St. Petersburg is a northern city, it is used to amaze with its luxury, ambition and originality. The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is just one of the sights, which is an invaluable masterpiece of architecture of the past centuries.
The Winter Palace is the abode of the ruling elite of the state. For over a hundred years, the imperial families lived in this building in winter, which is distinguished by its unique architecture. This building is part of the State Hermitage Museum complex.
History of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
The construction took place under the leadership of Peter I. The first structure erected for the emperor was a two-storey house covered with tiles, the entrance to it was crowned with high steps.
The city grew larger, expanded with new buildings, and the first Winter Palace looked more than modest. By order of Peter l, another one was built next to the previous palace. It was slightly larger than the first, but its distinctive feature was the material - stone. It is noteworthy that it was this monastery that was the last for the emperor, here in 1725 he died. Immediately after the death of the tsar, the talented architect D. Trezzini carried out restoration work.
Another palace, which belonged to Empress Anna Ioannovna, saw the light. She was unhappy with the fact that the estate of General Apraksin looked more spectacular than the royal one. Then the talented and savvy author of the project, F. Rastrelli, added a long building, which was named “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 job, asked several times for an extension of the term.
Thousands of serfs, artisans, artists, foundry workers worked on the construction of the building. A project of this magnitude has not been put forward for consideration before. Serfs, who worked from early morning until late at night, lived around the building in portable huts, only some of them were allowed to spend the night under the roof of the building.
The sellers of nearby shops caught a wave of excitement around the construction, so they significantly raised food prices. It so happened that the cost of food was deducted from the worker's salary, so the serf not only did not earn, but also remained in debt to the employer. Cruel and cynical, on the broken lives of ordinary workers, a new "house" was built for the tsars.
When the construction was completed, St. Petersburg received an architectural masterpiece that impressed with its size and luxury. The Winter Palace had two exits, one of which was facing the Neva, and from the other the square was visible. The first floor was occupied by utility rooms, higher were the ceremonial halls, the gates of the winter garden, the third and last floor was for servants.
I liked the construction of Peter III, who, in gratitude for his incredible architectural talent, decided to assign Rastrelli the rank of Major General. The career of the great architect ended tragically with the accession to the throne of Catherine II.
Fire in the palace
A terrible misfortune happened in 1837, when a fire broke out in the palace due to a malfunction of the chimney. Through the efforts of two companies of firefighters, they tried to stop the fire inside, laying door and window openings with bricks, but for thirty hours it was not possible to stop the evil tongues of flame. When the fire ended, only the vaults, walls and ornaments of the first floor remained from the previous building - the fire destroyed everything.
The restoration work began immediately and was completed only three years later. Since the drawings have practically not survived from the first construction, 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-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 covered the needs for electricity and for fifteen years it was considered the largest in all of Europe.
We advise you to look at the palace and park ensemble of Peterhof.
Many incidents fell to the lot of the Winter Palace during its existence: fire, assault and capture of 1917, attempt on the life of Alexander II, meetings of the Provisional Government, bombing during the Second World War.
Winter Palace in 2017: its description
For almost two centuries, the castle was the main residence of the emperors, only 1917 brought it the title of a museum. Among the expositions of the museum there are collections of the East and Eurasia, samples of painting and decorative and applied art, sculptures presented in numerous halls and apartments. Tourists can admire:
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 immense, like the lands of the country where the emperor ruled: 1,084 rooms, 1945 windows.
- When the property was in its final stages, the main square was littered with debris that would have taken weeks to clean up. The king told people that they can take any object from the square absolutely free of charge, and after a while the square is free of unnecessary objects.
- The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg had a different color scheme: it was even red during the war with the German invaders, and it acquired its current pale green color in 1946.
Tourist memo
Numerous excursions are offered to visit the palace. The museum is open every day, except Monday, opening hours: 10:00 to 18:00. You can check ticket prices with your tour operator or at the museum box office. It is better to purchase them in advance. The address where the museum is located: Dvortsovaya embankment, 32.
