Amphitheater & Embankments

PROMENADE ALONG THE COAST

Otkrytaya (Open) Embankment at the Lakhta Center is a one-kilometer-long promenade running along the coast of the Gulf of Finland. This is a multifunctional walking and leisure space that includes sites for various activities, such as areas with swings, viewpoints, the Feather art installation, a pathway for scooter riding, roller skating and biking, as well as benches where you can recharge your electronic devices for free while having a rest.

The embankments have almost 35,000 square meters of landscaped areas and some 9,000 square meters of greenery. More than 200 trees, including oaks, lime trees, cedars, red maples, willows, and ashes, were planted here. Very soon, they will grow large and turn the walkways into shady alleys. The embankments are clad in granite, which is typical for St. Petersburg. The rock was received from the local deposits from which the material for paving the streets of the historical center also originated.

St. Peter’s chapel can be seen on the pier down Otkrytaya Embankment. The original chapel was built in Lakhta in 1893 to the design of Vasily Shaub at the supposed place where Peter I had rescued people from the drowning vessel; the chapel commemorated his deed. Disassembled in 1930 and then recreated in 2022, it can now be seen from the promenade. The chapel was made from manually produced cast-iron parts, so it has a weight of 60 tons while being only 12 meters high. The chapel’s facades are decorated with medallions depicting Virgin Mary, Alexander Nevsky and St. Nicolas. Navigation equipment is placed under the cross. The chapel helps sailors find the route; this is especially symbolic considering its history. Another reminder of the emperor’s heroic deed is a monument inspired by the lost sculpture that was created by Leopold Bernshtam and titled Peter the Great Saves the Drowning near Lakhta. The present monument is located at the opposite end of the embankment, just at the entrance to the complex.

The amphitheater, which is a summer open-air area offering a unique view of the Gulf of Finland, is adjacent to the Lakhta Center embankment. The amphitheater consists of a stage and seats arranged in a semi-circle. It can comfortably accommodate a total of 1,000 people. The stage area is about 1,300 square meters.

At the western end of the embankment, there is a pier for river vessels. During the navigation period, the pier can be used to depart to the city center for a walk or to arrive from it. The route offers splendid panoramas of historical and modern attractions of St. Petersburg, such as the Hermitage Museum, Palace Bridge, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, the Gazprom Arena stadium, a cable-stayed bridge of the Western High-Speed Diameter, and the Lakhta Center. Modern comfortable riverboats ply the route; among them is the Chaika riverboat, one of the most environmentally-friendly passenger vessels in Russia that uses liquefied natural gas as a fuel.

© Nadezhda Maksimova

1,000
SEATS

ROUTES

AUDIOWALK ALONG THE LAKHTA CENTER EMBANKMENT

You are invited to an exciting walk along the embankment at Europe’s tallest skyscraper! Connect earphones to your smartphone and turn on our audio guide to enjoy stunning panoramic views and impressive modern architecture, learn lots of interesting facts about the Lakhta Center and get immersed into the history of this area in the company of well-known St. Petersburg tour guide and local historian Pavel Peretz.

The route starts in front of the monument to Peter I. Each route section shown on the map has a corresponding audio track with the same number.

  • 02:57
    1. PETER THE SAVIOR
    02:57
  • 03:54
    2. RECORDS IN HEIGHT
    03:54
  • 03:45
    3. FLAGS OVER THE CITY
    03:45
  • 03:11
    4. CLAD IN GRANITE
    03:11
  • 03:45
    5. FIRE DOES NOT BURN IT
    03:45
  • 02:33
    6. WINDS AND LIGHTNINGS
    02:33
  • 03:20
    7. THUNDER STONE
    03:20
  • 02:51
    8. NEW CENTER
    02:51

BIG LAKHTA

With support and investments from Gazprom, an architectural ensemble representing the city’s new marine facade stretching from the Gazprom Arena stadium to the Lakhta Center is being created on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in St. Petersburg. State-of-the-art comfortable urban environment with a great variety of cultural and entertainment functions is being created at the coastline; futuristic architectural objects have been installed on the embankment. The unique ensemble of the world’s highest flagpoles symbolizes the link of times and the continuity of traditions.