It’s almost impossible for tourists to not check the shop centers and malls during their trips. One of the most favorite things for tourists to do is to walk around the luxury shopping centers and local shops during their stay. St. Petersburg as one of the gigantic tourists’ destinations in the world that hosts loads of tourists throughout the year has lots of famous shopping centers in each corner of itself. One of those famous shopping centers in St. Petersburg is the Great Gostiny Dvor.
The Great Gostiny Dvor is one of the oldest and largest shopping centers in St. Petersburg which locates at the intersection of Nevsky and Sadovaya prospect. This large shopping center which continues to over one kilometer among the street and occupies around 52000m2 of the area is one of the oldest shopping centers in the world too.
At first, the Great Gostiny Dvor was constructed by the design of the famous Italian architect, Rastrelli in 1757. However, since the construction lasted around 28 years, that design dropped eventually and made room for the new neoclassical design by the famous French architect, Jean-Baptiste de la Mothe. The reason behind this change was that the neoclassical architecture was more economical and useful than the late Baroque architecture.
Later, the Great Gostiny Dvor expanded a lot so that its shops increased from 100 to 178, and ten new indoor streets formed inside the shopping center. However, the Dvor lost its popularity due to the introduction of new modern shopping centers such as the Passage in the Nevsky Prospect in the 19th century.
After the October Revolution, the Dvor’s building was abandoned for several years. During the Second World War and aerial bombardment from the German Army, the building gravely damaged. After the war finished, the Dvor went under reconstruction which lasted from 1945 to 1955. During this restoration, the internal walls of the mall completely demolished due to form a new grand mall instead of several separated shops.
After the reopening, one of the oldest shopping centers in the world introduced as one large mall, and the new main shopping center of St. Petersburg. For years, part of the benefits from the Dvor spent on restoring the historical face and modernize the interior. The Dvor’s name once again spread around after the grand opening of high fashion gallery inside it which many famous artists and fashion designer from around the world participate in it. Today, the high fashion gallery brought over forty famous brands in fashion together which makes it the main fashion center of Russia in the northern capital.
The Great Gostiny Dvor included in the largest financial corporations and the leading shopping center by ranking in 1998. The Dvor categorize as the Luxury shopping center in 1999 and won many awards since then.
Today, the Dvor is not only the best and exceptional shopping center in Eastern Europe, but also an excellent place for hosting festivals, concerts, and celebrations in St. Petersburg. There you can buy products with the best and highest quality in the market and also enjoy your time in restaurants, cafes, and recreational center inside the mall. The Great Gostiny Dvor created a fun and energic atmosphere for its visitors to be identified as one of the most fashionable shopping centers in Eastern Europe.
The product category of this mall is quite excellent. There are many sections for fashion, clothing for women, men, and children, jewelry, watches, and decorative. There’s also a technology section with the presence of all the international brands in that category. There are a few souvenir shops for tourists so that they would bring back home something significant from St. Petersburg. There are many sections for the locals too, from home improvement needs to decorative and products which might be interesting for tourists too. In overall, you can find any product you might need as a tourist in this mall since it got a wide section of writing supplies, toys, clothes, accessories, perfumes, foods, drinks, or any other product that might interest tourists.
As we mentioned, this shopping center locates at the Nevsky prospect, the most famous street of St. Petersburg. The Great Gostiny Dvor and the Nevsky Prospect are included in Saint Petersburg tour programs. So, don’t forget to check this shopping center out during your visit of Nevsky Prospect and St. Petersburg tour.
