Russian Revolution 1917: Petrograd Landmarks

In late February 1917 the Duma, ordered by Nicholas II to dissolve, found itself besieged at the Tauride Palace by a crowd of revolutionary soldiers and workers. Its members complied on paper but met as a "private meeting" and began forming a Provisional Committee. Afterwards the building held two rival powers under one roof: the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet, in opposite wings. The palace was built for Prince Potemkin, in a rigorous Palladian style.

Visitor guidance: The palace is an active institution, so check access before visiting.

Vladimir Lenin stepped off a train from Switzerland here on 3 April 1917 (O.S.), arriving in a capital already run by two competing authorities. The moment gave Edmund Wilson's history of revolutionary thought its title, To the Finland Station. Today a Soviet statue of Lenin dominates the square in front. The terminal was rebuilt in 1960, but the turreted building keeps a portico from the original 1870 station.

Visitor guidance: Still a working railway terminal; Lenin's statue stands in the square outside.

Constructed in 1806–08 for the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, this building became Bolshevik headquarters in 1917. From here the Military-Revolutionary Committee designated the last locations to be seized on 25 October (O.S.), and Lenin chose the building as his base. The Second Congress of Soviets met here and adopted the decree transferring power to the Soviets. Part of it is now a museum with Lenin's office and the assembly hall.

Visitor guidance: The building is the governor's official residence; its Lenin museum can be toured.

On the eve of the uprising the Aurora was assigned to dislodge loyalist cadets from the Nikolayevsky Bridge. Then, at 9:45 p.m., came the blank shot that, according to Russian lore, signalled the assault on the Winter Palace. Since 1957 the cruiser has been a museum ship, and she returned to her home harbour in Saint Petersburg in 2016.

Visitor guidance: The ship is a museum vessel in Saint Petersburg; check opening times locally.

After February the former imperial residence served for a short time as the seat of the Provisional Government. On the night of 25-26 October (O.S.) the Bolsheviks delayed the assault because they could not find functioning artillery, and the palace fell in the early hours with little opposition. The heroic "storming" came later: a 1920 reenactment watched by 100,000 spectators shaped the official films. The palace now forms part of the Hermitage Museum.

Visitor guidance: Part of the Hermitage Museum on Palace Square; open as a museum.