A Visit to Sennoy Market
Last weekend I decided to visit one of the oldest grocery markets of St.Petersburg: Sennoy market / Сенной рынок (Sennoy rynok). It is located centrally at Moskovsky Prospect 4A, so you can either walk there by foot or take the metro to Sadovaya, Spasskaya or Sennaya Ploschad. The opening hours are everyday from 8 am to 8 pm.
Fun Fact:
If you have read Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel Crime and punishment, you already know Sennoy market or the Hay Market as the place where protagonist Rodion Raskolnikov confesses his sins.
My Experience
I really enjoyed my visit to Sennoy market, because despite its fame, it has remained an original spirit. Most of the people who go there are locals and not just tourists who want to take fancy pictures (…like me :D). Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised about the low prices, and the broad variety of food items offered. You could buy anything from fruits and vegetables to meat, dairy products and clothes. What struck me most was that there was also a halal meat store in the back of the market hall. Before I started studying Russian I was not familiar with the fact that there are a number of Muslim minorities living in Russia, such as Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Tatars and Afghans. So for me it was quite interesting to see that especially people of these ethnicities came to Sennoy. Lastly I would like to mention that the only language spoken was Russian and I think that buying your food there would be a great practice of your communicative skills!
Resume
I recommend a visit to Sennoy market, if you are looking for:
- an original experience of Russian life
- a place to practice your Russian language skills
- cheap groceries
- halal meat
- a multicultural market
This blog was brought to you by Ayla, currently studying Russian at Liden and Denz.
