A very beautiful and also the largest palace in St. Petersburg is Winter Palace. This is his fourth building, leaving far behind all the previous ones in terms of scale and luxurious decoration. Construction of the palace began in 1754, and the construction was completed eight years later, in 1762.
The author of the project was the famous architect B. Rastrelli. In fact, the Winter Palace is an outstanding example of late St. Petersburg Baroque. Layout of the Winter Palace, differs in that in plan it is a clear, regular quadrangle with a fairly wide courtyard. It is clear that the architect wanted to give this building grandeur and scale, because this is the future palace of the Russian autocrats, and he succeeded.
The naked eye can see that the colossal palace dominates the entire nearby territory and buildings. And for all the enormity of the building, it is difficult to detect monotony here. Rastrelli planned all the facades individually, taking into account their location and purpose. For example, the façade on the north side faces the Neva; it was built in the form of a straight wall without any special protrusions. And the southern facade is a completely different matter, it faces Palace Square, three entrance arches were built here and this facade is the main one in the entire complex. Behind it is the front yard.
As for the eastern and western facades, it would be worthwhile to dwell in more detail on the western one; it faces the Admiralty and the square where the famous Rastrelli planned to install the statue of Peter I on a horse, created by his father. When talking about the Winter Palace, one cannot remain silent about Hermitage. Moreover, in light of the events of the last century, it has become much more popular than the palace itself. After all, all that remains behind the palace is that the rulers of great Russia were there. And the Hermitage is interesting every hour, every minute, because masterpieces of great masters of the brush are collected here. This is what attracts visitors here. Because the desire for beauty exists forever.
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg (Palace Square, 2 / Palace Embankment, 38) is a former imperial palace, currently part of the Main Museum Complex of the State Hermitage. The current building of the palace (the fifth) was built in 1754-1762 by the Italian architect B. F. Rastrelli in the style of magnificent Elizabethan Baroque with elements of French Rococo in the interiors. It is a cultural heritage site of federal significance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the historical center of St. Petersburg.
From the end of construction in 1762 to 1904, it was used as the official winter residence of the Russian emperors. In 1904, Nicholas II moved his permanent residence to the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. From October 1915 to November 1917, a hospital named after Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich operated in the palace. From July to November 1917, the palace housed the Provisional Government. In January 1920, the State Museum of the Revolution was opened in the palace, sharing the building with the State Hermitage until 1941.
The Winter Palace and Palace Square form a beautiful architectural ensemble of the modern city and are one of the main objects of domestic and international tourism.
Story
In total, five winter palaces were built in the city during the period 1711-1764. Initially, Peter I settled in a one-story house, built hastily in 1703, not far from the Peter and Paul Fortress.
First Winter Palace
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, he built a wooden “Winter House” near the Neva in 1711 on the site of the former Preobrazhensky barracks. Peter's first palace was a small two-story house with a high porch in the center and a tiled roof, and was not located on the Neva embankment, but on modern Millionnaya Street. This palace was a gift from the Governor of St. Petersburg A.D. Menshikov for the wedding of Peter the Great and Ekaterina Alekseevna (February 1712).
Second Winter Palace
In 1718, the architect Georg Mattarnovi, by order of the Tsar, began building a new Winter Palace, on the corner of the Neva and the Winter Canal (which was then called the “Winter House Canal”). The color of this building differed from the color of the previous Winter Palaces of the Tsar: the Mattarnovi building was gray. Before the completion of construction, the architect died, and Domenico Trezzini completed the construction of the palace.
In 1720, Peter I and his entire family moved from their summer residence to their winter residence. In 1725, Peter I died in this palace. After his death in 1726-1727, on the orders of Catherine I, the palace was expanded by D. Trezzini and occupied the territory of the current building of the Hermitage Theater.
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 own 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 up, demolished, and construction began in the spring of 1732. The facades of this palace were facing the Neva, the Admiralty and the “meadow side”, that is, the palace square. In 1735, construction of the palace was completed, and Anna Ioanovna moved to live there. The four-story building included about 70 state rooms, more than 100 bedrooms, a gallery, a theater, a large chapel, many staircases, service and guard rooms, as well as rooms for the palace chancellery. Almost immediately, the palace began to be rebuilt; an extension began along the meadow side of technical buildings, sheds, and stables.
Here, on July 2, 1739, Princess Anna Leopoldovna's engagement to Prince Anton-Ulrich took place. After the death of Anna Ioannovna, the young Emperor Ivan Antonovich was brought here, who stayed here until November 25, 1741, when Elizaveta Petrovna took power into her own hands. Under Elizabeth, the addition of office premises to the palace continued, as a result, by 1750 it “presented a motley, dirty appearance, unworthy of the place it occupied and the very strangeness of the imperial palace, with one wing adjacent to the Admiralty, and the other on the opposite side, to the dilapidated chambers of Raguzinsky, not could be pleasing to the empress.” On January 1, 1752, the Empress 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; the new project was signed by Elizaveta Petrovna on June 16, 1754:
In St. Petersburg, our Winter Palace is not only for receiving foreign ministers and performing ceremonies at the Court on special days, due to the greatness of our imperial dignity, but also for accommodating us with the necessary servants and things, which we have intended This is our Winter Palace with a large space in length, width and height to rebuild, for which the reconstruction according to the estimate will require up to 900,000 rubles, which amount, available for two years, is impossible to take from our salt money. Therefore, we command our Senate to find and present to us from what income it is possible to take such an amount of 430 or 450 thousand rubles per year for this matter, counting from the beginning of this year 1754 and the next year 1755, and that this be done immediately, so as not to miss the current winter journey to prepare supplies for that building.
