The Tower of the City Duma

The most notable dominant of Nevsky Prospekt is the red tower that is part of the complex of the City Duma buildings. The three-story building, built in 1847-1852 by the project of N.E. Efimov in the style of the Italian Renaissance was repeatedly rebuilt. The tower was preserved in its original form from the beginning of the XIX century.

In 1799, under the decree of Emperor Paul I, the guild house located here was handed over to the city administration for the installation in it of a rattan with a signal tower on the roof. Architect Giacomo Ferrari has designed a five-tier structure in the form of a Tuscan campaign. Construction began in the autumn of 1799 and ended in 1804, already under Alexander I.

The tower of the Duma was originally erected as a signal fire tower. An additional wooden stage and openwork metal structure for lifting the signal balls, built in the 1830s-1840s, made a peculiar touch to the historical panorama of the avenue.

In 1839-1854 the Duma tower was one of the links of the longest in the world (1200 km) line of the optical telegraph Petersburg-Warsaw.

The Tower of the City Duma has an unusual pentagonal shape. Each tier is treated at the corners with pilasters. The motif of the movement is highlighted by an increase in the height of the upper tier, on which the clock is installed - the largest clock of Nevsky Prospekt. November 12, 2014, they regained their voice and round the clock beat the exact time every 15 minutes.