Another attraction appeared in the winter of 1910-1911 with reindeer brought onto the field and offered to citizens for riding . Vyacheslav Popov , a wealthy Komi , had lost most of his herd to disease . He brought the remaining animals to Saint Petersburg , quartering them on the Field of Mars , and offering them for public rides for five kopecks per lap . As a result , he made some money , and was also granted an audience with Nicholas II . Various proposals were made to develop the Field of Mars during the early twentieth century . One proposal in 1906 was for the creation of a building , designed by architect Marian Lalewicz , to house the State Duma . Another was for an opera house using designs by Victor Schröter , and a 1909 project suggested the creation of a park or garden with a monument to Emperor Alexander II designed by I. S. Kitner . Other failed proposals included that in 1913 to return the Rumyantsev Obelisk to the Field of Mars , and the creation of a shopping centre with a hotel , a restaurant and a post office . Despite these rejections , several projects did come to fruition . In 1909 , Franz Roubaud 's panoramic painting " The Defence of Sevastopol " was displayed on the Field of Mars in a special pavilion designed by Vasily Shene . A telescope was installed on the field to allow citizens to observe the solar eclipse on 17 April 1912 . Also prior to the outbreak of the First World War the Urania Observatory and a summer cinema , named " American Mountains " , were located on the field . During the war the field was used to store stacks of firewood
solar eclipse on 17 April 1912
Solar eclipse of April 17, 1912
Field of Mars (Saint Petersburg)