Fourth (temporary) Winter Palace
It was built in 1755 by Rastrelli on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and the river embankment. Moiki (destroyed in 1762).
Fifth (existing) Winter Palace
In 1762, the current palace building appeared. At that time, the Winter Palace became the tallest residential building in St. Petersburg. The building included about 1,500 rooms. The total area of the palace was about 60,000 sq.m. 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.
First of all, the Empress removed Rastrelli from his work. The interior decoration of the palace was carried out by the architects Chevakinsky, Yu. M. Felten, J. B. Vallin-Delamot and A. Rinaldi under the leadership of Betsky.
According to the original layout of the palace, made by Rastrelli, the largest state rooms were located on the 2nd floor and overlooked the Neva; the Jordanian or, as it was formerly called, the embassy staircase led to them. There were five halls in total (of which the three middle halls later formed the current Nicholas Hall). They were called anterior halls, as they led to the sixth huge Throne Hall (which occupied the entire current space of Nicholas II’s rooms overlooking the Neva, that is, the Malachite Hall, two living rooms and the corner office of Alexandra Fedorovna facing the Neva and the Admiralty).
In 1763, the Empress moved her chambers to the southwestern part of the palace; under her rooms she ordered the chambers of her favorite G. G. Orlov to be placed. On the side of Palace Square, the Throne Hall was equipped, and a waiting room appeared in front of it - the White Hall. A dining room was located behind the White Hall. The Bright Office was adjacent to it. The dining room was followed by the State Bedchamber, which a year later became the Diamond Chamber. In addition, the Empress ordered to equip herself with a library, an office, a boudoir, two bedrooms and a restroom. In the restroom, the empress built a toilet seat from the throne of one of her lovers, the Polish king Poniatowski. Under Catherine, a winter garden and the Romanov Gallery were built in the Winter Palace. In 1764, in Berlin, through agents, Catherine acquired a collection of 225 works by Dutch and Flemish artists from the merchant I. Gotzkovsky. Most of the paintings were placed in secluded apartments of the palace, which received the French name “Hermitage” (place of solitude).
In the 1780-1790s, work on finishing the palace interiors was continued by I. E. Starov and G. Quarenghi.
In 1783, by decree of Catherine, the palace theater was demolished.
In the 1790s, by decree of Catherine II, who considered it inappropriate for the public to enter the Hermitage through her own chambers, a connecting gallery was created between the Winter Palace and the Small Hermitage, through which visitors could bypass the royal apartments. The Marble Gallery (of three halls) and the new Throne (St. George) Hall, opened in 1795, were created. The old throne room was converted into a series of rooms provided for chambers for the newly married Grand Duke Alexander.
In 1826, according to the design of K. I. Rossi, a Military Gallery was built in front of St. George’s Hall, which housed 330 portraits of generals who took part in the War of 1812, painted by D. Doe over almost 10 years. In the early 1830s, in the eastern building of the palace, O. Montferrand designed the Field Marshal's, Peter's and Armorial halls.
After the fire of 1837, when all the interiors were destroyed, restoration work in the Winter Palace was led by architects V.P. Stasov, A.P. Bryullov and A.E. Staubert.
Historical events
On December 29, 1837, there was a fire in the Winter Palace. They could not extinguish it for three days; all this time, the property taken out of the palace was piled up around the Alexander Column.
On February 5, 1880, Narodnaya Volya member S.N. Khalturin carried out an explosion in the Winter Palace with the aim of killing Alexander II, while eleven guard soldiers were killed and fifty-six were wounded, but neither the emperor nor his family members were injured.
On January 9, 1905, during a procession of columns of workers to the Winter Palace, a peaceful workers' demonstration was shot, which served as the beginning of the Revolution of 1905-1907.
In August 1914, after the outbreak of the Second Patriotic (First World) War, some of the cultural property from the palace, including the Jewelry Gallery, was taken to Moscow, but the Art Gallery remained in place.
In mid-October 1915, a military hospital named after Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich was located in the palace. The Nevsky and Great Enfilade halls, as well as the Picket and Alexander halls, were allocated for hospital wards.
During the revolution of February 1917, the palace was occupied by troops who went over to the side of the rebels.
Since July 1917, the palace became the residence of the Provisional Government, which announced the nationalization of the royal palaces and formed an artistic and historical commission to accept the values of the Winter Palace. In September, part of the art collection was evacuated to Moscow.
On the night of October 25-26 (November 7-8), 1917, during the October Revolution, the Red Guard, revolutionary soldiers and sailors surrounded the palace, which was guarded by a garrison of cadets and a women's battalion, totaling 2.7 thousand people. The palace was fired upon by the cannons of the Peter and Paul Fortress. By 2 hours 10 minutes. On the night of October 26 (November 8), the palace was stormed and the Provisional Government was arrested. In cinema, the storming of the Winter Palace was depicted as a battle. In fact, it was almost bloodless - the defenders of the palace offered almost no resistance.
On October 30 (November 12), 1917, People's Commissar of Education A.V. Lunacharsky declared the Winter Palace and the Hermitage state museums. For several months, the People's Commissariat for Education was located in the rooms on the first floor of the palace. Cinematic screenings, concerts, lectures, and meetings began to be held in the main halls.
