Winter Palace style architecture. History of the Winter Palace. Reference. The task assigned to the architect

In 1754, on the left bank of the Neva near the Admiralty, according to the design of F. B. Rastrelli, construction began on the Winter Palace, which is still the most important building both in the panorama of the Neva and in the ensemble of the main Palace Square in the city, modern look which took shape by the middle of the 19th century.
Winter Palace belongs to the number of outstanding Baroque monuments. According to the architect, he built it “for a single All-Russian glory.”
The new building replaced the palace complex, in the reconstruction of which Rastrelli also took part. When creating a new palace, the architect primarily proceeded from the fact that the building was to become the dominant feature central region capital Cities.
In the architecture of the Winter Palace, the compositional scheme of a block house, first used in the construction of the Stroganov Palace, was developed. Four huge corner massive volumes, which housed the main rooms (the Throne Room, the theater, the main staircase and the church), are connected by gallery buildings (with a suite of main halls on the second floor), forming a cruciform front courtyard in the center.
The facades of the building are divided into two horizontal zones. The lower one consists of the ground and first floors, united by columns of the Ionic order, above which is placed a tier of columns of a more magnificent composite order, which emphasizes the greater importance of the two upper floors. The rhythm of the columns changes all the time: they are either gathered in bunches at the corners, or evenly segment the walls, or are grouped in different combinations, emphasizing the middle parts of the risalits. Decorative vases and statues installed on the roof balustrade complicate the silhouette of the building. Initially they were made of Pudost stone by Russian craftsmen. The currently existing hollow statues made of stamped copper were made in 1892 according to the models of M.P. Popov.
An important role in the decorative design of the facades is played by whimsically curving cornices and window frames of various shapes, of which there are about two thousand in the palace. There are numerous options for platbands decorated with lion masks, angel heads, fancy curls, and pediments of different designs. Since some of the stucco work was done by hand, the master sculptors added something of their own to the interpretation of each sample. Therefore, it was hardly possible to find two identical window frames. The impression of festivity created by the architecture of the majestic palace is enhanced by the intense coloring of sections of the walls free from decoration, the bright whiteness of the columns and the gilding of some stucco details.
Realizing that the Winter Palace, which occupied a colossal area, would be clearly visible from all sides and from different distances, Rastrelli designed each of its facades taking into account the specific environment. The northern façade, facing the Neva, has been given a calm, solemn character. Like the buildings of Peter the Great’s time that once stood nearby, the palace here has no strong protrusions. From a distance it resembles a two-tiered colonnade. The southern facade, equal in length, which was previously separated from the urban development by a vast green meadow, on the contrary, is strongly dissected. In it, the dynamics of plastic forms increases towards the center, highlighted by a wide, richly decorated risalit with three arches of the main entrance. The two side risalits are inferior to it in size and are not pushed forward so much. The western and eastern facades are similar in composition: they are flanked by powerful projections - the entrances were located between them.
As indicated, the main entrance to the palace was from the side of a huge meadow. Having passed under the arches, passing the front courtyard, eminent persons found themselves under the high arches of that part of the palace that faces the Neva, and headed towards the luxurious Jordan Staircase. It is still located in the northeastern building. Her ceremonial marches led to the main northern enfilade, which consisted of five spacious rooms, the so-called anti-chambers, from which they entered the Great Throne Hall, located in the northwestern risalit.
In the southern direction from the main staircase stretches another chain of main halls - the Great Enfilade, to which the church adjoins from the southeast. Its decoration, which has survived to this day, was not much different from the decor of other halls of the palace. The magnificent ceiling was painted by the artist F. Fontebasso, who also created the ceiling of the main staircase. Masterfully executed, molded, elegantly designed, light floral ornaments covered with gilding adorn the walls. In the past, only the presence of an iconostasis indicated the purpose of the room.
In addition to the main halls, there were living quarters on the second floor. The first floor was allocated for utility and service premises. Most of the upper floor was occupied by courtiers' apartments.
The construction of a huge palace was expensive, required a colossal amount of materials and a huge number of craftsmen of various specialties, and therefore could not move quickly. By 1762, when Catherine II became the owner of the palace, the facade work was completed, but most of the rooms were not finished. The Empress removed Rastrelli from supervising the work, since the architect's creative style did not meet new tastes. Architects Yu. M. Felten, J.-B. were involved in the decoration of the interiors. Vallin-Delamot and A. Rinaldi, who worked in a style called classicism. In the 1780-1790s, many rooms located in the northern and western parts of the palace were decorated according to the designs of I. E. Starov and D. Quarenghi. Some parts of the building have undergone redevelopment. On the site of the throne room and theater, Staroye created living quarters located around lighted courtyards. Quarenghi designed the Neva Enfilade by combining the three middle antichambers into a huge hall, the perspective of which was organized by the rhythm of two symmetrical rows of columns. The anti-chamber, originally adjacent to the throne room, was converted into Concert hall.
Quarenghi created a new, grandiose Throne Hall, for which a special building was added to the center of the eastern facade of the palace. Colored marble and gilded bronze were widely used in the decoration of this hall, called St. George's.
People were also involved in the work in the palace major architects first half of the 19th century. In 1826, according to the design of K.I. Rossi, a Military Gallery was built near the Throne Hall, which became a kind of monument to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. Numerous portraits of war participants decorating its walls were painted by the English artist D. Dow. The same theme was reflected in the decoration of the Alexander Hall, carried out according to the drawings of A.P. Bryullov in 1839.
O. Montferrand was engaged in reconstruction in the eastern building of the palace, where he designed the Field Marshal's, Peter's and Armorial halls.
On December 17, 1837, a fire broke out in the Winter Palace, as a result of which only charred walls remained of Rastrelli’s creation. True, works of art that decorated the premises, furniture and other valuable property were saved.
They were able to restore the palace in a very short term- in just two years. The work went on day and night. They were led by architects V.P. Stasov and A.P. Bryullov. Some interiors, such as the main Jordan Staircase, the Concert Hall, and the church, were restored, while others received a new design, which was later partially replaced.
In the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, some rooms were remodeled in accordance with the tastes of the changing owners. It was during this period that the stylistic unity of interiors was broken by the appearance of rooms decorated in different architectural styles. Projects that were distinguished by their breadth of concept, rigor, grandeur and bright individuality were no longer created; compositions appear that are overloaded with crushed parts. Such are, for example, the preserved interiors on the half of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, made according to the drawings of G. A. Bosse (Red Boudoir), V. A. Schreiber (Golden Living Room), or the library of Nicholas II (author A. F. Krasovsky).
At the same time, changes were made to the appearance of the palace. The proportions of the western facade were greatly distorted due to the raising of the ground by more than a meter to create the garden. In 1901, a fence was created around it according to the drawings of R. F. Meltzer. Heavy cast iron links were mounted on a high plinth made of polished red granite. Previously, using the same architect’s templates, overloaded with ornamental grilles were made for entrance arches and entrance ramps.
In the 1900s, the owners' interest in the palace faded. Frightened by the rapid growth of the revolutionary movement, Nicholas II left the capital's residence in 1904 and settled in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo. From this time on, the Winter Palace became only a place for official receptions and ceremonies. The Romanovs' fears were not in vain. The people's patience was overflowing. The number of strikes and demonstrations in the capital grew every day. The tsarist government brutally dealt with their participants. On January 9, 1905, a peaceful demonstration of workers was shot at the walls of the palace. After the February bourgeois revolution, the Winter Palace housed the Provisional Government. On the night of October 25-26, 1917, detachments of revolutionary sailors, soldiers and St. Petersburg workers, led by the Bolshevik Party led by V.I. Lenin, stormed Zimny.
Nowadays the Winter Palace is the most important part of the world famous museum complex State Hermitage.

