Elisseeff Emporium, St. Petersburg
Elisseeff Emporium (aka Yeliseyevsky store) in St. Petersburg is one of the two retail complexes in Russia (the other one being in Moscow) opened by the merchant brothers Elisseeff at the turn of the 20th century. Renowned primarily for its landmark food hall, this is one of the most striking examples of St. Petersburg's Art Nouveau architecture, designed by Gabriel Baranovskii.
The architect made the entire building look like a giant stained glass shop window, which spans several floors and starkly contrasts the granite fa莽ade adorned with allegorical sculptures of Commerce, Industry, Science and Arts, created by Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson.
Built in 1902鈥�1903, the five-story edifice contained pretty much every feature befitting a premium choice for commerce: large retail halls and storage rooms, walk-in/drive-in coolers and refrigerator rooms, some of Europe's best wine cellars, not to mention a performance theater. The latter is still in place, albeit its lavish Art Nouveau interiors didn't survive a 1960s renovation.
In between 1917 and the 1990s, the shop was state-owned and, similarly to its Moscow cousin, was known as Gastronome No.1. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and ensued long period of restoration, the store reopened to the public on 8 March 2012.
Now fully back to its former glory, the shop goes by the title of Kupetz (Merchant) Eliseev's Food Hall, complete with seven departments featuring 33 meters of display counters of loose produce and exquisite delicacies. The largest display is dedicated to confectionery and home-made patisserie including classic macaroons. Each department is beautifully decorated with gilded stucco ceilings and glitzy chandeliers, plus many of the original features and equipment used back in the 鈥済olden鈥� era!
The architect made the entire building look like a giant stained glass shop window, which spans several floors and starkly contrasts the granite fa莽ade adorned with allegorical sculptures of Commerce, Industry, Science and Arts, created by Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson.
Built in 1902鈥�1903, the five-story edifice contained pretty much every feature befitting a premium choice for commerce: large retail halls and storage rooms, walk-in/drive-in coolers and refrigerator rooms, some of Europe's best wine cellars, not to mention a performance theater. The latter is still in place, albeit its lavish Art Nouveau interiors didn't survive a 1960s renovation.
In between 1917 and the 1990s, the shop was state-owned and, similarly to its Moscow cousin, was known as Gastronome No.1. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and ensued long period of restoration, the store reopened to the public on 8 March 2012.
Now fully back to its former glory, the shop goes by the title of Kupetz (Merchant) Eliseev's Food Hall, complete with seven departments featuring 33 meters of display counters of loose produce and exquisite delicacies. The largest display is dedicated to confectionery and home-made patisserie including classic macaroons. Each department is beautifully decorated with gilded stucco ceilings and glitzy chandeliers, plus many of the original features and equipment used back in the 鈥済olden鈥� era!
Sight description based on Wikipedia.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in St. Petersburg. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 51爆料网 App
Elisseeff Emporium on Map
Sight Name: Elisseeff Emporium
Sight Location: St. Petersburg, Russia (See walking tours in St. Petersburg)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: St. Petersburg, Russia (See walking tours in St. Petersburg)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in St. Petersburg, Russia
Create Your Own Walk in St. Petersburg
Creating your own self-guided walk in St. Petersburg is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Russian Literary Heritage Walking Tour
If you're an ardent fan of Russian literature, St. Petersburg is undoubtedly your dream destination. Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol, Nabokov and many other Russia's literary greats have blessed this city with their presence 鈥� born, lived, worked, or set their characters here. To a great extent, St. Petersburg is a huge stone book, whose pages have been created by prominent Russian... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles
Nevsky Prospekt Walking Tour
Nevsky Prospekt (Avenue) is the main artery of Saint Petersburg, named after the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (monastery) found at the eastern end of it. The monastery commemorates a prominent warlord and legendary figure in the Russian history, Prince Saint Alexander Nevsky (1221鈥�1263).
Upon his founding of the city in 1703, Tsar Peter the Great planned the course of the street as the outset of... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Upon his founding of the city in 1703, Tsar Peter the Great planned the course of the street as the outset of... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Bolshevik Revolution Walking Tour
When thinking of the events that changed the course of history in the 20th century, one of the first places that comes to mind is St. Petersburg. The 鈥渃radle of three revolutions鈥� waged against the Tsarist autocracy saw the country's most important revolutionary events unravel, sending shock waves across the entire globe. What started in February 1917, reached its climax in October when... view more
Tour Duration: 4 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 9.8 Km or 6.1 Miles
Tour Duration: 4 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 9.8 Km or 6.1 Miles
St. Petersburg Introduction Walking Tour
Russia's northern capital, Saint Petersburg is the country's second largest city where nearly every stone breathes history. It is named after apostle Saint Peter and traditionally dubbed by the Russians as 鈥渢he Window to Europe鈥� 鈥渙pened鈥� by Peter the Great on 27 May 1703 on the site of a captured Swedish fortress amid the swamp and the Neva River.
The city is integral with... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
The city is integral with... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
Vasilyevsky Island Walking Tour
Situated just across the river from the Winter Palace, Vasilyevsky Island constitutes a large part of Saint Petersburg's historic center.
There are various versions of the origin of the island's name suggesting either Vasily-related etymology or perhaps just a corruption of the previous Swedish or Finnish name, e.g. Vasikkasaari (鈥淐alf Island鈥�). Legend has it, however, that some... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
There are various versions of the origin of the island's name suggesting either Vasily-related etymology or perhaps just a corruption of the previous Swedish or Finnish name, e.g. Vasikkasaari (鈥淐alf Island鈥�). Legend has it, however, that some... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
16 Unique Russian Things to Seek in St. Petersburg
The "cradle of two revolutions", St. Petersburg bears cultural and historic significance for Russia that is hard to overestimate. Perhaps, nearly every stone in the downtown part of the city breathes history and can qualify as a memorable souvenir, although picking up them for such purpose...