In 1919, the first exhibitions of paintings from paintings remaining in Petrograd after the revolution, as well as the exhibition “Funeral Cult of Ancient Egypt,” opened in the palace.
On January 11, 1920, the official opening of the State Museum of the Revolution took place in the halls of the first and second floors of the palace. By November 1920, the process of returning artistic treasures evacuated to Moscow was completed. On January 2, 1921, the halls of the Art Gallery were opened to the public, and the following year other exhibitions of the State Hermitage were opened. Together, the two museums existed in the palace building until 1941.
On June 22, 1941, after the start of the Great Patriotic War, twelve bomb shelters were equipped in the basements of the palace, in which about two thousand people permanently lived until 1942. Part of the non-evacuated museum collection of the Hermitage, cultural values from suburban palaces and various institutions of Leningrad were hidden in the palace.
During the war, the palace buildings were damaged by Wehrmacht artillery fire and Luftwaffe bombing; a total of seventeen artillery shells and two aerial bombs hit them. The Small Throne (Peter's) Hall was damaged, part of the Armorial Hall and the ceiling of the Rastrelli Gallery were destroyed, and the Jordan Staircase was damaged. On November 7, 1944, the palace was partially opened to the public. The restoration of the halls and facades of the palace continued for many years after the war.
Architecture
The modern three-story building in plan has the shape of a square of 4 wings with an internal courtyard and facades facing the Neva, the Admiralty and Palace Square (the length of the facade on the Neva side is 137 meters, on the Admiralty side 106 meters, height 23.5 meters, about 1050 rooms ). The magnificent decoration of the facades and premises gives the building a sense of splendor. The main facade, facing Palace Square, is cut through by the arch of the front passage.
In the south-eastern part of the second floor there was one of the Rococo monuments, the legacy of the fourth Winter Palace - the Great Church of the Winter Palace (1763; architect B. Rastrelli).
Colors of facades and roofs
The facades and roof of the palace changed their color scheme several times. The original color had a very light warm ocher tint with highlighting the order system and plastic decoration with white lime paint. The minutes of the Chancellery from the buildings speak of the release of lime, chalk, ocher and blackening (red earth, which after processing was used as a pigment) for these works. In later documents, names such as “pale yellow with white” and “the color of wild stone” are found. The roof was tinned.
“The outside of the palace is painted: the walls are sandy paint with a thin yellow, and the ornaments are white lime.”
- architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli (RGIA, f. 470, op. 5, d. 477, l. 147)
Before the fire of 1837, there were no fundamental changes in the color of the palace, with the exception of the roof, which in 1816 changed its color from white-gray to red. During the post-fire repairs, the color of the facade was composed of slaked Tosno lime, ocher, Italian mummy and part of Olonets earth, which was used as a pigment and had an ivory tint, while the roof was painted with red lead, giving it a brown-red color.
In the second half of the 1850s - 1860s, under Emperor Alexander II, the color of the palace facades changed. The ocher becomes more dense. The order system and plastic decor are not painted with an additional color, but acquire a very light tonal highlight. In fact, the facades are perceived as monochrome.
In the 1880s, under Emperor Alexander III, the facades were painted in two tones: a dense ocher expression with the addition of red pigment and a weaker terracotta tonality. With the accession of Nicholas II in 1897, the Emperor approved the project of painting the facades of the Winter Palace in the coloring of the “new fence of the Own Garden” - red sandstone without any tonal highlighting of the columns and decor. All the buildings on Palace Square were painted in the same color - the headquarters of the Guards Corps and the General Staff, which, according to the architects of that period, contributed to the unity of perception of the ensemble.
The terracotta-brick color of the palace remained until the end of the 1920s, after which experiments began and the search for a new color scheme began. In 1927, an attempt was made to paint it gray, in 1928-1930. - in a brown-gray color scheme, and the copper sculpture on the roof - in black. In 1934, the first attempt was made to paint the palace with orange oil paint highlighting the order system with white paint, but oil paint had a negative impact on the stone, plaster and stucco decoration. In 1940, a decision was made to remove oil paint from the façade.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the palace was painted with reversible adhesive gray paint for camouflage purposes. In 1945-1947, a commission consisting of the chief architect of Leningrad N.V. Baranov, the head of the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Monuments N.N. Belekhov, representatives of the Leningrad City Executive Committee, the State Construction Control, the State Hermitage and scientific consultants decided to paint the walls of the palace with chromium oxide with adding emerald pigment; columns, cornices, interfloor rods and window frames - white; stucco decoration, cartouches, capitals - ocher, while it was decided to leave the sculpture black.
Since the 1960s, when painting facades, instead of lime paints, synthetic dyes began to be used, which negatively affect stucco decoration, plaster and natural stone. In 1976, on the recommendation of the All-Union Central Research Laboratory, a decision was made to clear the surface of the sculptures from the paint coating to form a natural layer of patina, which at that time was considered a natural protection against aggressive environmental influences. Currently, the copper surface is protected with a special paint composition containing a copper corrosion inhibitor.
