John Lennon Street

On a bright and colorful archway in the courtyard of a contemporary art complex hangs a simple sign denoting “John Lennon Street,” with a big blue arrow pointing to the sky.

This unique little spot was started by a devoted Beatles fan named Nikolai Vasin. He had actually wanted to turn one of Saint Petersburg’s already established streets into a monument to the beloved band, but city authorities refused this idea. When the legal ways to dedicate a John Lennon Street proved unfruitful, Vasin got creative. He designed a street sign, placed it over the archway, and added an arrow pointing up. According to this logic, the street does not go along the ground and thus does not fall under the jurisdiction of officials.

Later, this small passageway in the inner courtyard of Pushkinskaya 10—a hub of modern art established in a formerly abandoned building—was decorated with other tokens of the Beatles. Four bas-reliefs of the members were installed on the arch (on John Lennon’s birthday), alongside a temple dedicated to “love, peace, and music,” and an iconic yellow submarine painted on the wall.