From Bogoyavlenskaya Square in the center of Yaroslavl, several streets branch off, including Pervomayskaya, where an amazing architectural monument of the early 19th century stands - Gostiny Dvor.
Once there was an earthen rampart on this site, but at the end of the 18th century it was filled in. And since this is the very center of the city, and the road from the capital leads here, of course, brisk trade began here. It developed spontaneously, with hastily knocked-together stalls set up all around, which made the area look quite untidy.
In 1813, the City Duma ordered the construction of Gostiny Dvor to begin, so that trade could be conducted in a more civilized manner. The architect appointed was Pyotr Pankov - a talented "natural" with no formal education. Scholars still argue whether he could have carried out such a project alone, or whether he was assisted by the Italian architect Carlo Rossi, who was working in the neighboring province at the time - Gostiny Dvor bears too much resemblance to the works of the famous Italian.
The construction of Gostiny Dvor lasted 5 years. As a result, three separate structures were erected: the southern and northern wings and the rotunda between them. Some historians claim that there was also another building located behind the rotunda.
This architectural ensemble occupied an entire city block, where the trading rows were located. But 13 years later, a major fire broke out in the city, as a result of which that very fourth building disappeared.
The northern wing grew dilapidated over time, and by 1911 it too was rebuilt. The southern one had to be dismantled completely: little was left of it after the White Guard uprising in 1918. Now the State Bank building, constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, stands in its place.