Over sixty-five years, the public and city authorities have developed a certain stereotype in the perception of the color scheme of the palace, however, according to the Hermitage researchers, the currently existing color scheme of the facades does not correspond to the artistic image of the palace, and therefore it is proposed to recreate the color scheme of the facades as close as possible to the volumetric-spatial composition of the palace created by Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
Dimensions
The palace building has 1080 rooms, 1945 windows, 117 staircases (including secret ones), and its differently arranged facades, strong projections of risalits, accentuation of stepped corners, changing rhythm of columns (by changing the intervals between columns, Rastrelli either collects them in bunches or exposes the plane of the wall ) create an impression of restlessness, unforgettable solemnity and splendor. The height of the building is 22 meters. In 1844, Nicholas I issued a decree prohibiting the construction of civil buildings in St. Petersburg higher than the height of the Winter Palace. They had to be built at least one fathom less.
General impression
In the external appearance of the Winter Palace, which was created, as the decree on its construction stated, “for a single All-Russian glory”, in its elegant, festive appearance, in the magnificent decoration of its facades, Rastrelli’s artistic and compositional concept is revealed - the deep architectural connection of this building with the city on The Neva, which became the capital of the Russian Empire, with all the character of the surrounding urban landscape, continues to this day.
Originality
The sculptures and vases installed above the cornice along the entire perimeter of the building add elegance and splendor to the silhouette of the building. They were originally carved from stone and replaced by metal ones in 1892-1902 (sculptors M.P. Popov, D.I. Jensen). The “opened” composition of the Winter Palace is a kind of Russian reworking of the type of closed palace building with a courtyard, common in the architecture of Western Europe.
Halls of the Winter Palace
Jordan Gallery
Located on the first floor of the Winter Palace. The decoration is carried out in the Russian Baroque style. At first, the gallery was called the Main Gallery, since guests of the palace followed it from the Main Entrance Hall to the Grand Staircase. Later (like the entrance) it was renamed Jordan, since on Epiphany a religious procession passed through it from the Great Church of the Winter Palace heading to the Neva, where the so-called Jordan - a pavilion for the blessing of water - was installed over the ice hole.
Jordan staircase
In the 18th century, the staircase was called the Ambassador Staircase, then it received the name Jordan, since during the feast of the Epiphany the procession descended to the Neva, where an ice hole was cut out in the ice to illuminate the water - the Jordan.
It is here that the talent of the great Rastrelli is revealed in all its strength and expressiveness. Behind the majestic arched flights of the ground floor gallery and the first, shadowed flight of stairs, a huge staircase space, shining with light, suddenly opens up. Located almost at a height of twenty meters, a picturesque ceiling depicting ancient Greek gods soaring in the sky enhances the baroque effect by illusorily breaking the planes of the ceiling, and the light pouring from the windows, reflected in the mirrors, glides across gilded stucco ornaments and white marble statues of gods and muses. Destroyed by the fire of 1837, the staircase was recreated by V. P. Stasov, who, when restoring this half of the palace, managed to preserve Rastrelli’s main plan.
Field Marshal's Hall
The hall was created in 1833-1834. Auguste Montferrand. After completion of construction, in 1834, portraits of Russian field marshals were placed on the walls of the Field Marshals' Hall: “P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky" (F. Riese), "G. A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky" (A. Vigi), "A. V. Suvorov-Rymniksky" (N. S. Froste), "M. I. Kutuzov-Smolensky" (P. Basin), "I. I. Dibich-Zabalkansky" (P. Basin), "I. F. Paskevich-Erivansky" (F. Kruger).
This austere white marble hall has earned sad fame because it was here that on December 17, 1837, a fire began that destroyed the entire Winter Palace in 30 hours. After the fire of 1837, it was rebuilt by V. Stasov in the style of classicism. In 1854, on the southern wall of the hall, on either side of the entrance to the Small Throne Hall, the battle paintings “The Capture of the Suburbs of Warsaw by Russian Troops” by O. Vernet and “The Surrender of the Hungarian Army by General Gergely to the Russians at Vilagos” by G. Willewald were placed. During the First World War, the hall housed hospital wards. After 1917, all the paintings were removed and transferred to the collections of other museums.
Several years ago it was decided to restore the decoration of the hall. The portrait of I. F. Paskevich by F. Kruger was returned to its place. In May 2005, portraits of A.V. Suvorov (N.S. Froste) and M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov (P. Basin) appeared in the Field Marshal's Hall.
Petrovsky (Small Throne) Hall
Created in 1833 according to the design of O. Montferrand. Dedicated to the memory of Peter I. The emperor’s monogram (two Latin letters “P”), double-headed eagles and crowns were used in the decoration of the interior of the hall. The throne was made in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century. Behind the throne, in a niche designed in the form of a triumphal arch, there is a painting “Peter I with the goddess of wisdom Minerva” by Giuseppe Amiconi. At the top of the walls there are canvases depicting the famous battles of the Northern War - the Battle of Poltava and the Battle of Lesnaya (P. Scotti and B. Medici). The hall is decorated with silver-embroidered panels made of Lyon velvet and silverware made in St. Petersburg. The hall also contains royal crowns and state emblems in the form of double-headed eagles.
After the fire of 1837, it was restored without changes by V.P. Stasov.
Armorial Hall
Since the end of the 18th century, on the site of the Armorial Hall, there was a White Gallery, decorated according to the design of Yu. M. Felten. During the reign of Catherine II, magnificent court balls were held here. In 1796, by decree of Emperor Paul I, the “Mourning Hall”, where the funeral ceremony for the deceased Empress Catherine the Great and her husband Emperor Peter III, who was killed in the 1762 coup, took place. In the first third of the 19th century, the original purpose of the White Gallery returned. It was again noisy with palace masquerades, ceremonial receptions and balls. However, in 1830, Emperor Nicholas I decided to give it a different meaning. The main idea of the new project is the glorification of the power of the Russian Empire.
