CITY LEGENDS

Legends of names of the city parts - Vassilievsky Island

In ancient times a fisherman Vasily lived on the island with the wife Vasilisa. From them the island name also has gone.

And here other legend: at Peter I on the western extremity of island there was a fortification which captain-gunner Vasily Korchmin ordered. Sending to him orders and orders, Peter supplied with their laconic inscription: "To Vasily on island". So gradually it also began to be called as island Vasilev.

By then, to the Petersburg's foundation time, the island name was already existed.

It is mentioned in 1500 in the Book of Vodsky District of the great Novgorod. At the same time the island had also other, Finnish name - Losinyj (Hirvi-saari).

Originally Peter assumed to create city centre exactly here. In 1716 Domeniko Trezini develops the first general layout of building of Petersburg according to which on Vasilevsky island it it supposed to generate a rectangular grid of streets-channels, the huge public garden, two areas built by the state and public buildings, harbour on east extremity and giant defensive works on perimetre.

In the subsequent plans of various architects insignificant details varied, but there was invariable once an idea, which has grasped Peter I, of the quarters which have been cut by channels in the manner of Amsterdam or Venice.

With various amendments, changes and deviations this grandiose plan has started to be carried out. But not all managed to be executed.

But also in today's building of Vasilevsky island traces of those original projects are clearly visible. The historical place of harbour has remained and is underlined by a complex of a modern Marin Station.

There are invariable unique names of streets-lines. Frightened of isolation and disconnexion from a city, inhabitants reluctantly lodged among wild marshy woods of island. Only in 1727 the stable relation with island on temporary Isaakievsky bridge was adjusted more or less.

And there are industrial enterprises and, as consequence, poor working settlements, sailor's barracks, small houses of petty officials, pubs, warehouses, wood sheds appeared in the island.

And only the well-known ensemble of the Arrow gives out Peter's plan - to transform Vasilevsky island into the city centre.

Source: Three centuries of St.Petersburg: Encyclopaedia