The imperial quarter is majestic and formal with its lavish residences, and Palace Square in the centre like a huge lake stretching between the enchanted island of the Winter Palace and the huge wave of the General Staff Building. The enormous space swallows you up, like at the Hermitage where you feel lost. A masterpiece of urban planning and a symbol of St. Petersburg history, the complex undoubtedly gives the most accurate idea of the genius of the architects, who used stone to evoke the immensity of the Russian landscape.