Webcam Stavropol. Alexandrovskaya Square in real time
Vorobyevskoe Suburb is the very first name of the present-day Alexander Square (Lenin Square). Once this square extended southward to the former prison castle, and it was built up only to the first Vorobyevskaya Street.
The architect Gaivoronsky designed a plan according to which the Vorobyovka suburb was to be bordered by several buildings. According to his project the South of the suburb should be limited by the buildings of the government offices (they were not built, instead a men's gymnasium was constructed), the Caucasian Theological Seminary was to be its western "border", the North was to be limited by the headquarters of the Caucasian Line (in the end the headquarters was not built, to this day it houses Gostiny Ryad - G.K. Prave Museum). According to the project, in the center of the square there was to be a cathedral, that's why the square was called Sobornaya even before it was built.
Alexander's Square got its name only in 1851, the governor of the Caucasus Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov gave his consent to its renaming, in honor of "residence here of the Crown Prince, the future Emperor Alexander II".
The peasants who came to Alexander's Square from all neighborhoods constantly traded on the square, selling the fruits of their labors. The townspeople could buy all the necessary agricultural products: vegetables, flour, meat, fish, honey, grain and milk. The bazaar was a veritable pandemonium of people - the crowds were simply colossal! Merchants stood in rows selling their wares behind the counters, with customers scurrying about between them, creating a commotion. The square got its nickname - Bazarnaya, because of the bazaars that took place there. There were only three capital buildings on the square: two stone kerosene stalls, and a scales, which were scales with one-meter bowls, hanging on a forged three-meter beam, held on it by a chain.
The weighing-room was essential for merchants and buyers, it was used to weigh products being bought and sold in sacks. In close proximity to the Gostiny Ryad there was a chapel erected in memory of Michael of Tver and Alexander Nikolayevich Romanov. The chapel was intended to meet the spiritual needs of the townspeople.
Alexander Square was renamed Lunacharsky Square during the establishment of Soviet power. At the time when the Soviet government began to implement the policy of the New Economic Policy, the square once again came to life, it began to carry on trade, not less active than before. Some time later, the square was renamed in honor of Lenin, the leader of the revolution.
In 1962, on August 18, a monument to Lenin appeared on the square, erected after the construction of the House of Soviets. Also on the square was erected a monument to Hermann Lopatin, though already in 1975. Herman became famous for his refusal to accept the coup d'état and the October revolution, knowing that they would bring a lot of suffering and misery to Russia.
The square is surrounded by large shopping centers, administrative buildings, a museum, cafes and restaurants, so it is very popular with city residents and is never deserted from early morning until late at night.
In 2017, linear fountains, water slides, a stage, a huge stationary screen, unusual flowerbeds, benches, ramps, and underground parking appeared on the square. The new recreation area was decorated in the Art Nouveau style.
