A message about the winter palace. History of the Winter Palace. Reference. Collection of Western European Art
The history of the Winter Palace begins with the reign of Peter I.
The very first, then still Winter House, was built for Peter I in 1711 on the banks of the Neva. The first Winter Palace was two-story, with a tiled roof and a high porch. In 1719-1721, the architect Georg Mattornovi built for Peter I new palace.
Empress Anna Ioannovna considered the Winter Palace too small and did not want to live in it. She entrusted the construction of the new Winter Palace to the architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. For new construction, the houses of Count Apraksin, Raguzinsky and Chernyshev, located on the embankment of the Neva River, as well as the building of the Maritime Academy were purchased. They were demolished, and in their place by 1735 a new Winter Palace was built. At the end of the 18th century, the Hermitage Theater was erected on the site of the old palace.
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna also wished to remodel the imperial residence to her taste. The construction of the new palace was entrusted to the architect Rastrelli. The design of the Winter Palace created by the architect was signed by Elizaveta Petrovna on June 16, 1754.
In the summer of 1754, Elizaveta Petrovna issued a personal decree to begin construction of the palace. The required amount - about 900 thousand rubles - was taken from the "tavern" money (collection from the drinking trade). The previous palace was dismantled. During construction, the courtyard moved to a temporary wooden palace built by Rastrelli on the corner of Nevsky and Moika.
The palace was distinguished by its incredible size for those times, lavish exterior decoration and luxurious interior decoration.
The Winter Palace is a three-story building, rectangular in plan, with a huge front courtyard inside. The main facades of the palace face the embankment and the square that was formed later.
When creating the Winter Palace, Rastrelli designed each facade differently, based on specific conditions. The northern facade, facing the Neva, stretches like a more or less even wall, without noticeable protrusions. From the river side, it is perceived as an endless two-tiered colonnade. The southern façade, facing Palace Square and having seven divisions, is the main one. Its center is highlighted by a wide, lavishly decorated risalit, cut through by three entrance arches. Behind them is the front courtyard, where in the middle of the northern building there was the main entrance to the palace.
Along the perimeter of the palace roof there is a balustrade with vases and statues (the original stone ones were replaced by a brass knockout in 1892-1894).
The length of the palace (along the Neva) is 210 meters, width - 175 meters, height - 22 meters. total area The palace is 60 thousand square meters, it has more than 1000 halls, 117 different staircases.
The palace had two chains of state halls: along the Neva and in the center of the building. In addition to the state rooms, on the second floor there were living quarters for members of the imperial family. The first floor was occupied by utility and service premises. The upper floor mainly housed the courtiers' apartments.
About four thousand employees lived here, they even had their own army - palace grenadiers and guards from the guards regiments. The palace had two churches, a theater, a museum, a library, a garden, an office, and a pharmacy. The halls of the palace were decorated with gilded carvings, luxurious mirrors, chandeliers, candelabra, and patterned parquet flooring.
Under Catherine II, a winter garden was organized in the Palace, where both northern and plants brought from the south grew, and the Romanov Gallery; At the same time, the formation of St. George's Hall was completed. Under Nicholas I, a gallery of 1812 was organized, where 332 portraits of participants in the Patriotic War were placed. The architect Auguste Montferrand added the Peter and Field Marshal halls to the palace.
In 1837, there was a fire in the Winter Palace. Many things were saved, but the building itself was badly damaged. But thanks to the architects Vasily Stasov and Alexander Bryullov, the building was restored within two years.
In 1869, gas lighting appeared in the palace instead of candlelight. Since 1882, the installation of telephones in premises began. In the 1880s, a water supply system was built in the Winter Palace. At Christmas 1884-1885, electric lighting was tested in the halls of the Winter Palace; from 1888, gas lighting was gradually replaced by electric lighting. For this purpose, a power plant was built in the second hall of the Hermitage, which for 15 years was the largest in Europe.
In 1904, Emperor Nicholas II moved from the Winter Palace to the Tsarskoye Selo Alexander Palace. The Winter Palace became a place for receptions, ceremonial dinners, and the place where the king stayed during short visits to the city.
