The street connecting Nevsky Prospect and Italyanskaya Street first appeared on the map of St. Petersburg in the middle of the 18th century. Today it is known as Malaya Sadovaya, and a couple of centuries ago it was called Shuvalovskaya. This name was given to the street in honor of a prominent statesman, famous philanthropist and favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov.

At that time, Count Shuvalov owned the entire odd side of the street, where his palace was located — a luxurious three-story mansion in the style of the popular Elizabethan Baroque at that time. It is noteworthy that the Count's Palace was closely adjacent to the magnificent architectural ensemble of the Empress's Summer Palace, which actually made Count Shuvalov an imperial neighbor. Not everyone was allowed such a privilege at that time.

A few decades later, in 1850, Shuvalovskaya Street was renamed Malaya Sadovaya Street. However, this name was fixed for a short time. In 1873, when a monument to Catherine II was erected near Nevsky Prospekt, the street changed its name again and became Ekaterininskaya.

This name remained until the beginning of the revolutionary events of 1917. The Bolsheviks who came to power, who could not stand anything that had anything to do with the imperial family, decided to christen the street in their own way. This is how a street appeared in the city with a cutting rumor called Proletkult. It is not difficult to decipher it: the word “proletcult” means nothing more than proletarian culture. The long-suffering street wore this abbreviation for several decades, until in 1949, by decision of the city authorities, it was returned to its historical name - Malaya Sadovaya.

Some of the buildings on Malaya Sadovaya Street have an interesting history. One of them is house No. 8, which at the end of the 19th century housed the so-called Warehouse of Russian Goods. It was here that members of the revolutionary organization “Narodnaya Volya” were preparing an attempt on the life of Emperor Alexander II. They were digging, where they planned to place a mine in order to kill the emperor. Fortunately for the ruler and to the deep disappointment of the revolutionaries, the attempt did not take place - the emperor at the last minute changed the route of his crew. However, this did not save him from death, but only delayed the tragic incident.

Nowadays, Malaya Sadovaya Street is a pedestrian street. This is the shortest street in St. Petersburg — it is only 179 meters long. The street is very loved by the townspeople, and there are reasons for this — it is always green and cozy, there are many magnificent flower beds and comfortable benches to relax. In addition, the thermal communications here are laid in such a way that at any time of the year Malaya Sadovaya remains dry and suitable for a leisurely rendezvous.