The Palace Square
The main square of Saint-Petersburg, an architectural ensemble created in the second half of the 18th century – the first half of the 19th century. The square is shaped by the historical and cultural monuments of federal significance: the Winter Palace, The General Staff Building of the Guard Corps with Triumphal Arch, and Alexander Column. As part of the historical construction of Saint-Petersburg the square is included on the World Heritage List. The base of the Palace Square Ensemble is the Winter Palace the facades of which are facing Neva River, the Admiralty and the Palace Square. The southern fa?ade enclosing the square is cut through with an arch. In 1779 - 1784 the four houses were built along the southern border of the square according to the design of Y.M.Felten.
In 1819—1829 an arc-shaped General Staff Building was constructed in their place (architect K.I.Rossi) crowned by the Triumphal Arch. The two buildings connected by the arch embrace the space of the square and confer solemnity and monumentality to its appearance. Rossi solved a town-planning problem by creating a composition within the framework of a complex site plan set by Felten`s arc-shaped borderline of the square and a sharp corner of the square with Moika River.
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