Throughout the history of the Winter Palace as an imperial residence, its interiors were remodeled in accordance with fashion trends. The building itself changed the color of its walls several times. The Winter Palace was painted red, pink, and yellow. Before the First World War, the palace was painted red brick.
During the First World War, there was an infirmary in the building of the Winter Palace. After the February Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government worked in the Winter Palace. In the post-revolutionary years, various departments and institutions were located in the Winter Palace building. In 1922, part of the building was transferred to the Hermitage Museum.
In 1925 - 1926, the building was rebuilt again, this time for the needs of the museum.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Winter Palace suffered from air raids and artillery shelling. In the basements of the palace there was a dispensary for scientists and cultural figures who suffered from dystrophy. In 1945-1946, restoration work was carried out, at which time the entire Winter Palace became part of the Hermitage.
Currently, the Winter Palace, together with the Hermitage Theatre, the Small, New and Large Hermitages, forms a single museum complex, the State Hermitage.
Where did the tradition of dividing royal houses into winter and summer come from? The roots of this phenomenon can be found back in the days of the Muscovite kingdom. It was then that the tsars first began to leave the walls of the Kremlin for the summer and go to breathe the air in Izmailovskoye or Kolomenskoye. Peter I carried this tradition to the new capital. The Emperor's Winter Palace stood on the site where the modern building is located, and Summer Palace can be found in Summer Garden. It was built under the direction of Trezzini and is essentially a small two-story house with 14 rooms.
From the house to the palace
The history of the creation of the Winter Palace is no secret to anyone: Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, a great lover of luxury, in 1752 ordered the architect Rastrelli to build for herself the most beautiful palace in Russia. But it was not built from scratch: before that, on the territory where the Hermitage Theater is now located, there was a small winter palace of Peter I. The Great’s house was replaced by the wooden palace of Anna Ioannovna, which was built under the leadership of Trezzini. But the building was not luxurious enough, so the Empress, who returned St. Petersburg to the status of the capital, chose a new architect - Rastrelli. This was Rastrelli Sr., the father of the famous Francesco Bartolomeo. For almost 20 years, the new palace became the residence of the imperial family. And then the very Winter one that we know today appeared - the fourth in a row.
Source: wikipedia.org
The tallest building in St. Petersburg
When Elizaveta Petrovna wanted to build a new palace, the architect, in order to save money, planned to use the previous building for the base. But the empress demanded that the height of the palace be increased from 14 to 22 two meters. Rastrelli redesigned the building several times, but Elizabeth did not want to move the construction site, so the architect had to simply demolish it old palace and build a new one in its place. Only in 1754 did the Empress approve the project.
Interestingly, for a long time the Winter Palace remained the most tall building In Petersburg. In 1762, a decree was even issued prohibiting the construction of buildings higher than the imperial residence in the capital. It was because of this decree that the Singer company at the beginning of the 20th century had to abandon its idea of building a skyscraper for itself on Nevsky Prospect, like in New York. As a result, a tower was built over six floors with an attic and decorated with a globe, creating the impression of height.
Elizabethan Baroque
The palace was built in the so-called Elizabethan Baroque style. It is a quadrangle with a large courtyard. The building is decorated with columns, platbands, and the roof balustrade is lined with dozens of luxurious vases and statues. But the building was rebuilt several times, Quarenghi, Montferrand, Rossi worked on the interior decoration at the end of the 18th century, and after the infamous fire of 1837 - Stasov and Bryullov, so the Baroque elements were not preserved everywhere. Details of the lush style remained in the interior of the famous main Jordan Staircase. It got its name from Jordan Passage, which was located nearby. Through him, on the feast of the Epiphany, the imperial family and the highest clergy went to the ice hole in the Neva. This ceremony was traditionally called the “march to the Jordan.” Baroque details are also preserved in the decoration of the Great Church. But the church was ruined, and now only a large lampshade by Fontebasso depicting the Resurrection of Christ reminds of its purpose.
