Lomography

Griboyedov Canal (Saint-Petersburg, Russia)
written by grad on July 5th, 2009 , 3 comments (3 votes)

Please activate JavaScript to see this gallery.

It starts from the Moyka River and flows into the Fontanka River. Its length is 5 km, with a width of 32 m. Before 1923 it was called Catherine Canal, after the empress Catherine the Great, during whose rule it was deepened. The Communist authorities renamed it after the Russian playwright and diplomat Alexandr Griboyedov, who lived on the bank of the canal. There are 21 bridges across the canal, Bank Bridge is one of them.

This canal, stretching 5 km (3 miles) through the very centre of the city, is crossed by 21 bridges. It was constructed in 1739 to move cargo from Sennaya ploshchad, and named after the Russian playwright and diplomat, Alexander Griboedov. Boat trips are widely available in the summer months, but walking their banks is also a very good way to literally view a cross-section of the city and what it has to offer. What you’ll see will range from the industrial to the picturesque and parochial, but whether frozen or fluid they offer an unbeatable guide to the gamut of St Petersburg.

The canal is also considered a street; Naberezhnaya Kanala Griboyedova (The Griboyedov Canal Quay), although the St. Peterburgians just say Canal Griboyedov.