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Unofficially named “The Big House” (Bolshoy Dom), this great Soviet Constructivsm-styled building was where once the headquarter of Soviet secret police OGPU. The Big House gained notoriety during the Stalin period. Most people who were taken to this building would mostly likely not be heard from again. Vladimir Putin during his KGB career had worked in The Big House. Today, the monolithic granite building is the shared by the headquarters of the local Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast branch of the Federal Security Service of Russia and the Main Department of Internal Affair. However, The Big House is only to be viewed from the exterior. Don’t even expect a chance to step into the building!
Address: Liteyny Avenue 4, St. Petersburg
Opening hours: Daily 24h (Exterior only)
Direction: Metro Line 1 to Chernyshevskaya Station
Website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshoy_Dom
Photo credit: Alexey Sergeev