Built in the first half of the 19th century in neo-Byzantine style by Ton, the favorite architect of Nicolas I, the Palace was the Tsars' Residence in Moscow. Its interiors are lavishly furnished and there are four great halls named after the four senior Russian military orders.
In the 1930s Stalin had two of them remodeled to provide an assembly hall for the 17th Communist Party Congress. These two halls - Alexander's Hall and Throne Hall - were recently fully restored according to the original design of the 19th century. Two formal halls remain: the impressive St. George Hall, which serves as a lobby for delegates, and the St. Vladimir Hall, where treaties are signed. In the communist time the Palace served for the Soviet Supreme Sessions - the country's highest legislative body. Nowadays official eminent delegations' receptions usually take place there.
