A good friend of Peter the Great's, Alexander Menshikov built this large palace on Vasilievsky Island in 1710, and lived there unitl 1727, when (after Peter's death), he was accused of treason and exiled.  Once the most luxurious residence in the city (superior even to Peter's Summer Palace), Menshikov Palace is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city, and once combined both residential and administrative functions.