Palaces

• The Yusupov palace
  
• The Menshikov’s palace
  
• The Winter palace
  
• The Anichkov palace
  
• The Marble Palace palace
  
• The St. Michel's Castle (Engineer Castle)
  
• The Nikolaevsky palace
  
• The Sheremetiev palace
  
• The Stroganov palace
  
• The Elagin palace
  
• The Beloselski- Belozersky palace
  

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The Yusupov palace

On a quiet stretch of the Moika River stands a long yellow building, which was once the residence of the wealthy and respected Yusupov family and which saw one of the most dramatic episodes in Russia's history - the murder of Gregory Rasputin.
The Yusupov Palace features original interiors of the 19th-beginning of the 20th centuries. The rooms are decorated in various styles: baroque (the theater), Empire style (gala halls), Oriental style (the Turkish study), neoclassicism (some rooms of the ground floor) and others. The interiors amaze with rich decorations that includes paintings, carving, marble, mirrors, crystal chandeliers, silk, exquisite furniture and so forth. The Yusupov family possessed extensive collections of paintings, sculptures and applied art objects. Some of them are on the display in the palace exposition.
Located: Naberezhnaya Reki Moyki, 94.
Open: 11-00 – 17-00
Excursion reservation: incoming@favorit.spb.ru

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The Menshikov’s palace

Alexander Menshikov (1673-1729) was a good friend and companion of Peter the Great The construction of the Menshikov Palace was started in 1710 under supervision of architect D.-M. Fontana.
The palace built for the associate of Peter I is a very immense construction. It combines elements of both Russian and Western European architecture. Some parts of the palace remind of Italian Renaissance palazzo, and the vaults decoration of the Menshikov Palace is typical for Russian architectonics. The visitors of the palace can see original interiors, such as the hall, the gala staircase, the Dutch-style rooms with tiles covering the walls and the ceilings.
The Menshikov Palace was opened to the public in 1981. Nowadays the palace houses part of the State Hermitage collection dedicated to Russian culture.
Location: Universitetskaya Embankment, 15. .
Open: 10:30 - 16:30.
Closed: Mondays.
Excursion reservation: incoming@favorit.spb.ru

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The Winter palace

The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. The Winter Palace, the main building of the Hermitage complex, was designed by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli and constructed in 1754-1762. The first winter residence of the Czar was constructed on the bank of the Winter Ditch (Zimnyaya Kanavka) in the reign of Peter the Great, in 1711. The second winter residence appeared at the place of the present Hermitage Theater. It was designed by the architect Georg Mattarnovi constructed in 1716-1719. In the 1720s, it was reconstructed by the architect Domenico Trezzini.
In 1732, the architect Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli began the construction of the third Winter Palace facing the Neva and Palace Square . This palace would be rebuilt several times. The fourth palace was temporary (wooden). It was designed by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli and constructed in 1755 at the corner of Nevsky prospect and the Moika Embankment. In 1762, when the permanent building of the palace was constructed, the wooden building was demolished.
The existing Winter Palace is the fifth. It was designed by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli and constructed in 1754-1762
Location: Dvortsovaia Naberezhnaia, 32-38. .
Open: 10-30 – 17-00 Sunday till 17-00.
Closed: Mondays.
Excursion reservation: incoming@favorit.spb.ru

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The Anichkov palace

The palace, situated on the plot formerly owned by Antonio de Vieira, takes its name from the nearby Anichkov Bridge across the Fontanka. Designed for Empress Elizabeth in a dazzling Baroque style, the palace came to be known as the most imposing private residence of the Elizabethan era. Some suggest architects Bartolomeo Rastrelli and Mikhail Zemtsov were responsible for the design, though it's yet to be substantiated. The main frontage faces the river and was originally connected to it by a canal. Construction works continued for thirteen years and, when finally finished in 1754, the palace was presented by the Empress to her favourite and likely spouse, Count Aleksey Razumovsky. After his death, the palace reverted to the crown, only to be donated by Catherine the Great to her own favourite, Prince Potemkin, in 1776. The architect Ivan Starov was charged with extensive renovations of the palace in the newly-fashionable neoclassical style, which was effected in 1778 and 1779. Following the October Revolution, the Anichkov Palace was nationalized and designated the St Petersburg City Museum. Since 1934, when it was converted into the Young Pioneer Palace, the palace has housed over hundred after-school clubs for more than 10,000 children. While a small museum inside is open to the public at selected times, the edifice is normally not accessible to tourists.
Located: Nevsky prospect, 39.
Open: on request.
Excursion reservation: incoming@favorit.spb.ru

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The Marble Palace palace

The Marble Palace, tucked away between the vast Field of Mars (Marsovo Pole) and the mighty Neva River, boasts some formidable architecture and an interesting history, the palace features several very diverse collections. The Marble Palace building was commissioned by Empress Catherine the Great for her favorite Count, Gregory Orlov. The palace was designed and built between 1768 and 1785 by the Italian-born architect Antonio Rinaldi. The Marble Palace, tucked away between the vast Field of Mars (Marsovo Pole) and the mighty Neva River, boasts some formidable architecture and an interesting history, the palace features several very diverse collections. The Marble Palace building was commissioned by Empress Catherine the Great for her favorite Count, Gregory Orlov. The palace was designed and built between 1768 and 1785 by the Italian-born architect Antonio Rinaldi.
Visitors to the Marble Palace can enjoy the museum's very popular permanent collection of Modern and Pop Art, featuring paintings, graphics and sculpture and a couple of well-known canvasses by Pop Art idol Andy Warhol.
Located: Milionnaya Ulitsa 5/1
Open: Wednesday to Sunday, 10-00 – 18-00 Monday, 10-00 – 17-00
Closed: Tuesday

Excursion reservation: incoming@favorit.spb.ru

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The St. Michel's Castle (Engineer Castle)

The Mikhailovsky Castle is both a beautiful and unusual architectural phenomenon for St. Petersburg and was a silent witness to some interesting episodes in the dramatic story of the short-lived reign of Emperor Paul I, son of Catherine the Great
However, neither the nobility nor the royal guards liked or respected Paul and he lived his life in constant fear of assassination. In order to allay these fears he ordered a fortified palace (a castle surrounded by deep ditches) to be built for him. According to a legend, one of the soldiers guarding the construction site experienced a vision of the Archangel Michael guarding the castle alongside him. This was reported to the Emperor and the castle was given the name Mikhailovsky (St Michael's)
Location: Sadovaya Street 2
Open: 10-00 – 17-00
Closed: Tuesday
Excursion reservation: incoming@favorit.spb.ru

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The Nikolaevsky palace

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The Sheremetiev palace

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The Stroganov palace

The palace was built for the Stroganov family between 1752 and 1754 by the Royal Architect Francesco-Bartholomeo Rastrelli, designer of the Winter Palace and Smolny Cathedral. The palace was remodeled in the early 19th century by the Russian Andrei Voronikhin (the builder of the imposing Kazan Cathedral), who was born a serf of the Stroganov family.
The Stroganovs were a very prominent noble family, many of whom became important political figures and notable art collectors. And it's true, the well-known "beef Stroganoff" dish did actually come from the family's kitchen. It was in this palace in St. Petersburg that several generations of Stroganovs socialized with the most notable artists, writers and composers of the day and accumulated an extensive art collection, which was later obtained by the Russian Museum
Located: Nevsky prospect, 17
Open: Wednesday to Sunday, 10-00 – 18-00 Monday, 10-00 – 17-00
Closed: Tuesday
Excursion reservation: incoming@favorit.spb.ru

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The Elagin palace

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The Beloselski- Belozersky palace

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