Source: wikipedia.org
In 1762, Catherine II ascended the throne, who did not like Rastrelli’s pompous style. The architect was dismissed, and new masters took over the interior decoration. They destroyed the Throne Hall and erected a new Neva Enfilade. Under the leadership of Quarenghi, the St. George, or Great Throne Hall, was created. For it, a small extension had to be made to the eastern façade of the palace. IN late XIX century, the Red Boudoir, the Golden Living Room and the Library of Nicholas II appeared.
Hard days of the Revolution
In the first days of the Revolution of 1917 great amount The treasures of the Winter Palace were stolen by sailors and workers. Only a few days later the Soviet government realized to take the building under protection. A year later, the palace was given over to the Museum of the Revolution, so some of the interiors were rebuilt. For example, the Romanov Gallery, where portraits of all the emperors and members of their families were located, was destroyed, and films began to be shown in the Nicholas Hall. In 1922, part of the building went to the Hermitage, and only by 1946 the entire Winter Palace became part of the museum.
During the Great Patriotic War, the palace building was damaged by air raids and artillery shelling. Since the beginning of the war most The exhibits exhibited in the Winter Palace were sent for storage to the Ipatiev Mansion, the same one where the family of Emperor Nicholas II was shot. About 2,000 people lived in the Hermitage bomb shelters. They tried their best to preserve the exhibits remaining within the walls of the palace. Sometimes they had to fish out china and chandeliers floating in flooded basements.
Furry guards
Not only did the water threaten to ruin the art, but also the voracious rats. The first mustachioed army for the Winter Palace was sent from Kazan in 1745. Catherine II did not like cats, but she left the striped protectors at court in the status of “guards of art galleries.” During the blockade, all the cats in the city died, which is why the rats multiplied and began to spoil the interiors of the palace. After the war, 5 thousand cats were brought to the Hermitage, which quickly dealt with the tailed pests.
Winter Palace in St. Petersburg former imperial palace in the center of St. Petersburg ( Palace Embankment, 38); from 1732 to March 2, 1917, the official winter residence of the Russian emperors. From July to November 1917 it served as the meeting place of the Provisional Government.
The current building of the palace (the fifth) was built by the Italian architect B. F. Rastrelli. A monument of magnificent Elizabethan Baroque architecture.
Where the Winter Palace now stands, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, construction was permitted only to naval officials. Peter the Great took advantage of this right, being a shipwright under the name of Peter Alekseev, and in 1708 he built a small house in the Dutch style for himself and his family. Ten years later, by order of the future emperor, a canal was dug in front of the side facade of the palace, named (after the palace) the Winter Canal. First Winter Palace
Second Winter Palace In 1711, especially for the wedding of Peter I and Catherine, the architect Georg Mattarnovi, on the orders of the Tsar, began rebuilding the wooden palace into a stone one. During the work, the architect Mattarnovi was removed from work and the construction was headed by Trezzini. In 1720, Peter I and his entire family moved from their summer residence to their winter residence. In 1723, the Senate was transferred to the Winter Palace. And in 1725 the emperor died in the palace
Third Winter Palace Later, Empress Anna Ioannovna considered the Winter Palace too small and in 1731 entrusted its reconstruction to F.B. Rastrelli, who offered her his project for the reconstruction of the Winter Palace. According to his project, it was necessary to purchase houses that stood at that time on the site occupied by the current palace, belonging to Count Apraksin, the Maritime Academy, Raguzinsky and Chernyshev. Anna Ioanovna approved the project, the houses were bought, demolished and construction began. In 1735, construction of the palace was completed, and Anna Ioanovna moved to live there. Here on July 2, 1739, the engagement of Princess Anna Leopoldovna to Prince Anton-Ulrich took place.
