Petrograd & Vyborg Sides - St Petersburg - page 301

Yelagin Island is an especially attractive oasis, as it is closed to cars. Krestovsky
and Kamenny Islands are also pleasant places to stroll, as there is plenty of parkland,
as well as a sort of New Russian suburbia. The metro station Krestovsky Ostrov
provides easy access to both Krestovsky and Yelagin Islands; for Kamenny you can
walk across the bridge from metro station Chyornaya Rechka on the Vyborg Side.

IISLAND AND

KAMENNY ISLAND
( Chyornaya Rechka) Century-old dachas (country cottages; now inhabited by very
wealthy locals) line the lanes that twist their way around Kamenny (Stone) Island.
The wooded island is punctuated by a series of canals, lakes and ponds, and is pleas-
ant for strolling any time of year. At the east end of the island the Church of St
John the Baptist OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (built 1776-81) has been charm-
ingly restored. Behind it, Catherine the Great built the big, classical Kamen-
noostrovsky Palace OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP for her son; it is now a weedy
military sanatorium (off limits to casual callers).

The rest of the island is a woodsy, mostly residential neighbourhood. For years a
dead oak, supposedly planted by Peter the Great, stood in the middle of the Krestovka
embankment. The old oak has been removed and replaced with a young, healthy tree;
but it is still known as Peter's Tree OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP .

IISLAND AND

YELAGIN ISLAND
( www.elaginpark.spb.ru , in Russian; admission Mon-Fri free, Sat & Sun adult/student
R50/30; 6am-10pm; Krestovsky Ostrov) This island is basically a giant park - a de-
lightful car-free (and even bike-free at weekends) zone that is a fantastic place to
wander. It was landscaped by the architect Carlo Rossi, so you can expect the loveli-
est of settings. The centrepiece is the Yelagin Palace OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP
(Yelagin ostrov 1; admission R200; 10am-6pm Wed-Sun) , also by Rossi, which Alexan-
der I built for his mother, Empress Maria. The very beautiful restored interiors of the
main house include old furnishings on loan from the Grand Europe and Astoria Ho-
tels; don't miss the stupendous 1890s carved-walnut ensemble in the study and the in-
credible inlaid-wood floors. Other nearby estate buildings sometimes host temporary
exhibitions too.

The rest of the island is a lovely network of paths, greenery, lakes and channels. At
the northern end of the island, you can rent rowing boats (per hour R300) to explore
the ponds or in-line skates to explore the paths; in winter it's an ideal setting for sled-