Michael Manege

Similar to the neighboring Mikhailovsky Castle the name "Mikhailovsky" comes from the Archangel Michael, a heavenly patron of the House of Romanov, the ruling dynasty of the Russian Empire in 1613–1917. "Manège" is French for "riding academy", since the area was originally used as a dressage area for horses of the imperial cavalry. The square in which the monument sits is called Manezhnaya Square (). == History ==

The history of Manezhnaya Square and the Mikhailovsky Manège dates to the 1730s, when a Persian shah, Nader, who signed a treaty with the Russian Empire in Ganja in March 1735, sent an elephant as a gift to the Russian empress, Anna of Russia, the niece of Peter the Great. To keep that gift alive, an "elephant yard"—actually, the first zoo—was built on what is today Manezhnaya Square. Very soon, a "beast yard" () for other animals was put nearby, along with a greenhouse to grow plants to feed them. However, the elephant could not bear loneliness and the heavy northern climate of Petersburg. So in 1741, the Persian shah sent a caravan of 14 elephants. A house for them was built where the Manège is now located. From this "stable", elephants were regularly taken for walks across the current Manezhnaya Square. In 1742, the new empress, Elizabeth of Russia, began construction of a new Summer Palace for herself nearby. The zoo was moved away, and on the place of the stables a labyrinth garden was built with interlocking lanes and clipped shrubs. The wooden Summer Palace stood for half a century until the reign of Paul I of Russia, when it was dismantled, freeing up space for the stables and manège. ==Architecture==

The Mikhailovsky Manège is an elegant, spare structure faced in stucco of cream-yellow and white. It was built in 1798–1800 by Vincenzo Brenna, an Italian architect and painter who was the court architect of Paul I. Brenna is considered a precursor of romantic neoclassicism, when some elements of the late baroque are combined with romanticism and classicism. A quarter of a century later, tastes changed, and in 1823–1824 architect Carlo Rossi renovated the facades in classic style upon his joint project with two Russian sculptors, Vasily Demuth-Malinovsky and Stepan Pimenov. The facade of the building, which faces the square with its five doorways, and the attic, were decorated with bas-reliefs of military armor and bas-relief shields with swords and oak branches. This design reflects the use of the Manège by the War Ministry as a dressage spot for the horses of imperial cavalry. For the same reason, the building was sometimes called by a Russian name of German origin, "экзерциргауз" (, lit. "house for exercises"). == Exhibition area ==

. In the years of economic expansion following the Emancipation reform of 1861, the Mikhailovsky Manège became one of the city spots for agricultural and industrial exhibitions. The Imperial Gardeners' Society was among the most regular tenants of this hall. In 1893, the First All-Russian Hygiene Exhibition took place here; in 1909, the International Exhibition of the Latest Innovations, at which the All-Russian Aero Club formed the core of the national exhibition stand. Atomexpo was held there in June 2013. == Political events ==

The October Manifesto issued on , allowing the formation of political parties in Russia, brought the demand for facilities for public gatherings. In harsh climatic conditions (long winters, flanked on both sides with the long months of bad weather, slush and mud), the need for indoor facilities was especially urgent. Mikhailovsky Manège, located about north from Nevsky Prospekt, was selected. The Union of the Russian People (URP), a close-to-extremist nationalistic movement formed with substantial overt and covert support from the Russian authorities, was among the first to use this government-owned building for their political gathering. Nine days after the Manifest was proclaimed, on , the URP announced its founding; and in less than a fortnight, on the crowd of about 2000 people gathered under the roof of Mikhailovsky Manège. Orchestral music was playing, the church choir sang Praise God and Tzar Divine, and the leaders of URP addressed the mob from a rostrum erected in the centre of the arena. In 1913, when the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanovs was celebrated throughout Russia, Mikhailovsky Manège was the site for different public venues associated with this occasion, which included several exhibitions. The left-wing political forces intensified their activities in Petrograd in April, when Vladimir Lenin and the other leaders of the Bolshevik section of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party returned to democratic Russia from emigration. of Lenin on the first day of 1918 at Mikhailovsky Manège marked a turn in the policy of the new Soviet government regarding war and peace. The slogan "Peace to the people", under which the October Revolution gained mass support, lost its relevance due to the resumption of German attacks on Russia, so Lenin had to explain to the soldiers why they should resume fighting. A special guest at this rally was Albert Rhys Williams from the United States. As soon as Lenin stepped down from the top of an armored car from which he spoke, Nikolai Podvoisky, a Soviet defence minister and the organizer of the event, gave the floor to an American speaker. When the shooting started, "Platten grabbed Lenin by the head and pushed him down. ... Platten’s hand was covered in blood, having been grazed by a bullet as he was shielding Lenin." Lenin was not hurt. ==Literature==

• • • Technical data on exhibition capacities — an official portal of the Government of St.Petersburg ==References==