Third Winter Palace After the death of Anna Ioannovna, the young Emperor Ivan Antonovich was brought here, who stayed here until November 25, 1741, when Elizabeth Petrovna took power into her own hands. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna also wished to remodel the imperial residence to her taste. On January 1, 1752, she decided to expand the Winter Palace, after which the neighboring areas of Raguzinsky and Yaguzhinsky were purchased. At the new location, Rastrelli added new buildings. According to the project he drew up, these buildings were to be attached to existing ones and be decorated in the same style. In December 1752, the Empress wished to increase the height of the Winter Palace from 14 to 22 meters. Rastrelli was forced to redo the design of the building, after which he decided to build it in a new location. But Elizaveta Petrovna refused to move the new Winter Palace. As a result, the architect decides to build the entire building anew, new project was signed by Elizaveta Petrovna on June 16, 1754.
Fifth (existing) winter palace In 1762, the currently existing palace building appeared. At that time, the Winter Palace became the tallest residential building in St. Petersburg. The building included about 1,500 rooms. Elizaveta Petrovna did not live to see the completion of construction; Peter III took over the work on April 6, 1762. By this time, the decoration of the facades was completed, but many of the interior spaces were not yet ready. In the summer of 1762, Peter III was overthrown from the throne, and construction of the Winter Palace was completed under Catherine II.
Empress Elizabeth, wanting to surpass the luxury of the palaces of European monarchs, ordered chief architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli to build a grandiose building in the center of St. Petersburg. In 1754, the design of the Winter Palace, designed in a magnificent Baroque style, was approved. Later, some changes were made to it, bringing the baroque liberties closer to the strict standards of classicism. Large-scale construction was not completed during the reign of Elizabeth, and only Catherine II became the first sovereign mistress of the Winter Palace. During her tenure, work on the arrangement of the interior premises continued. Thus, the Great Throne Hall, known as St. George's, was decorated. Since 1764, Catherine began to collect a collection of paintings from the Hermitage and order architects to build additional buildings in the immediate vicinity of the Winter Palace. In the future, they will be combined by a transition system into palace complex.
Under Nicholas I, work on the interiors of the Winter Palace continued. In 1837, due to a faulty chimney, the building suffered terrible fire, which destroyed the historical decoration of the halls - projects of Quarenghi, Rossi, Montferrand. In addition, it was necessary to equip the southwestern wing of the second floor as chambers for the heir to the throne, Alexander II, who was about to get married. Most of the works of this period were carried out by Vasily Stasov and Alexander Bryullov.
In 1904, under Nicholas II, the Winter Palace ceded the right to be called the imperial residence to the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo. The building continued to be used for museum purposes. With the outbreak of the First World War, part of the collections was taken to Moscow, and the spacious halls were given over to hospitals. After the February Revolution, the Winter Palace became the meeting place of the Provisional Government. It was here, in the Small Dining Room on the second floor, that his ministers were arrested during the October Revolution. A week later, all collections were declared state property and the Winter Palace officially became part of museum complex"Hermitage Museum". During World War II, all collections were evacuated to the Urals. Since the autumn of 1945, the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg has been welcoming visitors as usual. Nowadays archaeological collections, works of artists and sculptors, works of decorative and applied art from Asia, England and France are stored here.
Facade facing the Neva
Architectural features of the building
By the time he received the order, Rastrelli had already erected two Winter Palaces in St. Petersburg, but their size and decoration of the halls did not correspond to the high status of the imperial residence. The new building, at the request of Elizabeth, was distinguished by the height of the ceilings and the splendor of decoration characteristic of the Baroque - stucco moldings, sculptures, gilding, draperies made of expensive fabrics. The facade of the Winter Palace was decorated with two tiers of snow-white columns with gold stucco. The distances between the columns are different - so the architect, skillfully using the play of light and shadow, created a complex rhythmic pattern. Places on the roof were occupied by patinated antique statues and vases, and symbols of Russian statehood were also installed here. By the way, the facades became greenish-blue only in our time. Historically, the walls were yellowish-sandy; later they were painted in richer yellow and brown tones.
Dimensions of the Winter Palace
Elizabeth insisted that the height of the Winter Palace should be 22 m, an unprecedented size for St. Petersburg. As a result, the building exceeded the set level by another 1.5 m. The facade facing the Neva is 210 m long, the Admiralty side is slightly shorter - 175 m. Subsequently, Nicholas I made sure that no competitors to the palace appeared in the capital, limiting the height of new buildings.
