A view of the Nevski Prospekt, with pedestrians and traffic. Gostiny Dvor can be seen on the left, St Petersburg's largest department store. It was one of the first department stores in the world -- building began in 1757 and took 28 years. By the 20th century it contained more than 170 shops. More recently it has been redeveloped as a fashionable shopping mall. The tall Duma building can be seen further back -- built in the late 18th century, this was the local political headquarters for the city, similar to a local council.