The Winter Palace is without a doubt one of the most famous landmarks of St. Petersburg

The Winter Palace that we see today is actually the fifth building built on this site. Its construction lasted from 1754 to 1762. Today it reminds us of the splendor of the once popular Elizabethan Baroque and is, apparently, the crowning achievement of Rastrelli himself.

As I already said, there were a total of five Winter Palaces on this site, but the entire period of change was invested in a modest 46 years between 1708, when the first was erected, and 1754, when construction began on the fifth

The first Winter Palace was a small Dutch-style house built by Peter the Great for himself and his family.

In 1711, the wooden building was rebuilt into a stone one, and this event was timed to coincide with the wedding of Peter I and Catherine. In 1720, Peter I and his family moved from summer residence in winter, in 1723 the Senate was located in the palace, and in 1725 the life of the great emperor was cut short here

The new empress, Anna Ioannovna, considered that the Winter Palace was too small for the imperial person, and entrusted its reconstruction to Rastrelli. The architect proposed to buy the houses nearby and demolish them, which was done, and on the site of the old palace and demolished buildings, a new, third Winter Palace soon grew up, the construction of which was finally completed by 1735. On July 2, 1739, the solemn betrothal of Princess Anna Leopoldovna to Prince Anton-Ulrich took place in this palace, and after the death of the empress, the young Emperor John Antonovich was transported here, who lived here until November 25, 1741, when Elizabeth Petrovna took power into her own hands. The new empress was also dissatisfied with the appearance of the palace, so on January 1, 1752, a couple more houses near the residence were purchased, and Rastrelli added a couple of new buildings to the palace. At the end of 1752, the Empress decided that it would be a good idea to increase the height of the palace from 14 to 22 meters. Rastrelli proposed to build the palace in another place, but Elizabeth refused, so the palace was again completely dismantled, and on June 16, 1754, construction of a new Winter Palace began in its place