In total, the Winter Palace had more than 1000 rooms - for official ceremonies, for storing collections, personal chambers of the emperor and heirs to the throne and their retinue, and a huge number of utility rooms to serve the needs of the people living here.
Tours of the Winter Palace
It is extremely difficult to explore all the halls of the Winter Palace at one time, so tourists should think through their routes in advance. On the ground floor there are archaeological collections collected from all corners of the former Soviet Union. From an architectural point of view, the apartments of the daughters of Nicholas I, located in the wing overlooking the Neva, are interesting. On the second floor there are halls that have become business card Winter Palace: Throne, Bolshoi, Petrovsky - and private premises of members of the imperial family, in which objects of Western European art are exhibited. The third floor is dedicated to Asia.
Halls on the first floor
The lower floor is not as popular among visitors as the second, however, each room here also contains unique exhibits obtained by archaeologists.
Private quarters of the emperor's daughters
The former apartments of the daughters of Nicholas I in the Winter Palace are given over to the archaeological collection. In the hallway there are finds from the Paleolithic era, in the bright Gothic living room with pointed arches and medieval vegetation reliefs– Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages. The decor of the “Living Room with Cupids” appeared in the 50s of the 19th century. The architect Stackenschneider did not skimp on the thick-cheeked cupids: babies with wings hid in the arches, reliefs with their images decorated the ceiling. Nowadays, these decorations house a collection of Bronze Age antiquities. In the study of Olga Nikolaevna, the future queen of Württemberg, the architect acted much more delicately: thin golden curves in the upper part of the ceiling vaults set off Bronze Age artifacts. Nearby there are simple rooms without decoration, given over to Scythian archaeological collections of weapons, ceramics, and jewelry.
Guardhouse premises
From the “women’s” wing, the Kutuzov corridor with modest columns leads guests of the Winter Palace past the former guardhouse, now given over to the halls of art of the peoples of Altai and other regions of Siberia. The world's oldest pile carpet, woven in the 4th-3rd centuries, is kept here. BC e. In the middle, the corridor opens into the lobby of the Saltykovsky entrance, designed in the same style, from which doors lead to the halls of ancient Altai and Tuvan art, nomadic tribes of Southern Siberia.
Collection of Central Asian and Caucasian antiquities
The Kutuzov Corridor leads visitors to the southwest wing, dedicated to the art of Central Asia from the pre-Islamic period. Buddhist shrines, fragments of wall paintings, fabrics, household items, silver, stone sculptures, and decorative elements of buildings from Sogdiana and Khorezm are collected here. At the other end of the wing are rooms dedicated to the culture of the Caucasus. The most valuable are the artifacts remaining from the state of Urartu. They were found under the leadership of academician Boris Piotrovsky, former director museum, the father of the current one, Mikhail Piotrovsky. Nearby are exhibited perfectly preserved precious fabrics from the Ossetian Moshchevaya Balka, an important Caucasian point on the Silk Road. The Dagestan halls display finely crafted bronze cauldrons, weapons and copper thread embroidery made in the 19th century. Volga Bulgaria, the state of the “Golden Horde” on the territory of the modern Volga region, is represented in the Winter Palace by silver and gold jewelry and weapons, and painted underglaze ceramics. In the Transcaucasian halls you can see Georgian medieval weapons, religious objects, Armenian book miniatures and fragments of architectural structures.
Middle East and North Africa
In the opposite wing is the cultural hall of Palmyra, an ancient Syrian city, the ruins of which were seriously damaged during recent military operations in that country. The Hermitage collection includes funeral steles, customs documentation carved on stone. In the Mesopotamia hall you can see authentic cuneiform tablets from Assyria and Babylon. The vaulted Egyptian Hall, converted in 1940 from the Main Buffet of the Winter Palace, is located in front of the transition to the Small Hermitage building. Among the masterpieces of the collection is a stone statue of King Amenehmet III, created almost 4,000 years ago.
