In fact, delicate white and pink candles of chestnuts bloomed in the Summer and Mikhailovsky Gardens, and on Klenovaya Street, and throughout the city. Chestnut is a tree for space – large, durable, resilient and majestic. Chestnuts came to Europe from Turkey. There is a legend that the seeds were brought by the Turks to Central Europe as feed for horses and as a cure for horse cough. To distinguish them from edible chestnuts, they were called horse chestnuts.

In European countries, chestnuts are planted in front of the house as a wish for long family happiness, which is quite justified. After all, chestnut trees can grow up to 1000 years under favorable conditions!

Chestnuts were brought to St. Petersburg from Holland by Emperor Peter I. And they were planted on Klenovaya Street in 1898 as part of a large landscaping program. They have seen a lot, survived the entire 20th century and to this day delight strolling St. Petersburg residents and city guests.

The beauty of chestnuts is difficult to overestimate! They amaze with their incredible blooms in the spring, delight with their thick and lush foliage all summer, and in the fall we love to collect their fallen fruits.