Palace Square

The Palace Square is the main square of St. Petersburg, the architectural ensemble, created in the second half of the XVIII — first half of XIX centuries. The Palace Square in St. Petersburg is the favorite place for guests and residents of the city, the heart of the Northern Capital of Russia. This is one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the world created by the best Russian architects. The square got its name after the Winter Palace, which was built by the architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the mid XVIII century. In 1819, under a decree of Emperor Alexander I, architect Carlo Rossi developed a project of a single architectural ensemble, glorifying the victory of Russian arms in the War of 1812. Along the southern border of the square was built an extended semicircular facade of the General Staff Building, which length is 580 m. It is the longest facade in the world. In the middle of the building, there is a grand Arch with images of flying geniuses of Glory and adorned with sculptural composition “Chariot of Glory” with figures of warriors and a chariot of the winged goddess of Victory — Nike, created by sculptors N. Pimenov and V. Demuth-Malinovsky. In 1834, in memory of the victory of Russian troops over Napoleon's army, there was the inauguration of the Alexander Column created by the architect Auguste Montferrand. The column was named in honor of Emperor Alexander I. The column with a weight of 600 tons and a height of 47.5 meters is topped with an angel with a cross, trampling a snake with the cross — a symbol of the victory of good over evil, created by architect B. Orlovsky. The bas-reliefs on the pedestal of the column celebrate the victory of Russian weapons, made by sculptors I. Liptse and P. Svintsov. The nexus of all the buildings was the completion in 1843 of the construction on the east side of the Guard Corps Staff Building by architect A. Briullov. The facade of the building is decorated with a portico of twenty Ionic columns. The Most beautiful building of the Palace Square is the Winter Palace. This great building occupies 9 hectares and has about a thousand rooms. At that time it was the tallest building in St. Petersburg. Pale green and white colors of the facade of the Winter Palace give lightness and grace  - characteristic features of the Baroque style. Architect Rossi managed to combine in a single composition the Winter Palace and the strict General Staff Building. The Palace Square is one of the most attractive places in St. Petersburg. The Palace Square is included in the World Heritage List as part of the historic buildings of downtown St. Petersburg.