Karl Marx Avenue (Karelian: Karl Marksan prospektu, Russian: Проспе́кт Ка́рла Ма́ркса) is an avenue in the center of the city of Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Republic of Karelia. It runs from Great Petropavlovskaya Street to Lenin Square.Resolution of the Administration of Petrozavodsk City District dated July 7, 2025, no. 1887 House numbering starts from Lake Onega. It is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along the avenue are Yamka Park, Mariinsky Boulevard, the Puppet Theater Square, and the Alley of the City of Military Glory, making it one of the greenest streets in the city.

The avenue's development is included in the list of architectural monuments and is under state protection as an example of ensemble architecture since the 1950s. Additionally, the building of the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia, monuments to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and Peter I are monuments of federal significance.

On July 7, 2025, a section of Karl Marx Avenue (from Petrovskaya Embankment to Kirov Square) was separated and restored to its historical name, which holds cultural and historical significance—Great Petropavlovskaya Street.

Naming The street has had numerous names. In the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, it was known by: Line for the Residence of Staff and Senior Officers, Line to Petrovsky Factory, Line to Old Factory, Upland Line (due to its location on a hill), Olonets Road, Great Street, Nagorskaya Slobodskaya Line, Nalichnaya Street, Preshpekt, Olonets Road, Olonets Tract, Saint Petersburg Street (named after the city of Saint Petersburg, in the direction of which the street ran), Petersburg Street, English Street (due to the houses built for Scottish ["English"] specialists ["artists"] who arrived in 1786 led by Charles Gascoigne at the Alexander Factory), Vladimir Street (for Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who visited Petrozavodsk), and Mariinsky Street (for Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, who visited Petrozavodsk).

On June 12, 1918, the General Assembly of the Petrozavodsk City Council of Workers' and Red Army Deputies merged Mariinsky Street with Sobornaya (now Great Petropavlovskaya) Street (which ran from Lake Onega) into Karl Marx Avenue, for the German thinker and public figure, the founder of Marxism.

On November 3, 1941, the head of the Petrozavodsk District (a representative of the occupation authorities) named it Marshal Street, for Finnish Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim. On December 1, 1942, the occupation intelligence department assigned the name Mannerheim Street; on the 31st of the same month, the occupation authorities named it Main Street (in Finnish, Valtakatu), reflecting its status in the city.

On June 28, 1944, after the liberation of Petrozavodsk, the Soviet name Karl Marx Avenue was restored.

On July 7, 2025, a separate street was again allocated from the avenue on the section from Petrovskaya Embankment to Kirov Square (as it was before 1918), and its historical name Great Petropavlovskaya Street was restored. Since then, Karl Marx Avenue has run from Great Petropavlovskaya Street to Lenin Square.

History 18th century

In the 1760s, by order of the commander of the Alexander Factory Anikita Sergeyevich Yartsov, construction of residential houses for factory management and specialists began on the banks of the Lososinka River. Eight houses, each 12 sazhens long, were built on stone foundations.

With the change in the city's status, becoming a provincial city in 1784, these houses began to accommodate civil servants. The street was home to Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin, the governor of the Olonets Governorate and a renowned Russian poet.

In 1786, Catherine II decided to move Scottish ("English") specialists led by Charles Gascoigne to Petrozavodsk. The provincial administration moved to , and the street was transferred to the specialists, which later led to it being called English Street.

In 1787, the reconstruction of these wooden buildings began, completed in 1793, with some houses rebuilt in brick and plastered.

In 1790, a Gostiny Dvor was built on the street according to the design of architect Fyodor Kramer, becoming the center of trade in Petrozavodsk for a long time. It occupied a large block up to Sennaya Square.

In 1793, the merchant Stakhey Zhdanov began building the first private house next to the Gostiny Dvor.

19th century After Gascoigne and many Scottish specialists left by 1810, some premises on English Street were repurposed for administrative needs. In the 1830s and 1840s, in addition to housing for factory officials, English Street hosted a military court, a factory hospital, the accounting department of the factory administration, and a post office. In 1843, the merchant Zhdanov's house was converted into the Mining Administration of the Alexander Factory. In 1863, the Mining Administration building was sold to the city and housed the city administration, police, fire chief, and city bailiff. In 1858, a stone guardhouse was constructed opposite the Gostiny Dvor, and in 1895, it housed the Alekseevskaya Public Library. In 1885, the street was renamed Mariinsky in honor of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. In 1895, a fire watchtower was built at the city administration building.

20th century In 1900, Mariinsky Street was paved.

In 1905, a boulevard was established along Mariinsky Street.

In 1911, the former guardhouse building opened as the "Saturn" cinema. Over time, it housed a telephone exchange, Alekseevskaya Library, and a puppet theater. In the 1960s, it was significantly rebuilt, and in 2006, a new puppet theater building was constructed on the same site.

In 1912, a Public Assembly building with a 550-seat auditorium was built. Later, it housed the "Triumph" cinema, then the Russian Drama Theater, and the Finnish Drama (now National) Theater. The building was significantly rebuilt in 1965 and 2003.

