A blend of Art Nouveau and Neoclassicism, the Astoria is one of the most beautiful luxury hotels in the city. Built in 1911 by Feodor Lidval, it attracted a wealthy cosmopolitan clientele up until the revolution, when it became the headquarters of the Petrograd Soviet. It then served as the seat of the NKVD (ancestor of the KGB) and a hospital for the wounded of the siege of Leningrad. Entirely renovated in 1991, the Astoria is one of the city's most comfortable hotels.