Big house

At the beginning of the 18th century, there was a cannon yard here, where cannon stocks and captured guns with banners were stored. At the end of the 18th century, the Cannon Yard was demolished and a new building, the Arsenal, was built in its place. In 1865, the 18th century was transferred to the District Court and the Judicial Chamber. In 1917, the district court was burned down, and in 1931, the headquarters of the USSR Interior Affairs was built in its place. The main feature of this entire part of the building is the same interior lobby on all floors. A small lobby with two round columns decorated with black artificial marble. The walls are lined with light gray stone, the hallway is dark. Oak-paneled offices are located on both sides of the long corridor. In 2001, the Big House was declared a Russian monument of historical and cultural heritage. Today, the building houses the offices of the Main Directorate of the FSB of Russia for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. Its main areas of activity are intelligence and counterintelligence, the fight against crime and terrorism, border activities and information security.