Michael Manege (Mikhailovsky manezh; Russian: Михайловский манеж) is the Neoclassical building of an early 19th-century riding academy in the historic center of Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Very soon, a "beast yard" (Russian: зверовой двор) for other animals was put nearby, along with a greenhouse to grow plants to feed them.

The wooden Summer Palace stood for half a century until the reign of Paul I of Russia, when it was dismantled, freeing up space for the stables and manège.

[5] A quarter of a century later, tastes changed, and in 1823–1824 architect Carlo Rossi renovated the facades in classic style upon his joint project with two Russian sculptors, Vasily Demuth-Malinovsky and Stepan Pimenov.

[6] In the years of economic expansion following the Emancipation reform of 1861, the Mikhailovsky Manège became one of the city spots for agricultural and industrial exhibitions.

Orchestral music was playing, the church choir sang Praise God and Tzar Divine, and the leaders of URP addressed the mob from a rostrum erected in the centre of the arena.

[10] In 1913, when the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanovs was celebrated throughout Russia, Mikhailovsky Manège was the site for different public venues associated with this occasion, which included several exhibitions.

A plaque of white marble, mounted on the wall of Manège, commemorates these two events in the political history of the city and country.

[4] That speech[12] of Lenin on the first day of 1918 at Mikhailovsky Manège marked a turn in the policy of the new Soviet government regarding war and peace.

The slogan "Peace to the people", under which the October Revolution gained mass support, lost its relevance due to the resumption of German attacks on Russia, so Lenin had to explain to the soldiers why they should resume fighting.

As soon as Lenin stepped down from the top of an armored car from which he spoke, Nikolai Podvoisky, a Soviet defence minister and the organizer of the event, gave the floor to an American speaker.

As his car drove away from Mikhailovsky Manège, a group of terrorists— among them the best sharpshooters in the Russian Army[14]—who were hiding in ambush in the next lane began shooting, shattering the windshield.