Palace Square

Palace Square lies in the historic centre of Saint Petersburg, between the Winter Palace on the bank of the Neva River and the end of Nevsky Prospekt. It took its present form in the early 19th century and is part of the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg, listed by UNESCO in 1990.

The north side is filled by the Winter Palace, the former main residence of the Russian emperors, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli and completed in the 1760s. It now houses much of the State Hermitage Museum. Facing it, the architect Carlo Rossi built the General Staff Building between 1819 and 1829, a long yellow and white facade curving around the square, with a triumphal arch topped by a chariot of victory leading to Bolshaya Morskaya Street.

At the centre stands the Alexander Column, raised in 1834 to mark Russia's victory over Napoleon and named after Emperor Alexander I. Designed by Auguste de Montferrand, it is about 47.5 metres high and its shaft is a single piece of red granite, held in place by its own weight without any fixing to the base. An angel holding a cross stands at the top.

The square has seen major events in Russian history. On Bloody Sunday in January 1905 troops fired on a peaceful march of workers here, and in October 1917 the Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace from the square. Today it is used for parades, concerts and city festivals, and the eastern wing of the General Staff Building holds galleries of the Hermitage.

The square is free and open at all times. Admiralteyskaya metro station is a short walk away, and Nevsky Prospekt leads straight to it. The white nights of June, when the sky stays light late into the evening, are a popular time to visit.

Which building closes the east side? The Guards Corps Headquarters, designed by Alexander Bryullov and built from 1837 to 1843, fills the gap between the Winter Palace and the General Staff Building. Its plain facade was kept deliberately low and calm so that it would not compete with Rastrelli's palace or Rossi's curved range.

The Winter Palace itself is the building that gives the square its name. The version that stands today was rebuilt between 1754 and 1762. Rossi's General Staff Building is pierced by a double triumphal arch crowned with a Roman quadriga. The Alexander Column, designed by Auguste de Montferrand and built from 1830 to 1834, weighs about 500 tonnes.

The square has carried other names. From 1918 to 1944 it was officially Uritsky Square, after Moisei Uritsky; the historic name was restored in 1944. A walk around the square takes half an hour; combine it with the Hermitage or a stroll to the Admiralty and the Neva embankment.