The avenue was heavily damaged during the war: the Gostiny Dvor building was completely destroyed, and many buildings were reduced to their facades. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, reconstruction of the avenue began. Conducted in two stages, this widened the section from Kirov Square to Lenin Square by nine meters. New buildings were constructed behind the existing ones, which were later demolished. During the expansion, a second row of greenery was created along the houses, which, together with the existing boulevard on the undeveloped side, transformed the avenue into a large boulevard.

Sights

Kirov Square Kirov Square is at the intersection of Karl Marx Avenue, Kuibyshev Street, Lunacharsky Street, and Pushkin Street. Before the Revolution, it was called Sobornaya. During the early Soviet times, it was Freedom Square, then Republic Square. In 1936, it was renamed after Kirov.

The first buildings on the modern square's site were two wooden churches: Petropavlovskaya with a high spire and Holy Spirit (later Resurrection) church, built in the early 18th century. In 1777, the Petrozavodsk settlement received city status, and the city administration began implementing the first urban development plan. The "square" around the churches became almost square, and plans were made to build a stone cathedral. In 1790, a public school building was constructed, which later became the Male Gymnasium (now the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia). In 1840, the merchant Syrovotkin's house was built, later acquired by the male gymnasium to house the director. Nearby, in 1858, a boarding school building was constructed, which later housed the Female Gymnasium (now the building of the ).

Then began the construction of the other side of the square. In the late 19th century, buildings for the Petrozavodsk Craft School and the District Public School were constructed. From 1859 to 1872, the largest church in the city, the Holy Spirit Cathedral, was built on the square, and in 1881, a monument to Alexander II was erected. After the revolution, the emperor's monument was demolished; and in 1924, the Resurrection and Petropavlovsky cathedrals burned down. In 1936, the Holy Spirit Cathedral was demolished. In the same year, a monument to Kirov was erected in its place.

In 1955, the Musical Theater building was constructed according to the design of architect Savva Brodsky, who in 1965 reconstructed the Finnish Theater building.

There are plans for further reconstruction of the square.

Houses nos. 6, 8, 10, and 19, on Kirov Square, are included in the address list of Karl Marx Avenue.

Kantele House, no. 6 The Female Gymnasium building was constructed in 1858 by a provincial architect, Tukhtarov. Initially, the building housed a boarding school, admitting children from poor noble and official families to train future clerks. In 1861, the boarding school was converted into the Mariinsky Female School, with its decoration funded by Governor Arsenyev. Ten years later, the school was transformed into a female gymnasium. In 1872, the building was reconstructed according to a design by V.G. Mikhailovsky. In Soviet times, the building housed educational institutions and a dormitory of the Pedagogical Institute.

In 1987, the former gymnasium building became home to the Kantele ensemble. In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Karelia in 2010, the building was completely renovated. Its area increased by 2.5 times, with the addition of a 100-seat auditorium, rehearsal rooms, workshops, and a recording studio.

Museum of Fine Arts, no. 8 Construction of a stone public school building began in 1788, and it was opened on April 21, 1790. At that time, it was the largest building in the city. After the abolition of the Olonets Governorate in 1796, the school was moved, and the building housed city administrative offices. In 1802, the former school building was damaged by fire; it was restored in 1810 and housed a male gymnasium. After the October Revolution, it served as a barracks, then hosted various institutions, and now is the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia.

Gymnasium Directorate Building, no. 10 The building was constructed in 1840 by a Petrozavodsk merchant of the 2nd Guild, G.M. Syrovotkin, on a plot purchased from the male gymnasium. After the merchant's death, the house was acquired by the male gymnasium between 1875 and 1877. The upper floor housed the gymnasium director's apartment, while the lower floor had apartments for two assistant class tutors. In 1918, the city's first music school was opened in the building. In Soviet times, it was used for administrative purposes. Currently, it houses the State Committee for Life Support, Prevention, and Elimination of Emergencies.

From Kirov Square to Kirov Street Monument to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels On May 10, 1960, a monument to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, depicted in conversation, was erected at the intersection of the avenue with Kuibyshev Street, near house no. 14. Its sculptors were the Ukrainians Efim Isaevich Belostotsky, Elius Moiseevich Fridman, and Pyotr Filippovich Ostapenko. The sculptural group was cast in bronze at the Mytishchi Art Casting Factory, and the pedestal was carved from Shoksha crimson quartzite.

Residential buildings nos. 12 and 14 Residential buildings nos. 12 and 14, designed by the architect Lazar Yudelevich Tarler in the Neo-Renaissance style, were built from 1953 to 1956. The southern facade of no. 12 faces Karl Marx Avenue and the northern faces Kuibyshev Street. The main facade of the building, with octagonal turrets, faces Kirov Square. The two houses are connected by an arch.

The houses are four-story, built of brick. The ground floors are rusticated and house shops and cafes. The upper, residential floors are bounded by richly decorated cornices and adorned with a rhythmic series of decorative compositions.

Karelia-Market Trading House, no. 16