Eliseevsky Gastronome - showcases by Mikhail Shemyakin

Many stores try to decorate their windows for the Christmas and New Year holidays as bright and interesting as possible. But this shop window stands out of all the others, its decoration was made by the famous artist Mikhail Shemyakin.

House of merchants Eliseev, 1904-1905

Eliseevsky store, also called "Shop of merchants Eliseev" and "House of trading partnership of brothers Eliseevs" appeared in our city at the turn of XIX and XX centuries. That's when a luxurious building in Art Nouveau style was built, the lower floors of the building housed a store, and in the upper theater. Surprisingly, the purpose of the building remained unchanged throughout all subsequent years. Even during the Soviet period it continued to serve as a theater and a store. The store was named "Gastronome No. 1 Central", but in the oral tradition the name "Eliseevsky" did not disappear. My grandparents called this store the old-fashioned way, Eliseevsky.

Merchant Eliseev purchased the land to build the store in 1898, and the grand opening took place in 1904. The rich decoration of the halls and exotically decorated shop windows made a great impression on the public. Visitors came to the store not only for shopping, for many such a visit was like going to a museum. People walking along Nevsky Prospect stopped by the shop windows to admire the unusual compositions. Especially many visitors came to the store during the Christmas holidays. Every year the Eliseevs merchants decorated their store for Christmas.

At the beginning of the new XXI century the store's building was put into repair, and in 2012 it was reopened. The owners of the store decided to support the tradition of festive window decoration and the store again began to attract the attention of all those walking along Nevsky Prospekt.

The shop windows were decorated for the New Year and Christmas by the famous artist Mikhail Shemyakin. I do not know how much the store owners spent on this window, but I suspect that it is not only the most interesting, but also the most expensive window display in the city. Moving characters from the fairy tale Nutcracker were used for the decorations. The Nutcracker is traditionally considered a winter, Christmas fairy tale. For example, Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker is shown in our theaters only in winter. But this showcase has almost museum value, and the characters remain in their places all year round.

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Location	Saint Petersburg, Russia