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Commissioned by Alexander I in 1819, the neo-classical General Staff building was situated so as to formally balance the facing Winter Palace. Its grand triumphal arch was the first Russian monument to the war against Napoleon. Atop the arch stands a bronze sculpture of Victory in her six-horsed chariot--in a nicely lifelike touch, two Roman soldiers restrain the outermost horses, as if to prevent the team from leaping out onto the square. Although the General Staff Building is not open to the public, it is in any case of primary interest for its sweeping, graceful facade.