Smolny Institute

Built by Giacomo Quarenghi between 1806 and 1808 as a school for aristocratic girls, the Smolny Institute was thrust into the limelight in 1917 when it became the headquarters for the Bolshevik Central Committee and the Petrograd Soviet. From here, Trotsky and Lenin directed the October Revolution, and in the Hall of Acts (Aktovy zal) on 25 October, the All-Russian­ Congress of Soviets conferred power on a Bolshevik government led by Lenin. The Smolny Institute served as the seat of power until March 1918. In 1934, Leningrad Party chief Sergei Kirov was assassinated on Stalin’s orders as he left the building, sparking the notorious Leningrad purges. Today St Petersburg governor Valentina Matvienko runs the city from here.