Second floor of the Winter Palace
The northeast wing of the second floor is temporarily closed - its collections have moved to the General Staff building. Next to it is the Great Throne or St. George Hall of the Winter Palace, created according to the design of Giacomo Quarenghi and remodeled after the fire by Vasily Stasov. Carrara marble, a unique parquet made of 16 types of wood, an abundance of columns with bronze gilding, mirrors and powerful lamps are designed to draw attention to the throne standing on a dais, ordered in England for Empress Anna Ioannovna. The huge room opens into the relatively small Apollo Hall, which connects the Winter Palace with the Small Hermitage.
Military gallery of the Winter Palace
Large front suite
You can get to the Throne Room through the Military Gallery of 1812, containing works by George Dow and the artists of his workshop - more than 300 portraits of Russian generals who took part in the Napoleonic Wars. The designer of the gallery was the architect Carlo Rossi. On the other side of the gallery is a suite of state rooms. The Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace, created according to Stasov's design, contains symbols of Russian provinces and solid stone bowls made of aventurine. The Petrovsky, or Small Throne Room, conceived by Montferrand and restored by Stasov, is dedicated to Peter I. Its walls are decorated with burgundy Lyon velvet, embroidered with gold, and the ceiling is covered with gold reliefs. The throne was ordered for the imperial family at the end of the 18th century. The White Field Marshal's Hall houses Western European porcelain and sculpture.
A. Ladurner. Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace. 1834
Neva Enfilade
The antechamber is the first in a series of ceremonial rooms overlooking the Neva. Its main attraction - a French rotunda with 8 malachite columns supporting a bronze gilded dome - was erected here in the middle of the last century. Through the Antechamber there is an entrance to the largest room of the Winter Palace - the Nicholas Hall, with Corinthian columns and monochrome ceiling paintings. It doesn't have permanent exhibition, only temporary exhibitions are organized. On the opposite side of the Nicholas Hall is the snow-white Concert Hall with paired Corinthian columns and antique reliefs. Adjacent to the Neva Enfilade is the Romanov Portrait Gallery, which contains portraits of members of the imperial family, starting with Peter I.
Part of the northwestern wing is temporarily closed, including the Arapsky Hall with Greek decor that served as a dining room. The Rotunda awaits guests - a spacious round hall with rectangular and round Corinthian columns, a simple circular balcony in the second tier, a ceiling with coffered recesses decorated with reliefs. The floor with circular inlays of precious wood is especially impressive. The small halls leading from the Neva Enfilade to the chambers of the heir to the throne, opening onto the Dark Corridor, are devoted to objects of art of the 18th century.
Private chambers of the Emperor and Empress
Emperor Nicholas I spared no expense on the interiors, so each room in his personal chambers is a real masterpiece of design art. Alexandra Fedorovna’s malachite living room is decorated with emerald green vases, columns, and a fireplace. The richly ornamented floor and carved ceiling are in perfect harmony with the exhibition of objects of decorative and applied art. Nearby is the Small Dining Room, decorated in Rococo style. Furniture from Gambs, the best master of this era, was chosen for the Empress’s office. Sketches of furniture for the adjacent hall were made by the architect Carlo Rossi. The emperor's smoking room amazes with its oriental splendor and bright colors. There are not many halls associated with the name of Nicholas II in the Winter Palace - the last emperor preferred other residences. His library has been preserved with high windows in the English Gothic style and a carved fireplace, imitating a medieval book depository.
Interiors of Russian houses in the Winter Palace
In the imperial wing there are premises reproducing the interiors of wealthy urban houses of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The neo-Russian style is represented by furniture from the 1900s with fabulous folklore motifs. In the former Adjutant Room there is an original ash furniture set in the Art Nouveau style. The austere neoclassical interior is enlivened by the bright portrait of Princess Yusupova. The “second” Rococo of the mid-19th century is no less magnificent than the examples of a hundred years ago. "Pompeian Dining Room" with Gambs furniture refers the viewer to archaeological finds. The Gothic office is decorated with furniture from the Golitsyn-Stroganov estate, reproducing the forms of the European knightly Middle Ages - carved backs and armrests of chairs, dark wood tones. The boudoir is the former dressing room of Alexandra Feodorovna with bright painted furniture from the 40s and 50s. XIX century. The living room of a manor house with white columns demonstrates a strict classic interior.
