Historical Square (Yekaterinburg)

The Historical Square (Istorichesky Skver) is a public space in the very centre of Yekaterinburg, in the Leninsky district, by the Plotinka dam on the Iset River. It lies on the site of the Yekaterinburg ironworks, where the city began in 1723, and today brings together museums, monuments and the embankment of the City Pond. Address for navigation: 4A Gorkogo Street, Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast.

History

The Yekaterinburg ironworks were founded in 1723 and became the core of the future city. The dam of the works pond, known locally as Plotinka, was rebuilt several times: in the 19th century it was widened to a design by the architect Mikhail Malakhov, and in the 1970s to a design by Yuri Serdyukov.

The square itself was laid out in 1973 for the city's 250th anniversary. The surviving 19th-century factory buildings were given to museums, and the grounds became a park of about 8 hectares. It is bounded by the City Pond to the north, Malysheva Street to the south, Gorkogo Street to the east and Voevodina Street to the west.

A time capsule buried in the square is due to be opened in 2073, the city's 350th anniversary. For the 300th anniversary in 2023 a light-and-music fountain was launched here.

What to see in the Historical Square

The square has a museum zone and a memorial zone. The museum zone is on the left bank of the Iset, among the former factory buildings:

• the Museum of the History of Architecture and Industrial Technology of the Urals, opened in 1975 in 19th-century workshops;
• the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, known for the largest collection of Kasli cast-iron art in Russia;
• a late 19th-century water tower built for the railway workshops; it now houses a blacksmithing museum, a souvenir shop and a coffee shop, and hosts plays and workshops.

The memorial zone runs along a retaining wall with a bas-relief. It holds the Stone Garden with large specimens of Ural minerals and the monument to the city's founders, Vasily Tatishchev and Georg Wilhelm de Gennin. The Plotinka dam itself crosses the pond here and is one of Yekaterinburg's favourite meeting places.

Legends

The Stone Garden has its own local belief: whoever wants a large and strong family should touch the block of rhodonite.

Getting there

The nearest metro station is Ploshchad 1905 Goda, a 5-7 minute walk away. By bus, get off at the Teatr Opery i Baleta (Opera and Ballet Theatre) stop.

Good to know

The Historical Square is one of the main venues for city festivals and public celebrations, with concerts, sporting and cultural events. Over the years clocks stood here counting down to the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.