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The city's main street is Lenin avenue. It goes from the railway station to the Onego Lake waterfront. There are numerous fountains, many shops, bars and restaurants on Lenin avenue. If you turn right on Engelsa street you will find a historical center of the city - Lenin Square (formerly Circle Square, though Circle Square sounds funny in English).
It is amazing that there are many names of streets and squires left from the Soviet times in Petrozavodsk. The answer could be the calm and patient northern mentality that is not in a rush to change things. Furthermore, the local authorities say there is no need to change your history.
So you will see historical buildings dating back from 1777 and a statue of Lenin at the square. The Lenin statue was erected in the 1930s and during the Soviet-German War the local authorities had no time to evacuate the monument when Finnish troops were about to seize the city. But in fact, the Finns have practically nothing against this person because it was Lenin who gave them independence in 1918. And this statue survived through the occupation though became dilapidated.
Karl Marks avenue is another street with the name remained from the Soviet times. Yet, one of the first names of the street was English Street. The reason for the name was that when Catherine The Great came in, she invited a lot of international engineers and experts to work for Peter's cannon foundry. Mostly, the engineers and experts would come from Great Britain and live on this very street. This is why it was named as English Street. The street has a line of shops from one side and a park from another. Going further you will enter the Kirov squire with its four theatres. Passing Kirov squire and down Karl Marks av. you will approach the Onego Lake waterfront area.
Walk along the Onego Lake waterfront. You will be welcomed by bronze Peter the Great at the coast. Our town founder is in full-dress uniform with his sword. His right hand points at Lososinka river's mouth where in 1703 was founded a gun foundry gave its name to Petrozavodsk. Authentically, the statue was unveiled on Circle Square but after the October Revolution, to be exact in the 1930s, it was substituted by Lenin's statue.
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