The Kryukov Canal used to form a link between two rivers - the Great Neva and the Fontanka. Over the course of time the section nearest the Neva was filled in, but the numbering of the buildings on the embankments still starts from the river. This beautiful canal is as straight as an arrow, so why "Kryukov"? (In Russian "kryuk" means "detour"). The answer is simple, yet unexpected. An artist by the name of Ivan Nikitin worked in St. Petersburg on his return from studying abroad. One day Peter I visited his flat; the artist was living in poverty, as his European style of painting did not appeal to the boyars, who had only just shaved off their beards (the Tsar's attempt to force them into being more "European"). Peter wanted to help: he suggested that Nikitin sell his paintings at auction and even organised the event himself at the Menshikov Palace. Despite the Tsar's support, sales were sluggish.

Trudoslav Zalesov

An artist by the name of Ivan Nikitin worked in St. Petersburg on his return from studying abroad. One day Peter I visited his flat; the artist was living in poverty, as his European style of painting did not appeal to the boyars, who had only just shaved off their beards (the Tsar's attempt to force them into being more "European"). Peter wanted to help: he suggested that Nikitin sell his paintings at auction and even organised the event himself at the Menshikov Palace. Despite the Tsar's support, sales were sluggish. He then cried: "Let the man who loves me most buy this last picture". It was bought by a merchant named Kryukov for 3000 roubles, an astronomical sum at that time. Peter kissed the merchant on the forehead and told him that the canal he had undertaken to dig would bear his (Kryukov's) name. Centuries have passed, but Peter's words have stood the test of time and it is still the Kryukov Canal. As for Nikitin, he quite naturally idolised Peter; he had the honour of rendering the Tsar his last service - he painted the portrait of Peter on his deathbed.

Start your walk from the Fontanka and proceed along the right-hand embankment. Stop by the 18th century two-storey building with thick walls at number 23.

...Alexander Suvorov began his career as a corporal in 1748 and finished it with the rank of generalissimus. At the end of his victorious Italian campaign in 1799, he performed the impossible - he saved the surrounded Russian army by leading it across the apparently impassable Swiss Alps. However, the mountain crossing cost the 69 year-old Suvorov his life; he was brought to his daughter's home in this building seriously ill and died here on 20 May 1800. An oval memorial plaque commemorates the event.

A hundred paces further on, take a look at the other side. Along the embankment and around the corner of Sadovaya Ulitsa stretches the squat gloomy outline of the old Nikolsky Market. It is not that long ago that its trading and storage areas were filled with the noise of the production of aluminium vessels. Present-day businesses have gradually been occupying the building once again.

Further on, the Kryukov Canal crosses the Griboyedov (formerly the Catherine) Canal at right angle; this has led to an original combination of three bridges. The wide road-bridge carrying cars and trams along Sadovaya Ulitsa is called Old Nikolsky Bridge, after the market, while the other two, constructed differently but as similar as two cousins with their common appearance and granite pillars, form the continuation of both embankments of the Kryukov Canal. The one on the "odd" side is Pikalov Bridge, while the one on the "even" side is Krasnogvardeysky ("Red Guard") Bridge. The latter is a pedestrian bridge (with seven steps); it is the one that looks like part of the St. Petersburg of Pushkin's time, though in fact it was built in the late 1930s and named in the spirit of that time.

After passing the three bridges, your attention is caught by a four-storey bell-tower, generally known to locals as "The Tower" (built 1756-58). It is notable for its superb location and its delightful proportions, which accentuate its shapeliness and lightness. Behind the bell-tower you can see the powerful outlines of the cathedral to which it belongs; both were designed by Savva Chevakinsky. The cathedral (built 1753-62) was named after St. Nicholas of the Sea in Elizabeth's reign and consecrated under Catherine II. Its original name has recently been restored, as has the tradition of prayers for lost seamen, including the 118 from the submarine "Kursk".

As you move towards the Neva, look at the back of the Mariinsky Opera House and, if you so desire, admire it from Theatre Square. At Number 8 Kryukov Canal Embankment there is a memorial plaque to Eduard Napravnik (1839-1916); he was a famous conductor at the Mariinsky and a composer (the opera "Dubrovsky"). He also worked with Tchaikovsky.

If you look diagonally across the Kryukov Canal from this point, you can see the solid walls of "New Holland" Island.