The sights of the northern capital can be enumerated almost endlessly, but the ensemble of Palace Square occupies a special place in this series. Directly opposite the Hermitage, the majestic building of the General Headquarters in St. Petersburg is well known to residents and guests of the city.
From the history
At the end of the 18th century, private households were located in this semicircle in front of the Winter Palace. After the Patriotic War of 1812, it was decided to reconstruct Palace Square. The author of the project was the architect K.I. Rossi.
The construction of the General Staff building in St. Petersburg began in 1819 and lasted about ten years. The grand opening took place on October 28, 1828.
The granite building consisted of two buildings connected by a triumphal arch. Its western headquarters housed the General Staff and a number of military institutions, and the eastern one housed the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Architecture
The building of the General Staff of St. Petersburg is decorated in accordance with the strict canons of the classical style. The central part of the building, connected by an arch, is an arc with a length of 580 meters. Facades of buildings are decorated with porticoes.
The pearl of the architectural composition, of course, is the triumphal arch. This view is the most popular in the photo of the building of the General Staff of St. Petersburg. The arch, whose height is almost thirty meters, is crowned with a chariot of Nicky (the goddess of victory) harnessed by six horses, figures of warriors and battle armor. The authors of the sculpture are V. I. Demut-Malinovsky and S. S. Pimenov. During the construction of the arch, doubts were expressed about its strength. In response, the architect Karl Rossi said that if she falls, he is ready to fall with her, and remained under the arch arch when scaffolding was removed.
What's inside?
When planning the General Staff, it was initially envisaged that state institutions would be located here. Therefore, the internal communications system (stairs, corridors) took into account the needs of government departments, each of which had a separate entrance and courtyard. Offices were located in enfilades around the perimeter of the building.
In the early 90's. of the last century, the left wing was transferred to the State Hermitage Museum, and in 2008 reconstruction of the premises began taking into account the needs of the museum. The exhibition spaces were designed with the preservation of traditional decoration.
Currently, exhibitions are regularly held in the eastern corps, and the command of the Western Military District is located in the western part.
The official address of the General Staff Building in St. Petersburg is Palace Square, 6-8.
Exhibition complex
The reconstruction of the eastern building, which was to become a museum space, was completed by 2014. The principle of enfilade of exhibition halls, characteristic of the Hermitage, was preserved in the renovated building. Initially, an exposition of art objects of the XIX-XXI centuries was placed here. On the second floor, in the central part, they created the Great Enfilade of exhibition halls and indoor atriums, alternating between themselves. The main staircase leads to it.
Two fan-shaped stairs were originally planned as an additional art space for various promotions.
The second floor of the building is occupied by an exposition dedicated to the history of the Ministry of Finance, as well as the art halls of African peoples. On the third floor are the Museum of the Guard, a collection of products by K. Faberge, ceremonial halls of the Ministries, an exposition of European painting of the XIX century. Collections of paintings by impressionists, artists of the Paris Salon and the Nabis group are located on the fourth floor. The first floor is given for office premises, entrance area, shops and lecture halls.
Exhibitions in the building of the General Staff of St. Petersburg are held regularly. In June 2014, as part of the grand opening, a large-scale exhibition of European art “Manifesto 10” was organized. At the same time, the canvases of Matisse, Kandinsky, Malevich were moved here.
Now there are 5 major exhibitions at the General Staff Building: Annie Leibovitz photo collection; “Subtle Matter” (costumes 1988-2018); collection of publications with illustrations by Pablo Picasso; "Porcelain fashion"; abstract canvases of aquille perilli.
Visitors reviews
The General Staff Building in St. Petersburg does not leave visitors indifferent and impresses them with the majesty and beauty of external forms. Lovers of beauty will find a lot of interesting things inside the building, having got acquainted with the permanent museum exposition and updated exhibitions.
On the network you can find a huge number of enthusiastic reviews about the architectural decoration of the building, inscribed in the ensemble of Palace Square: “Indescribable beauty!”, “Stunning and enchanting!”.
Visitors to the museum complex note the spaciousness of the halls, a combination of classical style and modernity, the literacy of organizing a permanent exhibition and a non-trivial approach to exhibition design.