Chambers of the future Emperor Alexander II and his wife
In the southwestern part of the second floor of the Winter Palace are the chambers of Alexander II, furnished at the time when he was the heir to the throne and was preparing for his wedding. Architecturally, the rooms occupied by the future Empress Maria Alexandrovna are noteworthy: the Green Dining Room with lush decor in the Rococo style, the White Hall with many reliefs and sculptures, the Golden Living Room with complex stucco ornaments, inlaid parquet and a jasper fireplace, the Crimson Study with textile wallpaper, the Blue bedroom with golden columns.
Collection of Western European Art
In the wing of the heir to the throne and in the suite dedicated to the victory in the War of 1812, paintings and works of decorative and applied art from Great Britain and France are kept: works by Reynolds, Gainsborough, Watteau, Boucher, Greuze, Fragonard, Lorrain, the famous bust of Voltaire by Houdon. In the southeast wing there is the Alexander Hall, designed in noble white and blue tones, combining elements of Gothic and classicism with a collection of silverware. Next to it is the Great Church, designed by Rastrelli in the Baroque style. The picket hall, where the palace guard was stationed, is temporarily closed.
Third floor
The functioning halls of the third floor in the Winter Palace are devoted to Islamic art of the Middle East, Byzantium, the state of the Huns, India, China, and Japan. Among the most valuable exhibits are finds from the “Cave of 1000 Buddhas,” ancient Chinese furniture and ceramics, Buddhist relics, and Tibetan treasures.
Tourist information
How to get there
The official address of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg: Palace Square, 2. The nearest metro station is Admiralteyskaya, from which you need to walk a little more than 100 m to the north. The Dvortsovaya Embankment bus stop is located west of Zimny. There are lifts for wheelchair users and elevators inside the palace. You must enter the museum through the main turnstile.
Ticket prices and opening hours
A visit to the entire Hermitage complex, including the Winter Palace, costs 600 rubles; on the first Thursday of the month you can go for free. If you want to visit only the Winter Palace, then a ticket for 300 rubles will be enough. It is recommended to purchase tickets in advance online to avoid queuing at the box office or terminal. This can be done on the official website www.hermitagemuseum.org. Children and students, Russian pensioners are a preferential category receiving free tickets. The day off is Monday, access to tourists is open from 10:30 to 18:00, on Wednesday and Friday - until 21:00. The Winter Palace is closed New Year and May 9.
There is probably no person in our vast country who is absolutely unaware of the Winter Palace in the city of St. Petersburg; quite a few facts are associated with it that change the course of our history. The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg was built in the mid-eighteenth century especially for Empress Elizabeth Petrovna according to the skillful design of the famous Italian architect Rastrelli in the lush Rococo style. Upon completion, the palace complex consisted of a thousand rooms, 117 magnificent staircases and almost two thousand windows and doors. From the moment of its construction, the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg became the main imperial residence until the well-known events of the bloody revolution of the 17th year.
Brief description of the Winter Palace
Throughout this time, several buildings were added to the Palace: the Small Hermitage, the Old and New Hermitage, and the Hermitage Theater. IN given time The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is part of the famous museum complex of the State Hermitage. The architectural monument is a magnificent three-story rectangular building on Palace Square. The dimensions of the palace are amazing: the length is 210 meters, the width is 175 meters. The appearance of the Winter Palace is probably familiar to many people from numerous images: the luxurious central gate with cast-iron bars and the side main entrances.
Halls of the Winter Palace
The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg delights with its decoration: a roof decorated with ancient gods and magnificent vases, elegant sculptures of Neptune and Amphitrite, majestic snow-white columns at the entrance. Inside, the Grand Throne and Concert halls, Malachite living room and many other rooms. And the State Hermitage, located in the vast expanses of the Palace, is the largest and richest museum in the world, which has a rare collection of paintings and antiquities.