The area of St. Petersburg, its avenues and streets, canals andbridges attract tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world. At the same time, the guests of the northern capital of Russia aspire not only to visit the world-famous monuments, but also to gather a maximum of information about all the interesting places of the city on the Neva. It is to such interesting places that Svetlanovsky Prospekt also belongs.
Probably, if you ask a local resident, thatjust tell you that this part of the city route connects Suzdal Prospect and Svetlanovsky Square, but not everyone can tell about what was here before, and where the modern name came from.
Svetlanovsky Prospekt as such appeared in1912 year. True, then it was called Ananyevskaya street and connected Staropargolovsky Prospekt and Benois Prospekt. The route was named after Anania Ratkov, the famous landowner, who owned virtually all the surrounding territories. These lands were bought by his father in order to create a new landscaped area on the site of the deforested forests. Construction was completed by Ananias himself, who enjoyed great authority among the local population, who had been chosen several times by the leader of the nobility and the justice of the peace.
After the October Revolution, a long time to comeSvetlanovsky Prospect continued to bear the name of Ananyevskaya Street until a large-scale reorganization began in the mid-1960s. So, at the very beginning of this decade, a new highway was laid between Engels Prospekt and Staropargolovsky Prospekt, which was named Novoananievskaya Street. However, perestroika did not stop at that: in 1967 both Ananyevsky streets were united into a wide and spacious Svetlanov Avenue, which was continued to Ozerkov. They didn’t think about the name for a long time: as early as 1920, the Ayvaz machine-building plant located here was renamed Svetlana, as it began to specialize in the production of lighting fixtures.
In the early 1970s, the Svetlana plant withinthe experiment was the first in the Soviet Union, scientific and industrial association. This enterprise occupied a huge area, the boundaries of which were Svetlanov Avenue, which in 1970, by administrative decision, was extended to Suzdal Avenue, Manchester Street, Torez and Engels Avenue. At the same time, the area formed at the intersection of Bogatyrsky, Murinsky, Svetlanovsky Avenues also became known as Svetlanovsky.
Since then much water has flowed under the bridge.Once located almost on the borders of the city Svetlanov Avenue is now one of the most important city roads. The former industrial giant has already lost its importance, along with the modern shops and shopping centers spread along the highway. Thousands of St. Petersburgers and guests of the city pass through this area every day, without even guessing what a fascinating story lies behind the familiar name “Svetlanovskiy Prospect, St. Petersburg”.
