Rotating Triumf Arch / KATARSIS ab

The district of Kolomna, where many of Dostoevsky’s novels are set, is one of the oldest — and, probably, the most distinctive — in St. Petersburg. The Nikolsky Rows is a brilliant example of a gostiny dvor, a very distinctive Russian building type combining a shopping arcade and an inner courtyard used as an open market and storage and maintenance area. The building fell into disrepair and was then restored. However, until the present day, it failed to become an active city space in its own right. The former arcade now houses a hotel, while the market courtyard remained inaccessible to the public. We created a small architectural landmark to trigger the return to life for this historically vibrant location.