On the other side of Nevskiy Prospect from Ostrovskiy Square is the famous foodstore which used to belong to Eliseev’s. The second floor of the building houses the Comedy Theater.

Behind the Eliseev’s store Malaya Sadovaya Street turns off Nevskiy Prospect. Though only 152 meters long, this pedestrian zone contains lots of establishments, especially eating ones.

Cross over Sadovaya Street and head into the Passage Department Store, a long shopping arcade built in the mid 19th century.

Opposite the Passage is the Gostinyy Dvor Department Store. It occupies a whole block, the combined length of the facade being over one kilometer.

Mikhaylovskaya Street to the right forms an approach to Arts Square. The left side of the street is occupied by the Grand Hotel Europe, built in the late 19th century by architect Fyodor Lidval, and refurbished in the late 20th century by a Swedish-Russian joint venture.

The Arts Square is one of the finest examples of town planning. In the center of the oval square stands a Statue of Alexander Pushkin. The poet is depicted reciting his poetry, his hand is outstretched in a free gesture and his head is proudly thrown back.

Further on, set back slightly from the street, stands St. Catherine Catholic Church, its steps taken over by street artists. The main facade is this domed church is in the form of a triumphal arch. Statues of the evangelists and of angels holding the cross line the attic.

Right across the bridge over the Griboedov Canal to the left opens into view one of the finest landmarks in St. Petersburg – the Kazan Cathedral. It was built in 1801-1811 by architect Andrey Voronikhin and treasured the “miracle-making” icon of Our Lady of Kazan. This icon appeared miraculously in the town of Kazan in 1579 and was credited with many miracles including freeing Moscow from the Poles in 1612, during the Time of Troubles.

Opposite the Kazan Cathedral stands the building constructed for Singer Sewing Machine Company in the early 20th century. Its Style Moderne exterior is distinguished by the tower topped by a giant glass globe. Today the building is known as the House of Books, housing the largest bookstore in the city.

Further on Malaya Konyushennaya Street stretches to the right. Not far from its beginning stands the Statue of Nikolay Gogol, unveiled in 1997.

The Lutheran Church of St. Peter and Paul, set back from the avenue, was built by Alexander Bryullov in the mid 19th century. The Bust of Johann Wolfgang Goethe was unveiled in 1999 in front of the church to mark the 250th anniversary of the great German poet birth.

Bolshaya and Malaya Morskaya Streets running left off the prospect originate from the early 18th century. The name Morskaya (Marine) derives from the fact that both streets were located in a district were mainly sailors and dockyard workers from the Admiralty used to live.

The massive grey stone building which dominates the corner of Nevskiy Prospect and Malaya Morskaya Street was built in 1911-1912 by architect Marian Peretyatkovich to house the St. Petersburg Commercial Bank owned by Merchant Wawelberg. The ornamentation on the facade, suggestive of the Doge’s Palace in Venice, is quite untypical of St. Petersburg.