Kronstadt was given away

St. Petersburg was the first to complete the division of controversial monuments

The last 108 architectural monuments from the formerly disputed 1184 objects are divided between the state and St. Petersburg. The center received 58 works of the architects, and Smolny - 50. The corresponding order was signed recently by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. As the Vremya Novostey correspondent was told in the city property management committee, the Russian government came under the jurisdiction of, in particular, the Kronstadt fortress, the Znamenka ensemble, the Shuvalov estate in Pargolovo and the Lower Stables in Pushkin, as well as the buildings of the Guardhouse of the Uhlan Regiment, the Manege and Bezobrazov's dacha. St. Petersburg received the Big and Small Gostiny Dvors, the Yusupov Palace on the Moika, the Yamskaya Market on Marata, the barracks of the Pavlovsky Regiment, the Smolny Monastery, the Belvedere Palace and the Piskarevskoye Cemetery.

Let us recall that at the height of the so-called parade of sovereignties of the early 90s, many architectural masterpieces (namely 1052 real estate objects) were simultaneously recorded in the city and federal property registers. This dual power interfered with the management of this property. It was not even about claims to ownership and not about priorities of use, but about the mechanism and technology of control. It was often legally unclear how to carry out and distribute funds for repairs or even for banal sanitary maintenance of premises - who should pay, how much and when, whose contract is the main one, who works with contractors, etc. Therefore, at the beginning of the 21st century, a federal law was adopted on the delimitation of architectural monuments between the constituent entities of the federation and the government of the Russian Federation. The division process itself was very painful and was accompanied by scandals in many regions.

St. Petersburg became the first subject of the federation where the division of monuments has already been completed. In total, 680 cultural objects remained with the northern capital, and 504 were under the jurisdiction of the Russian government. Now, as St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko told reporters yesterday, the city can safely invest in the repair and restoration of cultural heritage sites. “The opportunity is open to involve them in the investment process. We promise not to take drastic actions,” she clarified.

The mayor added that, however, 13 controversial religious sites remained. These include St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Savior on Spilled Blood. And a unified position regarding the ownership of them and their further use has not yet been formed. But now negotiations are underway with the government, and this issue should be resolved by the end of the year.

Property of St. Petersburg: Mariinsky Palace, Peter and Paul Fortress (with the exception of the Mint buildings, which were transferred to the Russian Federation), Mikhailovsky (Engineers) Castle, Rumyantsev (Kochubey) House (44 Angliyskaya Embankment), Elagin Palace on Elagin Island, outbuilding of the Ober- officer of the Life Guards of the Rifle Regiment, the Main Treasury, the archives of the War Ministry, the Botny House, the Mariinsky Hospital, the Imperial Educational Society for Noble Maidens (Smolny Institute), namely the main and service buildings, the Smolny Monastery, as well as residential buildings with corner churches, Anichkov Palace , Ensemble of the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, Main Pharmacy (Millionnaya St., 4; Aptekarsky Lane), Kamennoostrovsky Palace, Oreshek Fortress, Pavlovsk and Gatchina palace and park ensembles.

Property of the Russian Federation: Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the Hermitage and the Winter Palace, the Admiralty, the Exchange, the Tauride Palace, the Summer Garden and sculptural groups, the Naval Cadet Corps, the buildings of the Military Medical Academy. CM. Kirov, the Headquarters of the Guards Corps, as well as ensembles that were traditionally used by federal cultural institutions - the complex of buildings of the Peterhof State Museum and Tsarskoe Selo.

Mikhail TELEKHOV, St. Petersburg