Kuybyshev Square (, ''Ploshad' Kuybysheva'') is a

public square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located in the city's historic center between Chapaevskaya, Vilonovska, Galaktionovskaya, and Krasnoarmeyskaya streets in Leninsky District. Kuybyshev Square is one of the largest city squares in the world at fifteen

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...

(150,000m²), and is the second largest public square in Russia and in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The Samara State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and public gardens covering seven hectares are located on the square.

History

Kuybyshev Square was first mentioned in 1853, where it was visible on

's general city plan as a huge parcel of land sized at 525 by 325

metre The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

s, intended for the future construction of a

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

and as a

prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

piece for the city. On April 17, 1866, the birthday of Emperor Alexander II, the site for the construction of the Samara's main cathedral was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

, beginning the square's project designed by architect Ernest Ivanovich Ziber. In May 1869, a cathedral designed by

Konstantin Thon Konstantin Andreyevich Thon or Ton (; October 26, 1794 – January 25, 1881) was a Russian architect who was one of the most notable architects during the reign Nicholas I. His major works include the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Grand ...

in a

Neo-Byzantine Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a Revivalism (architecture), revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine architecture, ...

style with a capacity of 2500 people was laid, but the construction was slow and the square remained largely undeveloped. In 1894, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was completed, and the remaining land next to the cathedral was turned into a square, initially named Nikolaevskaya Square but was named Cathedral Square (Соборная площадь, ''Sobornaya ploshad' '') shortly afterwards. In 1924,

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

authorities renamed the square to Communal Square ( Коммунальная площадь, ''Kommunal'naya ploshad' ''), and in 1930 the city council approved the demolition of the cathedral, which continued until 1932. On November 3, 1931, the Middle Volga Regional Executive Committee adopted a resolution on the construction of the Palace of Culture designed by Noi Trotsky on the site of the demolished cathedral. In 1935, Samara and the square were renamed Kuybyshev in honor of

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

leader

Valerian Kuybyshev Valerian Vladimirovich Kuybyshev (; – 25 January 1935) was a Russian revolutionary, Red Army officer, and prominent Soviet politician. Biography Early years Born in Omsk in Siberia on , Kuybyshev studied at the , a Cadet Corps in O ...

after his death that year. A monument to Kuybyshev was erected in the square in 1938, coinciding with the completion of the Palace of Culture in November. In 1941, Kuybyshev Square hosted a

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

in honor of the 24th anniversary of the

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

because the city was considered a wartime capital for the Bolsheviks. In honor of this parade, annual military parades on the square have taken place since 2011. In August 2010, the Toponymic Commission of Samara accepted the recommendation to rename Kuybyshev Square and return to its historical name, Cathedral Square, but Samara mayor Dmitry Azarov did not support the renaming, and the square retained the name.

References

Squares in Russia National squares Samara, Russia {{Russia-struct-stub