A walking tour titled “Against the Current” will guide participants along St. Petersburg’s Griboyedov Canal, exploring the area’s rich literary connections and historical significance. The tour, led by Olga Nabokova, will take place on select dates in June and July.

The tour begins at Semimostye (Seven Bridges) and concludes at Trekhmostye (Three Bridges). Participants will hear stories of writers who lived in the area or mentioned the canal in their works, highlighting individuals who, like the tour’s namesake, “went against the current of history.”

Initially named Ekaterininsky Canal in honor of Catherine II, the Griboyedov Canal faced the threat of being filled in during the early 20th century due to its poor sanitary condition. Preservation efforts were spearheaded by engineer Konstantin Dmitrievich Griboyedov, who advocated for maintaining the canal.

Despite a popular legend attributing the canal’s renaming to this engineer, toponymy experts suggest it was named after the playwright Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov, who resided on the canal embankment. The original name was “the Canal of the Writer Griboyedov.”