Recreated by V.P. Stasov after the fire of 1837 for ceremonies in the style of late Russian classicism. At the entrance to the hall there are sculptural groups of ancient Russian warriors with banners, on the shafts of which shields with the coats of arms of Russian provinces were attached. In addition, the coats of arms of the provinces are located on gilded bronze chandeliers. The hall is surrounded by a colonnade supporting a balcony with a balustrade. In the center of the hall there is an aventurine bowl made by Yekaterinburg stone cutters of the 19th century. The solemn image of the Armorial Hall is emphasized by the majestic rhythm of French windows, alternating with massive, completely gilded columns.
Military gallery of 1812
The gallery is dedicated to the victory of Russian weapons over Napoleon. It was built according to the design of Karl Ivanovich Rossi and was inaugurated on the anniversary of Bonaparte’s expulsion from Russia, December 25, 1826, in the presence of the Imperial Court, generals, officers and soldiers awarded for participation in the Patriotic War of 1812 and in the foreign campaign of the Russian army of 1813 - 14 years On its walls are portraits of 332 generals who took part in the War of 1812 and foreign campaigns of 1813-1814, painted by D. Doe. In addition, the galleries include portraits of Emperor Alexander I and King Frederick William III of Prussia by F. Kruger, and a portrait of Emperor Franz I of Austria by P. Kraft. The prototype of the gallery was one of the halls of the Windsor Palace, dedicated to the memory of the Battle of Waterloo, in which portraits of participants in the Battle of the Nations were concentrated.
St. George (Great Throne) Hall
Created in 1787-1795 according to the design of Giacomo Quarenghi. The huge two-story room of the hall was designed in a classical style. Consecrated on November 26, 1795 on the day of St. George the Victorious, which is where it got its name. It was completely destroyed during a fire in 1837. At the direction of Emperor Nicholas I, the architect V. P. Stasov used white Carrara marble, delivered from Italy, to restore the hall. Due to the labor-intensive cladding, it was opened in 1841, later than other halls.
Above the throne place is a marble bas-relief “St. George slaying the dragon with a spear.” The pattern of gilded ornaments on the ceiling of the hall repeats the pattern of parquet made of 16 types of colored wood. The Great Imperial Throne was executed in London 1731-1732. N. Clausen by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna.
Official ceremonies and receptions took place in this hall.
In 1917, the symbols of the Russian Empire were removed from the throne place, and in the 1930s, it was completely dismantled. After the Great Patriotic War, a map of the Soviet Union made of gems, made for the 1937 Paris World Exhibition, was placed in the hall instead of the throne seat. In the 80s of the 20th century, the map was dismantled and transferred to the Mining Museum. In 1997-2000, the throne seat was restored.
Big Church
The interior of the Great Church was created by F.B. Rastrelli in the Baroque style. On July 12, 1763, Archbishop Gabriel (Kremenetsky) of St. Petersburg consecrated the cathedral in the name of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. After the devastating fire of 1837, the temple was restored by V. P. Stasov “with possible precision<…>in the same form." On March 25, 1839, Metropolitan of Moscow Philaret (Drozdov), in the presence of the Imperial family, consecrated the renovated cathedral. At the end of the 19th century, a belfry with five bells was built on the roof of the palace.
Picket (New) Hall
Completes the Great Enfilade. It was created by Vladimir Stasov after a fire in 1837 on the site of a staircase and two small rooms for distributing the internal guard - picket, hence the name of the hall.
The hall is dedicated to the history of the Russian army and became the logical conclusion of the general panorama located in the Gallery of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Field Marshal's Hall. Guardsmen were on duty in the hall, this determines the severity and military theme in the interior design. The hall is decorated with reliefs depicting helmets, shields, spears, armor, and medallions with battle scenes.
Since 1979, the hall was closed; for 25 years the museum funds of the Oriental Department, carpets and other objects of art were stored in it. On December 9, 2004, the Picket Hall reopened to visitors.
Alexander Hall
This hall was built by Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov (brother of the artist K. P. Bryullov) in the 30s - 40s of the 19th century. According to the architect's plan, this hall was supposed to perpetuate the memory of Emperor Alexander I. Also, this architect built five enfilades adjacent to the Alexander Hall, which currently house a collection of French paintings.
White Hall
Created by A.P. Bryullov for the wedding of the future Emperor Alexander II in 1841.
Big (Nikolaevsky) antechamber
The Nikolaevsky antechamber was conceived, like the Alexandersky one, to glorify the emperor. This hall is the most impressive interior of the Winter Palace in terms of size - its area is 1103 m². The Concert Hall is adjacent to it.
Golden living room
The Golden Living Room was designed and built by A.P. Bryullov in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century for the Grand Duchess, and subsequently Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Initially, the walls and vault were covered with white artificial marble, and only the thin stucco ornament that adorned them was highlighted with gilding. With the participation of the architect Vladimir Andreevich Schreiber, in the 1860s - 70s, the walls of the hall were covered with solid gilding. In the tragic days for Russia that followed the assassination of Alexander II on March 1, 1881, it was here, surrounded by elected members of the State Council, that the new Russian autocrat Alexander III decided the fate of the Russian Constitution and the reforms that his father had worked on and did not have time to complete.
