Image:Quarenghi_smolny.jpg's original design for the Smolny Institute (1806).]]
The '''Smolny Institute''' is a Palladian edifice in St_Petersburg, which has played a major part in the Russian history.
The building was commissioned to Giacomo_Quarenghi by the Society for Education of Noble Maidens and constructed in 1806-08 to house the Smolny Institute_for_Noble_Maidens, established at the urging of Ivan_Betskoy in 1764 and borrowing its name from the nearby Smolny_Convent. A nice garden and iron-work grille around the institute date from the early 19th_century.
In 1917, the building was chosen by Vladimir_Lenin as Bolshevik headquarters during the October_Revolution. It was Lenin's residence for several months, until the national government was moved to the Moscow_Kremlin. After that, the Smolny became the headquarters of the local Communist Party Apparat, effectively the city hall.
In 1927, a monument to Lenin was erected in front of the building. Sergei_Kirov was assassinated there in 1934. After 1991, the Smolny was used a residence of the city Mayor. Vladimir_Putin worked there from 1991 to 1997 in the administration of Anatoly_Sobchak.
====External link====
*Views of the Smolny
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Category:Buildings_and_structures_in_Saint_Petersburg
Category:History_of_Saint_Petersburg
Category:Government_of_Saint_Petersburg
Category:Russian_Revolution
Category:Education_in_Russia
De:Smolny-Kloster
Ru:Смольный_институт