A walking tour exploring the multifaceted history of the Fontanka Embankment in Saint Petersburg is scheduled for June 8th at 2:00 PM and July 19th at 4:00 PM. The tour, led by guide and art historian Lyubov Bezrukova, will delve into the rich and varied stories associated with this iconic waterway.

The Fontanka Embankment evokes different images for different people. For some, it brings to mind the charming Chizhik-Pyzhik, a small bronze sculpture. For others, it recalls the building that once housed the “Third Section of His Imperial Majesty’s Own Chancellery,” which was referred to by Herzen as the “Central Spy Agency.”

One notable building on the Fontanka Embankment is the Eliseev’s tenement house at number 64. This building was the first project for the Eliseev family by architect Gavriil Baranovsky, who also designed the Eliseevsky store on Tverskaya Street in Moscow and the House of the Trading Partnership “Brothers Eliseev” on Nevsky Prospect. Baranovsky himself resided in this building, as did military leader Alexei Brusilov, known for commanding the “Brusilov Offensive” during World War I.

Another resident of the house during World War I was Grigory Grigorievich Eliseev Jr., the eldest son of the merchant who commissioned the house. Eliseev Jr. worked as a surgeon and remained in Russia after the revolution, continuing his medical practice until 1935. A “Last Address” plaque commemorates his fate.

Further details about the excursion “Bank Left, Bank Right. Familiar and Unfamiliar Fontanka with Lyubov Bezrukova” are available on the Lurie House of Culture website.