Old Exchange Gostiny Dvor

The construction of the building on Vasilyevsky Island began in 1719. It was originally intended for the Mytny Dvor, but during the construction the project was revised and the building was rebuilt as a Gostiny Dvor. In 1736, the construction was completed. The building was two storeys high and had the shape of a quadrangle with a perimeter of seven hundred and fifty meters. During the nineteenth century, the building was repeatedly restored, and during the reign of Nicholas I, the facade of the building was changed. For a long time, the premises of the Gostiny Dvor were used as warehouses. In 1910, they began to dismantle the western building, but the walls were so strong that they had to be blown up with dynamite. Only the wall of the old building remained, and the galleries of the first floor were laid.