The fourth Winter Palace was temporary: Rastrelli built it in 1755 on the corner of Nevsky Prospect and the Moika River embankment while the fifth was being built. The fourth palace was demolished in 1762, when the construction of the Winter Palace, which we are accustomed to seeing on St. Petersburg Palace Square today, was completed. The Fifth Winter Palace became the most tall building in the city, but the empress never lived to see the complete completion of construction - on April 6, 1762, Peter III admired the almost finished palace, although he did not live to see the completion of the interior finishing work. The Emperor was killed in 1762, and the construction of the Winter Palace was finally completed under Catherine II. The Empress removed Rastrelli from work, and instead hired Betsky, under whose leadership a Throne Hall appeared on the side of Palace Square, in front of which a waiting room was built - the White Hall, behind which a dining room was located. The Bright Study was adjacent to the dining room, and behind it was the State Bedchamber, which later became the Diamond Chamber. In addition, Catherine II took care of creating a library, an imperial study, a boudoir, two bedrooms and a restroom in the palace, in which the empress built a toilet seat from the throne of one of her lovers, the Polish king Poniatowski =) By the way, it was under Catherine II that the Winter Palace appeared the famous winter garden, Romanov Gallery and St. George's Hall

In 1837, the Winter Palace experienced a serious test - a major fire, which took more than three days to extinguish. At this time, all palace property was taken out and piled around the Alexander Column

Another incident in the palace occurred on February 5, 1880, when Khalturin detonated a bomb to kill Alexander II, but as a result only the guards were injured - 8 people died, and 45 were injured of varying degrees of severity

On January 9, 1905, a famous event occurred that turned the tide of history: a peaceful workers’ demonstration was shot in front of the Winter Palace, which served as the beginning of the Revolution of 1905-1907. The walls of the palace never again saw persons of imperial blood - during the First World War there was a military hospital here, during the February Revolution the building was occupied by troops who went over to the side of the rebels, and in July 1917 the Winter Palace was occupied by the Provisional Government. During the October Revolution, on the night of October 25-26, 1917, the Red Guard, revolutionary soldiers and sailors surrounded the Winter Palace, guarded by a garrison of cadets and a women's battalion, and by 2:10 a.m. on October 26, after the famous salvo from the cruiser "Aurora" , stormed the palace and arrested the Provisional Government - the troops guarding the palace surrendered without a fight

In 1918, part of the Winter Palace, and in 1922 the rest of the building was transferred to the State Hermitage.

and Palace Square with the Alexander Column and the General Staff building form one of the most beautiful and amazing ensembles in the entire post-Soviet space The Winter Palace is designed in the shape of a square, the facades of which overlook the Neva, the Admiralty and Palace Square

, and in the center of the main facade there is a front arch

Winter Garden in the Winter Palace)

In the southeast of the second floor is the legacy of the fourth Winter Palace - the Great Church, built under the leadership of Rastrelli

Today the Winter Palace has at its disposal more than a thousand different rooms, the design of which is amazing and creates an impression of unforgettable solemnity and splendor. The exterior design of the Winter Palace should, according to Rastrelli's plan, architecturally connect it with the ensemble

Northern capital

The elegance of the palace is emphasized by vases and sculptures installed along the entire perimeter of the building above the cornice, once carved from stone, which were later, at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, replaced with metal analogues

Today the Small Hermitage is located in the Winter Palace building 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

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 remained behind the palace was 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 in St. Petersburg: history and modernity. Who created the projects and built them, why didn’t all the owners like to live in the palace?

The main and largest residence of the Russian tsars, A very beautiful and also the largest palace in St. Petersburg is, is the creation of the architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (1700 - 1771). An Italian Parisian who gave St. Petersburg such a recognizable ceremonial appearance.

The impressive building of the palace, with one of its facades reflected in the surface of the Neva, and with others facing the huge one, inspires awe with its gigantic scale. When Russians look at him, they feel legitimate pride in their Motherland! The square along the embankment stretches 210 meters - its width is 175 meters!

Brief description

The surviving Winter Palace complex was built in the mid-18th century in the Baroque architectural style. Characterized by splendor and richness of detail. Initially, the interiors were decorated in exactly the same style. Today it looks excessively pretentious.

In the 70s, under Catherine II, more modestly decorated rooms appeared inside. But, however, more elegant and stylish - they were created by architects Ivan Yegorovich Starov and Giacomo Quarenghi.

