Villmansstrand, St. Petersburg — engraving

A view of the Neva with a floating restaurant near the University Embankment.

"BILDER FRAN FORNA SVERIGE.: VILLMANSSTRAND I ST PETERSBURG", "Tecknadt efter fotografi af R. Haglund".

Technique, Material: Woodcut / Paper
Artist: R. Haglund,  Engraver: 
Date, Publisher: Stockholm, end of the 19th century.
Size: 15.5x12.5 cm

The engraving captures the University Embankment in St. Petersburg with a unique structure—the floating restaurant "Villmansstrand", which gives the composition its title. The word Villmansstrand is of Swedish origin, literally meaning "Villmanstrand shore," referring to the city of Lappeenranta (Villmanstrand in Swedish) in Finland. However, in the St. Petersburg context, this was the name given to this elegant wooden building on the water.

Such floating establishments were popular in 19th-century St. Petersburg. This was a light, openwork pavilion with verandas, terraces, and small balconies from which visitors could admire the Neva River and the opposite bank—the spit of Vasilievsky Island with its Rostral Columns and the Old Stock Exchange building. These "bathing pavilions and restaurants" served as summer retreats for city residents: here one could enjoy tea with a view of the river, savor the cool breeze, and take in the city panorama.

In the background of the engraving, the panorama of the University Embankment is clearly visible. To the left stands the monumental building of the Imperial Academy of Arts with its granite quay, adorned with sphinxes (installed later, in the 1830s). Further along stretches the facade of St. Petersburg Imperial University (formerly the Twelve Collegia building), and to the right—the Kunstkamera with its characteristic tower crowned with an armillary sphere. Beyond the Kunstkamera, the Zoological Museum and the distant buildings along the embankment can be seen.

The Neva River at this point is wide and deep—the main artery of the city. Boats and small vessels glide across the water, enlivening the riverscape.

On the opposite bank, the outlines of Vasilievsky Island are faintly visible. The engraving captures the unique atmosphere of old St. Petersburg—a city ​​on water, where architecture and the river exist in inseparable unity.