Wawelberg Bank, St. Petersburg

Wawelberg Bank, St. Petersburg

The Wawelberg Bank Building is an important landmark of St. Petersburg, constructed by a prominent Polish-Jewish banker family who settled here in the 1840s. The massive edifice – stretching for an entire city block – incorporates the foundation and elements of two separate 18th century buildings.

Upon its completion in 1912, the building was compared to the Doge's Palace in Venice and the Banco di Santo Spirito in Rome. Despite its dark granite facade, producing a somewhat medieval appearance, many contemporaries considered the building a bit too “American”, if not tasteless.

Aside from the bank, throughout its century-plus history, the Wawelberg Building has consecutively accommodated a retail establishment, a restaurant, an employment agency, and an art studio. For most of the Soviet period, between 1960 and 1992, it was occupied by the regional Aeroflot office; hence the local nick "Aeroflot Building" that is still in use. Today, it houses a collection of travel agencies and cafes. In perspective, there are plans to convert the property into a boutique hotel.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

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Wawelberg Bank on Map

Sight Name: Wawelberg Bank
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

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.
St. Petersburg Introduction Walking Tour

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 “the Window to Europe” “opened” 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
Russian Literary Heritage Walking Tour

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 – 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
Bolshevik Revolution Walking Tour

Bolshevik Revolution Walking Tour

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Tour Duration: 4 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 9.8 Km or 6.1 Miles
Vasilyevsky Island Walking Tour

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 (“Calf Island”). Legend has it, however, that some...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
Nevsky Prospekt Walking Tour

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 (1221–1263).

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

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16 Unique Russian Things to Seek in St. Petersburg

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...