Consider this: What if these walls could talk? The Obukhovskaya Hospital has stood here since 1779. It has witnessed the evolution of medicine in Russia. Let’s delve into its storied past.
The Obukhovskaya Hospital first opened its doors as one of Russia’s first city hospitals for the poor. Initially, the hospital was near the Obukhov Bridge. It started humbly with six wooden barracks and just 60 beds. Among its first facilities was a charity house for the insane. This was the city’s first psychiatric institution.
The hospital got its name from the nearby Obukhovsky Avenue. This avenue existed from 1804 to 1878. It ran from Sennaya Square to Fontanka.
In 1784, the Obukhovskaya Hospital expanded. A stone building was erected on the Fontanka side. Luigi Rusca designed this building. It housed the men’s department with 300 beds. Catherine II’s life-surgeon, von Kelchen, planned the building. He modeled it after Vienna’s city hospital.
The psychiatric ward moved in 1828. It relocated to the former Sievers-Potemkin estate on the Peterhof road. Architects D.I. Quadri and P.S. Plavov rebuilt the palace into a hospital. In 1832, it opened and was named Joy Hospital of All Who Sorrow.
The Obukhovskaya Hospital continued to grow. Between 1836 and 1839, a building for the women’s department was built along Zagorodny Prospect. P.S. Plavova designed it. This building had 200 beds. In 1866, architect I.V. Strom added two more buildings along the Vvedensky Canal. One of these buildings was named “Prince’s” in honor of Prince P.G. Oldenburgsky.
By the 20th century, the Obukhovskaya Hospital had a capacity of 3000 beds. Many outstanding doctors worked here. Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov was among them.
A monument to Pirogov was erected in the hospital garden in 1932. It is a gray granite bust created by sculptor I.V. Krestovsky and architect L.V. Rudnev. The pedestal has “Pirogov” engraved on the front. The reverse side bears an inscription about Pirogov creating his atlas of topographic anatomy. He did this on cuts of frozen corpses.
The Obukhovskaya Hospital was an advanced scientific and clinical institution. The first operation to remove an appendix occurred here. So did the first use of plaster bandages and ether anesthesia. Chief doctor Alexander Nechayev made this happen.
Since 1956, the clinic of the Military Medical Academy has been located here. The Obukhovskaya Hospital continues to serve the community. It maintains its legacy of medical innovation and care.
Today, as we stand before the Obukhovskaya Hospital, we remember its history. We honor the doctors and patients who have passed through its doors. It is a place of healing, learning, and progress. Its story is woven into the fabric of St. Petersburg itself.