| Bolshoy Dom | |
|---|---|
Большой Дом | |
 View of Bolshoy Dom from Liteyny Avenue | |
 Interactive map of the Bolshoy Dom area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Administrative facility |
| Architectural style | Constructivism |
| Location | Saint Petersburg,Russia,Liteyny Prospekt, 4 |
| Coordinates | 59°56′55″N30°20′57″E / 59.948521°N 30.349302°E /59.948521; 30.349302 |
| Current tenants | Federal Security Service,Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Construction started | 1931 |
| Completed | 1932 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Alexander Gegello, Andrey Ol,Noi Trotsky |
Bolshoy Dom (Russian:Большой дом, lit.the Big House) is anoffice building located at 4Liteyny Avenue inSaint Petersburg,Russia. It is theheadquarters of the local Saint Petersburg andLeningrad Oblast branches of theFederal Security Service of Russia (FSB) and Main Department of theMinistry of Internal Affairs.[1]
The building is located in theCentral District of Saint Petersburg at the beginning of Liteyny Prospekt, one block from theNeva River, at the site ofImperial Russian Old Armoury Building which burned down in 1917. It was originally constructed in 1931–32 for theJoint State Political Directorate (OGPU), thesecret police of theSoviet Union at the time.[1] The building was designed by Soviet architectsNoi Trotsky, Alexander Gegello and Andrey Ol in the lateConstructivist style. The Bolshoy Dom building is part of a largercomplex which includes thedetention facility on Shpalernaya Street, with both gaining notoriety as a prison during theGreat Purge underJoseph Stalin. In July 1934, the building became local headquarters of the newly createdPeople's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD), when the OGPU was reincorporated as theMain Directorate of State Security (GUGB) of the NKVD. Bolshoy Dom subsequently became the local headquarters for the more widely knownCommittee for State Security (KGB) when it replaced the NKVD, and remained under KGB usage until thecollapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Bolshoy Dom became the subject of numerousurban legends in Soviet and Russian culture due to its association with the secret police, including all buildings of the FSB being nicknamed Bolshoy Dom. The commonconspiracy theory about the building is that it contains a large amount of secret underground floors, leading to jokes about Bolshoy Dom being the tallest building in Saint Petersburg. There is also a legend that the building survived theSiege of Leningrad duringWorld War II becauseNazi Germany was aware that Germanprisoners of war were housed in the top floor, preventing it from being bombed.
59°56′55″N30°20′57″E / 59.9485°N 30.3492°E /59.9485; 30.3492
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