-1907 in Art Nouveau architectural style - the beginning of XX century gave us many beautiful buildings in this style. The first name of the department stores' sounded simple, it was called “At the Red Bridge”. Red Bridge is one of the coloured bridges across the Moika, there are three of them in total - Blue, Red and Green.

In the 1920s, the building of the luxurious shop was given to a clothing factory. The former department store was adapted for sewing production. The stucco decoration on the facade and the complex shape of the windows were preserved, but the dome was dismantled. The inscriptions on the facade advertising various goods have also disappeared. ‘Men's underwear, skirts, jackets, shoes, furs, hats’ - the text is duplicated in Russian and French.

At the beginning of the XXI century, work was carried out to restore the building of the trading house of ‘S. Esders and K. Scheyfals’. Drawings have not survived, the work was done on the basis of old photographs. Not only the exterior, but also the interiors were restored. Now a large department stores' is working in this building again. This is one of those shops where it makes sense to go not only for the shopping, but also for the beautiful interiors and the view from the windows. You can buy a coffee in a small café and take a seat at a table by the window, admiring the Moika panorama.

As I walk towards the Red Bridge department store, I turn round several times to see the reflections in the calm water of the river. Although the other buildings do not boast fancy spires, their facades are characterised by strict harmony and restrained beauty. Mansions, hotels, and sometimes revenue houses - this is what the architectural landscape of this neighbourhood looks like. Behind the Red Bridge, closer to Nevsky Prospekt on both banks of the Moika River are higher educational institutions.

The block between Gorokhovaya Street, the embankment of the Moika River and Kazanskaya Street is occupied by the Pedagogical University. This university was founded in the XVIII century. A large manor house on the bank of the Moika River was presented to the new educational institution. Opposite, on the other side of the river, are the buildings of various faculties of the University of Telecommunications and the University of Design.

The sun is gradually rising higher and higher. There are still not many people on the streets, but the car traffic is gradually becoming quite busy. So far only ducks are gliding along the river, but the boats are already waiting for the first tourists. I'm approaching Nevsky Prospekt. I can take a bus home right now, or I can walk around a bit more. Which is better to choose?

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Smartphone	Google Pixel 3a
Location	Saint Petersburg, Russia