The building of the City Duma, the tower of the City Duma and the Silver Rows is a complex of buildings (buildings), which is an architectural monument of federal significance.
The complex of buildings is located on the corner of Dumskaya Street and Nevsky Prospekt - one of the most visited streets of the city.
Often the entire complex is called the "City Duma building".
The complex of the City Duma building consists of three objects::
- the building where the City Duma was previously located, facing Duma Street;
- the tower of the City Duma with an observation deck, located on the corner of Dumka Street and Nevsky Prospekt;
- the adjacent building of the former Silver Rows, facing Nevsky Prospekt.
The tower of the complex is a recognizable object in St. Petersburg, one of the dominants of Nevsky Prospekt and it is clearly visible from afar.
But the photo of the complex is on the right, on the left - the portico of the Feather bed line
The City Council building was built as a Guild house in 1752-1754. Since 1786, the building also housed the St. Petersburg City Duma.
Next to the Guild House, in the same style, there were Silver Rows - trading rows for trading in silver and precious stones.
During the history of the Duma building was repeatedly rebuilt and today it is architecturally not similar to the building of the "Silver Rows".
The silver rows burned down in 1783. In 1784-1787, the architect Giacomo Quarenghi erected the stone building of the "Silver Rows"that has survived to this day.
In 1799, by the decree of the Emperor Paul I, the guild house was transferred to the city administration. At the same time, Paul I ordered the construction of a signal tower on the corner, in case of fire or flood. The tower had to match the splendor of the capital with its appearance.
All the work on the construction of the tower and the reconstruction of the City Council building lasted until 1804 under the direction of the Italian architect and decorator Jacob Giacomo Ferrari. The tower was adjacent to the control building.
Large-scale work on the reconstruction of the administration building was carried out both under Emperor Nicholas I and under the Soviet government.
Since 1835, the Duma tower has had a design for signal balls - an additional tier and a metal part. Balloons reported the location and strength of the fire.
In 1839, the role of the tower as a signal tower somewhat faded into the background, and the Duma tower became one of the links of the optical telegraph line. The telegraph connected the Winter Palace with Tsarskoye Selo, Kronstadt, Gatchina, as well as with Vilna and Warsaw. In good weather, the message reached from St. Petersburg to Warsaw through 149 intermediate stations in 15 minutes.
When the optical communication was replaced by an electric telegraph in 1854, the tower was again used as a fire tower. After the Civil War, the tower housed various organizations.
Today, these three completely different buildings represent one of the most recognizable silhouettes of the city.
The building of the Duma tower was transferred to the management of the St. Isaac's Cathedral, and the premises of the former City Duma and Silver Rows are leased. Also in the building of the City Duma is the music school named after N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.
The silver rows have two floors with an attic, the first floor is made in the form of an arcade, the second and part of the attic floors are decorated with columns with capitals.
The Duma Tower has five tiers, four of which are decorated with pilasters with capitals. Around the upper tier there is a balcony with an openwork lattice, and on the roof there is an optical telegraph tower.
The upper part of the tower is decorated with a striking clock. It is assumed that the tower originally had a clock, but what is unknown. The lower part of the tower includes a powerful granite porch.
For the New Year, the tower is decorated with festive illumination.
The Duma Tower is available for visiting.
The most interesting thing about the tower is its open 360-degree observation deck, located at a height of 47.5 meters.
Climb up the spiral staircase to the observation deck, overcoming 233 steps. On the stairs, when climbing to the observation deck, there is a small exposition with images of old St. Petersburg and a platform with a restored old clockwork of 1884.
The observation deck offers some of the city's best panoramic views of the center of St. Petersburg, including Nevsky Prospekt and the surrounding area.
The ascent to the observation deck is paid.
The building of the former City Council has four floors, designed in the style of the Italian Renaissance - with a restrained and calm architectural decor.
Views of the building of the "Silver Rows" and the Duma Tower in the ensemble of other buildings on Nevsky Prospekt
View of the tower, part of the building of the former City Duma and the shopping center "Bolshoy Gostiny Dvor»
Practical information
Address of the complex: Nevsky Prospekt, 31-33 / Dumskaya Street, 1-3.
Coordinates of the complex: 59°56′05″ N 30°19'46″ E
Nearest metro stations: "Gostiny Dvor" and "Nevsky Prospekt"
All accommodation facilities in St. Petersburg, including in the city center and on Nevsky Prospekt, can be viewed and booked here
