The Planned City

The accession of Catherine the Great to the Russian throne gave fresh impetus to urban planning across the country. In December 1762, by decree of the Senate, the Commission for Stone Construction of Saint Petersburg and Moscow was established. Initially it was conceived as a temporary body to regulate the development of the two most important cities of the Russian Empire. But the Commission's role soon expanded. On 25 July (5 August in the new style) 1763, the Senate issued a decree "On producing specific plans for the buildings and streets of all cities, separately for each province." These responsibilities were assigned to the Commission, turning it into one of the key state institutions of the second half of the 18th century. From the 1770s onwards, the Commission began operating on a permanent basis.

In its work, the Commission was guided by ideas typical of the Classical era, viewing the city as a rationally organised structure. Its framework consisted of straight, ray-like thoroughfares dividing the city into regularly planned blocks. Major city centres were marked by squares of simple geometric shapes (square, circular or polygonal). These squares often included churches, which served as vertical landmarks: their domes and bell towers concluded long perspectives along the main avenues. Streets and squares featured continuous building facades. Industrial facilities, slaughterhouses, hospitals, hospices and cemeteries were relocated beyond the city limits, into the suburbs.

The Commission’s activities largely determined the appearance of Russian cities in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Their essentially medieval urban environment was reshaped according to Enlightenment ideals. Narrow winding alleys, hemmed in by fences, gave way in key locations to formal street frontages and spacious squares — perhaps less grand than those in the capital, but still impressive at the provincial scale. Standardised building designs developed by the Commission had a profound influence on provincial architecture. Thanks to these designs, the archetypal image of a cosy house with a mezzanine emerged — a feature that became characteristic of many historic Russian towns.