The Winter Palace was built in 1754-1762 by the Italian architect BF Rastrelli. The grandiose building, where more than 1,000 rooms and more than a hundred stairs, northern facade facing the Neva River, the south - to the Palace Square. Various combinations of projection in the facade, porticoes, underlined the lines of the cornice and balustrade make unusually picturesque facade.

Above the palace interior decoration over the years worked by Giacomo Quarenghi, Auguste Montferrand, Carl Rossi. On the second floor, which is built by Rastrelli and remodeled after a fire in 1837 Embassy (Jordan) staircase - the suite of state rooms, mostly decorated by Giacomo Quarenghi and Ivan Starov in 1780-90's (rebuilt after the fire of Vasily Stasov). In 1837, a fire badly damaged the palace, but was rebuilt within two years. Many of the rooms have been decorated in keeping with the new tastes of the 30-ies of the XIX century, but the facade of the building and the individual rooms have been restored to its previous form.

Palace for a long time (until 1918) was the winter residence of the Russian emperors, and from July to November 1917 served as a meeting hall of the Provisional Government. In 1918, part of, and in 1922 the entire building transferred to the State Hermitage.

At the beginning of the XIX century for the finalization of the architectural ensemble of the Palace Square, where is located and the Winter Palace, in front of him the architect Carlo Rossi designed the building of the General Staff. Two huge arc-shaped building framing area, connects the Arc de Triomphe - monument to the victory over Napoleon. Arch decorated the composition of military armor, and completes her chariot, driven goddess of victory Nike.

In the center of Palace Square stands the Alexander Column, erected in the Empire style in 1834 by the French architect Auguste Montferrand by decree of Emperor Nicholas I to commemorate the victory of his older brother Alexander I over Napoleon.