Boudoir
The boudoir was also built by A.P. Bryullov, but completely redone in 1853 according to the design of Harald Bosse. Similar to an elegant snuffbox, the small room is stylized in the Rococo spirit with an abundance of carved gilded ornaments, mirrors and pictorial inserts. Part of the Boudoir, in the form of a kind of alcove, is separated by a step and a low figured lattice. Garnet-colored damask for finishing panels on walls, upholstering furniture, and for draperies on windows and doors was ordered in France from the Cartier factory.
October staircase
Created by O. R. Montferrand in the late 1820s. After the fire of 1837, it was restored by A.P. Bryullov almost without changes. The interior of the staircase is made in a classical style, richly decorated with grisaille paintings. It received its name in memory of the events of October 1917, when detachments of stormers penetrated it into the Winter Palace. The captured ministers of the Provisional Government were taken out along the same stairs at 3 a.m. from October 25 to 26, 1917.
Malachite living room
The malachite living room was part of the personal chambers of Nicholas I’s wife, Alexandra Fedorovna. According to the will of the emperor, Bryullov included a rare semi-precious stone - malachite - in the decorative decoration of the hall. Since the 1830s, after the discovery of huge deposits of malachite in the Ural mines of the Demidovs, this stone began to be used more widely. In the Empress's front living room, the columns, pilasters and fireplaces were made using a labor-intensive technique called “Russian mosaic”: thin plates of stone were glued to the base, the joint lines were filled with malachite powder, then the surface was polished. The combination of malachite with abundant gilding of the vault, doors, capitals of columns and pilasters caused delight. The guests did not know what to be more surprised at: “... the luxury of the material or the luxury of the artist’s thoughts<…>in the temple of wealth and taste." The hall was furnished with furniture stored during the fire, made in 1830 according to drawings by Auguste de Montferrand by master Heinrich Gambs. From the malachite living room there is access to the halls of the Neva Enfilade, completing the precious necklace of the historical interiors of the Winter Palace. The malachite living room is the only surviving example of an entire residential interior being decorated with malachite.
Small (White) dining room
The small dining room was decorated in 1894 according to the design of A.F. Krasovsky. The interior decoration is made in the Rococo style and stylized as the 18th century. At the same time, the hall also contains items from the 20th century: an English chandelier with a musical mechanism, a French clock, Russian glass. On the windows there are tapestries woven at the St. Petersburg manufactory in the 18th century. The dining room was part of the residential enfilade of the family of Nicholas II.
On the night of October 25-26, 1917, during the storming of the Winter Palace, it was in the Small Dining Room that the Provisional Government, which was meeting here, was arrested. A memorial plaque installed in the dining room in 1957 on the mantelpiece commemorates this event.
Concert hall
Created by architect V.P. Stasov after the fire of 1837. The purpose of this hall is “deciphered” by its decoration: in the second tier there are statues of ancient muses and goddesses by the sculptor I. German, and allegorical figures with attributes of the arts are included in the decorative grisaille painting of the arch connecting the ceiling and walls. The concert hall houses a rich Hermitage collection of Russian silver from the 17th - early 20th centuries, the center of which is a unique monument of the 18th century - the silver tomb of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky.
Tourism
The Winter Palace is of great historical, cultural and artistic interest to tourists from Russia and all over the world. In 2009, the total number of visitors was 2,359,616. Approximately 500 thousand of them are foreigners.
Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
Replete with world famous names. Here such pillars as Rossi, Quarenghi, Rastrelli, Montferrand, Felten, Trezzini and many others worked to please the emperors and nobility. Let's talk about the legacy of the great architect of St. Petersburg, the creator of the main facade of this wonderful city, the dominant feature of Palace Square and the entire creative era of the so-called mature. We are, of course, talking about the Winter Palace. Let's reveal the name of its creator. This is the architect Rastrelli. The Winter Palace is not only the crowning achievement of the famous architect’s career, but also an architectural monument of the eighteenth century.
Carier start
The architect of the Winter Palace was born in Paris in 1700, and his father, an Italian sculptor, put a lot of effort into developing the talent he immediately noticed in his son. Having been educated in Paris, Rastrelli moved to Russia with his father in 1716. At first, the future architect of the Winter Palace worked as an assistant to his father, but in 1722 he began his own career in a new and often unfriendly country. Until the year 1930, he traveled a lot to Europe, mainly to Italy, Germany, and France. The main purpose of these trips can be called training. During this time, he adopted a lot from European masters, forming his own vision of the Baroque style, which was immediately expressed in the first works that appeared in the 30s of the eighteenth century.
Early period
The future architect of the Winter Palace created several wooden buildings in Moscow in 1730 by order of Anna Ioannovna, who held the throne at that time. Soon after the empress moved from the mother throne to the Northern capital, in 1732, Rastrelli took on the project of the Winter Palace, already the third in a row, but not yet the last. In addition, during this period, two palaces were created for Biron. And his craving for the Baroque is increasingly evident in the intricate and at the same time large-scale projects of that time.
Palace in Peterhof
Rastrelli's talent flourished during the rise of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna's power. He receives official orders for large projects of national importance. The face of Russian and world architecture is formed in the master’s creations. Luxurious decoration symbolizes the power and wealth of the empire. On the site of the current Engineering Castle, a new one is rising for the first lady of the state. In the period from 1746 to 1755, thanks to the efforts of the architect, the now famous Tsarskoye Selo Palace rose from 1752 to 1756. World fame and the favor of the highest state elite come to him.
