1905 Square in Yekaterinburg

Brief Information

The Square of 1905 appears to be a single urban space, but it emerged from two different squares: Cathedral Square and the Main Market Square. They were merged when the Epiphany Cathedral was demolished in 1930. That is why the present-day emptiness at the center is not accidental: a large church once stood here, around which urban life took shape.

The square’s history can be read not only through its names. The 19th-century paving stones have survived to this day, and in 2008, when they were being replaced, numerous burials were found, presumably connected with the cathedral. The ordinary surface of the square turns out to be a trace of two former functions at once: a trading center and a church space. The modern parking lot in the center adds another sharp layer of use.

What to Notice First

It is worth comparing the square’s paving, the City Council building, and the preserved facades of the former Korobkov houses. The paving stones recall the pre-revolutionary square, where trade existed alongside the cathedral. The City Council tower with its spire, chiming clock, and plaster figures appeared after the reconstruction of the New Gostiny Dvor and fixed the square’s Soviet ceremonial image. The monument to Lenin above the reviewing stand continues the same line: the space became a place for demonstrations, parades, and official holidays.

The facades of the former merchant houses on Lenin Avenue are important as a different kind of trace. After the reconstruction of 2006–2009, only the outer walls of the houses were left, so here one can notice not a complete old building, but a preserved shell. Together, these details show the square as a place where old functions did not disappear all at once, but were transformed into a surface, a facade, or a symbol.