Admiralty building, Saint Petersburg

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The Admiralty tower (1806-23) as seen from the Alexander Gardens. It is the focal point of St Petersburg downtown: three main avenues converge nearby.

The Admiralty building is the former headquarters of the Admiralty Board in St. Petersburg, Russia and once again the headquarters of the Main Navy Staff.

[edit] History

The building you see now was re-built in the nineteenth century to support the Tsar's maritime ambitions. The original design was a fortified shipyard which was later surrounded by five bastions and further protected by a moat.^[1]

The Empire Style edifice visible today lining the Admiralty Quay was constructed to Andreyan Zakharov's design between 1806 and 1823.^[1] Located at the western end of the Nevsky Prospekt, The Admiralty with its gilded spire topped by a golden weather-vane in the shape of a small sail warship (Korablik), is one of the city's most conspicuous landmarks and the focal point of old St. Petersburg's three main streets - Nevsky Prospect, Gorokhovaya Street, and Voznesensky Prospect - underscoring the importance Peter I placed on Russia's Navy.

Vladimir Nabokov, writer and native of St. Petersburg, wrote a short story in May 1933 entitled "The Admiralty Spire."