Zone: The main prospects

Today we're going to take you on a walk through what have been called the Champs Elysées of St Petersburg. But why the Champs Elysées - when Paris is so far away? In fact there is a neat explanation! St Petersburg's Imperial-era press often called Kamennoostrovsky prospekt – or Stony Island Avenue, as we'd call it in English - "the Champs Elysées of St Petersburg" because of the similarities of its aristocratic mileu, charm, and atmosphere of relaxed, confident comfort. Bohemian revelers always thronged its pavements, and almost every building is connected in some way to the lives of artists, writers, architects or intellectuals – unless they were instead the homes of prominent political figures or aristocrats. Petersburg insiders will tell you that they secretly value Stony Island Avenue as highly as tourist-crammed Nevsky Prospekt – for its beauty and refined atmosphere. It's an outstanding street that sets the tone for the Petrograd side of town.