The center of St. Petersburg is decorated with one of the largest public gardens in the city, which is called the Field of Mars. The park area on the one hand borders with Mikhailovsky and Summer Gardens, and on the other - with Suvorov Square and Neva Square. The history of the green complex is connected with the very foundation of the city.

In the 18th century, there was a huge swamp bordered by a grove. However, soon they decided to drain the marshland and gave it the name Big Meadow. This area turned into a resting place for soldiers, and during the holidays it was held folk festivals, which is why it was renamed the Funny Field. During the reign of Catherine I, a beautiful park was made from this zone, which was given the name Tsaritsyn Meadow.

When Peter I decided to build his summer residence here, the well-groomed park became the main parade ground for maneuvers and masquerades. In 1805, this area was given its modern name - the Field of Mars. The new name was associated with the erection of a monument to the legendary commander Alexander Suvorov here, whose bust is dressed in knight's armor of the god of war Mars. Since then, the territory has a memorial and military character associated with the installation of monuments to military personalities.

For two centuries in a row, the whole of St. Petersburg walked around the Field of Mars during church holidays or stared at military exercises, to which all the men in the Romanov family were great hunters. In the 20th century, before the First World War, it was a sports arena for the world speed skating championship, but the terrible events that followed soon made their mark.

In 1917, by the decision of the Petrograd Council, a cemetery was built on this site, where the bodies of the victims of the revolution were buried. Two years later, a huge memorial complex was installed on the Champ de Mars in honor of all those who died in those turbulent times, made of red granite by architect Rudnev.

In besieged Leningrad, greenhouses were located here that saved the lives of thousands of residents. On January 27, 1944, a victory fireworks were staged on the Champ de Mars, celebrating the breakthrough of the siege ring, which had been shrinking for 872 days. In 1957, the USSR authorities decided to install the Eternal Flame complex here.

Today, the park area has become a recreation area for residents and visitors of the Northern Capital, while maintaining its original value. The tradition of the newlyweds to lay flowers on the Champ de Mars at the foot of the Monument to the Fighters of the Revolution, which came from Soviet times, has survived to this day.