Alexander Nevsky Square, which occupies the territory in front of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, is the work of one of the famous Russian architects — Ivan Yegorovich Starov. According to his own project, the building of the gate church was also erected, which in fact is the entrance to the Lavra.

In the first half of the 20th century, the square was experiencing hard times, there was no paving here, the construction was chaotic, varied, there were many barns with grain stored in them and, judging by This place was a paradise for hundreds of thousands of rats. There is an urban legend that once rats attacked a cab driver and his horse, and a day later, two gnawed skeletons were found here - a human and a horse.

In 1923, Alexander Nevsky Square was renamed. In general, the era that began in October 1917 was rich in all kinds of innovations: streets, squares, parks, factories, factories, and even entire cities and countries were renamed. So the square, named after the great Russian commander, was named Red with someone's easy hand - apparently in honor of the famous revolutionary events of 1917.

The historical name was returned in the winter of 1952. At the same time, a large-scale reconstruction was launched, the purpose of which was to build a bridge between Nevsky Prospect and the city municipal district of Malaya Okhta. The unfortunate barns, which for decades blocked the view of the Neva, were demolished. The embankment was also built, so that a new transit road stretches along the river. After some time, the ensemble of Alexander Nevsky Square was supplemented with the building of the St. Petersburg metro station.

In 2007, the reconstruction of the hotel began. Moscow has recently acquired its modern look instead of the old one, with angular features characteristic of similar buildings built in the 60s of the last century. As part of the reconstruction, a shopping mall of the same name was built in the hotel courtyard.

For its 300th anniversary, the city received a monument to Prince Alexander on horseback as a gift. The pedestal is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the Ice Battle of 1242. Inside the pedestal there is a cancer with a particle of the relics of the patron saint of the city.