Tsarskoye Selo Palace
A large one, or located in Tsarskoye Selo, is a completely separate conversation. The building gained worldwide fame precisely thanks to the incredible talent of the architect who undertook its construction. This is one of his most famous creations, which led the master to the crown of his entire legacy, because it was after him that a masterpiece was created, which now houses one of the richest museums in the world - the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. The architect put into it all his vast accumulated experience and maximum talent, resulting in a building that millions of tourists still come to see to this day.
Winter Palace
So, the architect of the Winter Palace began its construction in 1754. At this point, the master, already in his years and not only favored by the elite of world culture and politics, but also already fed up with it, is building one of the most famous architectural monuments of the so-called mature Baroque, which, by the way, is already outliving its age. The building was almost completely completed by 1762. This complex is truly majestic. In plan, it is a grandiose closed square with a courtyard. The façade facing Palace Square is at its highest manifestation.
The splendor and true, ceremonial purpose of the building are emphasized in the best possible way. Obviously, this is precisely what the architect of the Winter Palace emphasized. For example, no attention was paid to this pretentious decoration, but Elizabeth, his daughter, loved luxury and constantly surrounded herself with it, including in architecture.
And Winter is all about it. Both facades (the one facing the embankment and the one facing Palace Square) are magnificent in their harmony and richness of decoration, luxury, obsessively conveying that Russian emperors were accustomed to the best. That is why so many people still flock to St. Petersburg to see in person these magnificent exteriors and interiors created more than two centuries ago.
Last years
It should be mentioned that around the same time an equally important architectural monument of the era was created. The famous Smolny Cathedral was built in 1748-1764. As you know, Catherine, who ascended the throne in 1762, did not like the pretentiousness of mature Baroque architecture. This did not take long to affect the position of the maestro, favored by the authorities. At first he simply resigned, and then went to Switzerland altogether, without waiting for the completion of the construction of his last brainchild - the Smolny Cathedral. Rastrelli died in 1771, according to some evidence - in Switzerland, according to others - in Russia. This uncertainty only adds mystery to the already legendary career of the famous creator of the imperial facades and interiors of St. Petersburg.
Nevertheless, this is how the famous architect of the Winter Palace ended his days, rather ingloriously, who began his great creative career under Peter, and completed it under Catherine. But his creations still surprise. And, in spite of everything, the name of the architect of the Winter Palace remains one of the greatest throughout the centuries.
Back in 1752, F. B. Rastrelli drew up several projects for the reconstruction of the existing Winter Palace from the time of Anna Ioannovna. These projects clearly showed that the possibilities for expanding the previous building had been completely exhausted. In 1754, the final decision was made to build a new palace on the same site.
In terms of size and splendor of architectural decoration, it was supposed to surpass all previous imperial palaces in St. Petersburg and become a symbol of the wealth and power of the Russian state. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna especially noted, addressing the Senate through the architect F.B. Rastrelli: “The construction of that stone Winter Palace was built for the sole glory of the All-Russian Empire and, due to this circumstance, the Governing Senate should in all cases constantly try to ensure that it is built without ceasing towards the end."
The new Winter Palace was conceived in the form of a closed quadrangle with an extensive front courtyard. The northern facade of the palace was facing the Neva, the western - towards the Admiralty. In front of the southern façade, F. B. Rastrelli designed a large square, in the center of which he proposed to install an equestrian statue of Peter I, sculpted by the father of the architect Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli. A semicircular square was also planned in front of the eastern facade of the Winter Palace, from the side of the modern Small Hermitage. These plans were not implemented.
The construction of the grandiose building lasted 12 years. During this period, the imperial court moved to a temporary wooden Winter Palace built on Nevsky Prospekt. During the warm season, the Summer Palace served as the capital's imperial residence.
On the eve of Easter 1762, the solemn consecration of the house church of the Winter Palace took place, marking the end of construction, although many rooms still remained unfinished. Elizaveta Petrovna did not have the chance to live in the new palace - she died in December 1761. Emperor Peter III moved into the palace.
During the reign of Catherine II, part of the interiors of the Winter Palace was decorated in accordance with new artistic tastes. Changes and additions were made in the 1st third of the 19th century. A devastating fire in 1837 destroyed the magnificent interior decoration to the ground. Its restoration in 1838-1839 was carried out by architects V.P. Stasov and A.P. Bryullov.
The Winter Palace belongs to one of the most outstanding works of Russian Baroque. The three-story building is divided into two tiers by an entablature. The facades are decorated with columns of the Ionic and Composite orders; the columns of the upper tier unite the second (front) and third floors.
The complex rhythm of the columns, the richness and variety of forms of the platbands (one can count two dozen of their types), abundant stucco molding, many decorative vases and statues on the parapets and pediments create the decorative decoration of the palace, which is extraordinary in splendor and splendor. The bright contrasting colors of the walls and architectural decorations enhance the overall picturesque impression. Its original color scheme was somewhat different compared to the modern one - the palace was “painted on the outside: the walls were sandy paint with the thinnest yellow, and the ornaments were white lime.”
The southern façade of the palace is cut through by three entrance arches leading to the front courtyard. In the center of the northern building there was a central entrance. Through the long vestibule one could go to the main Jordan staircase, which occupied an entire risalit in the north-eastern corner of the building. On the second floor, along the Neva façade from the staircase, there was a solemn enfilade, closing with the grandiose Throne Hall. None of the existing halls of the Winter Palace can compare with its size: F. B. Rastrelli, while maintaining the width of the Throne Hall from the time of Anna Ioannovna (28 meters), increased its length to 49 meters.
