General Headquarters

Built by Carlo Rossi during reconstruction of Palace Square (1819–29). The eastern wing between the Choral Bridge and Bolshaya Morskaya Street housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Finance. The western wing between Bolshaya Morskaya Street and Nevsky Prospekt housed Army Headquarters. Both wings were joined on the south of Palace Square by a triumphal arch opening out onto Bolshaya Morskaya Street. The arch was crowned by a chariot of victory led by six horses and decorated with statues of warriors, compositions of arms and armour and flying female figures symbolising military glory sculpted by Stepan Pimenov and Vasily Demut-Malinovsky after designs by Carlo Rossi (1819–29). Besides ministries, the building also contained the departments of taxes and duties, manufacturing, foreign trade, mining, salt and state property, St Petersburg Secret Archives, Secret Dispatch Office and staff apartments.