Along the eastern facade from the Jordan Staircase there was a second enfilade, ending with the palace church. Behind the church, in the southeastern risalit, Elizabeth Petrovna’s personal apartments were planned.
All of Rastrelli's interiors were destroyed in a fire in 1837. By special order of Nicholas I, the Jordan Staircase and the palace church were restored to their original form. The latter suffered again in Soviet times - in 1938 the magnificent carved iconostasis was dismantled. The interior of the church was restored in 2014.
Nowadays the building of the Winter Palace belongs to the State Hermitage, where the museum’s exhibitions are located.
St. Petersburg is a northern city, it is accustomed to surprising with its luxury, ambition and originality. The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is just one of the attractions, which is a priceless masterpiece of architecture of past centuries.
The Winter Palace is the abode of the ruling elite of the state. For more than a hundred years, the imperial families lived in winter in this building, which has a unique architecture. This building is part of the museum complex of the State Hermitage. 
History of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
Construction took place under the leadership of Peter I. The first structure erected for the emperor was a two-story house, covered with tiles, the entrance to which was crowned by high steps. 
The city became larger, expanded with new buildings, and the first Winter Palace looked more than modest. By order of Peter I, another one was built next to the previous palace. It was slightly larger than the first, but its distinguishing feature was the material - stone. It is noteworthy that this particular monastery was the last for the emperor; he died here in 1725. Immediately after the death of the king, the talented architect D. Trezzini carried out restoration work. 
Another palace saw the light of day, which belonged to Empress Anna Ioannovna. She was unhappy that General Apraksin’s estate looked more spectacular than the Tsar’s. Then the talented and savvy author of the project, F. Rastrelli, added a long building, which was called the “Fourth Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.” 
This time the architect was puzzled by the project of a new residence in the shortest possible time - two years. Elizabeth's wish could not be fulfilled so quickly, so Rastrelli, who was ready to take on the work, asked several times for an extension of the deadline. 
Thousands of serfs, artisans, artists, and foundry workers worked on the construction of the structure. A project of this magnitude has not been put forward for consideration before. The serfs, who worked from early morning until late evening, lived around the building in portable huts, only some of them were allowed to spend the night under the roof of the building. 
Sellers of nearby shops caught the wave of excitement around the construction, so they significantly raised food prices. It happened that the cost of food was deducted from the worker’s salary, so the serf not only did not earn money, but also remained in debt to the employer. Cruelly and cynically, on the broken destinies of ordinary workers, a new “home” for the kings was built. 
When construction was completed, St. Petersburg received an architectural masterpiece that amazed with its size and luxury. The Winter Palace had two exits, one of which faced the Neva, and from the other the square was visible. The first floor was occupied by utility rooms, above there were state halls and the gates of the winter garden, the third and last floor was for servants. 
Peter III liked the building and, in gratitude for his incredible architectural talent, decided to award Rastrelli the rank of major general. The career of the great architect ended tragically with the accession of Catherine II to the throne. 
Fire in the palace
A terrible misfortune happened in 1837, when a fire started in the palace due to a faulty chimney. Through the efforts of two companies of firefighters, they tried to stop the fire inside, blocking the door and window openings with bricks, but for thirty hours it was not possible to stop the evil flames. When the fire ended, only the vaults, walls and ornaments of the first floor remained from the previous building - the fire destroyed everything. 
Restoration work began immediately and was completed only three years later. Since the drawings from the first construction were practically not preserved, the restorers had to experiment and give it a new style. As a result, the so-called “seventh version” of the palace appeared in white and green tones, with numerous columns and gilding. 
With the new look of the palace, civilization came to its walls in the form of electrification. A power station was built on the second floor, which fully met the electricity needs and for fifteen years it was considered the largest in all of Europe. 
Many incidents befell the Winter Palace during its existence: fire, the assault and capture of 1917, the attempt on the life of Alexander II, meetings of the Provisional Government, bombings during the Second World War.
Winter Palace in 2017: its description
For almost two centuries the castle was the main residence of emperors, only in 1917 it was given the title of museum. Among the museum's exhibitions are collections of the East and Eurasia, examples of paintings and decorative arts, sculptures presented in numerous halls and apartments. Tourists can admire:
- St. George's Hall.
- Boudoir.
- Golden living room.
- Malachite living room.
- Concert hall.
Exclusively about the palace
In terms of the wealth of exhibits and interior decoration, the Winter Palace is incomparable to anything in St. Petersburg. The building has its own unique history and secrets with which it never ceases to amaze its guests:
- The Hermitage is vast, like the lands of the country where the emperor ruled: 1084 rooms, 1945 windows.
- When the property was in its final stages, the main area was littered with construction debris that would take weeks to clear. The king told the people that they could take any item from the square absolutely free of charge, and after some time the square was free of unnecessary items.
- The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg had a different color scheme: it was even red during the war against the German invaders, and it acquired its current pale green color in 1946.
Memo for tourists
Numerous excursions are offered to visit the palace. The museum is open daily except Mondays, opening hours: from 10:00 to 18:00. Ticket prices can be checked with your tour operator or at the museum box office. It is better to purchase them in advance. Address where the museum is located: Palace Embankment, 32.