The exact number of internal halls is not reported anywhere: there are approximately 1,100 of them. Do not think that this is no match for, say, Madrid royal palace. It’s just that the area and height (2 floors) of the state halls of the royal residence have no precedents in Europe... and the world.

The total area of the premises is approximately 60,000 m2

Note that the palace was not always painted turquoise and white. After the fire of 1837, for example, it was repainted sandy ocher. White columns and architectural decor initially stood out against the background of the walls, but later everything was painted over to look like sandstone.

Architect Karl Ivanovich Rossi, when constructing the General Staff Building, proposed painting all the buildings on Palace Square in a strict gray color with the decor and columns highlighted in white. It was supposed to be extremely solemn... but the project was not approved.

Today, the Winter Palace has been restored to its historical color: turquoise walls with white columns and yellow architectural decor.

It is interesting that until the second half of the 19th century, no buildings were built in St. Petersburg that were taller than the Winter Palace, that is, 23.5 meters!

The Winter Palace, as well as the Small, Old and New Hermitages later added to it, house collections. And one of the largest in the world, of course. The collection contains more than 3 million storage units!

In addition to the gigantic collection of paintings and sculptures, tapestries and vases, jewelry and the Egyptian collection, visitors can see the original decoration of the ceremonial and residential enfilades, as well as halls for receptions and balls, chamber rooms for work and everyday life of royalty, their relatives and guests.

History and architecture

Initially, on the site where the Winter Palace is located, the mansion of Admiral Fyodor Matveevich Apraksin was located. Which is quite logical, since the Admiralty, which built the Russian fleet, is located nearby.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the admiral's estate was the largest and most beautiful in all of St. Petersburg. After the death of the naval commander, the buildings and lands were given to the young Emperor Peter II, since the Apraksins were relatives of the Romanovs.

First Winter Palace

in St. Petersburg was erected in the depths of the site between the Neva and Millionnaya streets. In 1712, the wooden two-story building was rebuilt in stone. Alexander Danilovich Menshikov presented it to the Tsar as a wedding gift.

In 1716-1720, the residence was rebuilt and expanded according to the design of the architect Georg Mattarnovi. Construction was carried out, among other things, on embankment territory reclaimed from the Neva.

The Second Winter Palace was located where the Hermitage Theater stands today. It is interesting that during the reconstruction of 1783-1787, the personal chambers of Peter I and Ekaterina Alekseevna on the first floor were carefully preserved.

Peter moved to the winter residence from his own in 1720. And here in 1725 the first emperor of Russia died (28.01 -8.02 according to the new style).

In 1732-1735, a third palace was built for Empress Anna Ioannovna. Based on a design created by Francesco Rastrelli's father, Carlo Bartolomeo. It was much larger than Peter's residence. And it was located mainly on the other side of the Winter Canal, closer to the Admiralty.

The era of Elizabeth Petrovna

During the time of Peter's daughter, who adored luxury, outbuildings and service buildings were being added to the palazzo with might and main. The complex grew beyond any master plan. And it looked more and more like some Istanbul Topkapi than a European residence. In the end they decided that it was unworthy great empire and began building a new palace.

The complex that has survived to this day was built according to the design of the architect Rastrelli the Son. It was founded under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (1754) and basically completed (1762) only under Catherine II.

The surviving building is considered the fifth Winter Palace. Because at the time of its construction, a fourth wooden one was built for Elizaveta Petrovna’s residence.

It was located a little further away: on Nevsky Prospekt, between Moika and Malaya Morskaya Street. Construction of the temporary residence took place in the spring and summer of 1755 and was completed by November.

The queen's private chambers were located along the Moika River, with windows overlooking the Stroganov Palace. Standing on the other side of the river.

The outbuilding in which the heir to the throne, the future Peter III, lived with his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna (future Catherine II) stretched along Malaya Morskaya Street.

Under Catherine II

In 1764, Empress Catherine II bought the collection, which laid the foundation for the world-famous Hermitage collection. Initially, the paintings were placed in the private chambers of the palace and were not available for inspection. And the name comes from the French l’Ermitage, that is, “secluded.”

Completion, alteration (Catherine did not favor the “golden” splendor of her predecessor) and expansion of the palace continued throughout the reign of Catherine the Great (1762-1796)

Little has been preserved from the time of this empress - under Nicholas I, the interiors were thoroughly rebuilt. The preferences and tastes of Catherine’s brilliant era are evidenced only by

the magnificent Loggias of Raphael, created from exact copies that arrived from Papal Palace in the Vatican;
and the luxurious Great Palace Church, exactly recreated by Stasov after the fire of 1837.

A special building for the Loggias along the Winter Canal was created by Giacomo Quarenghi.

Elizabeth moved into her new winter residence long before finishing was completed. But her heir, Emperor Peter II, took the building into operation. Settled in new apartments in April 1762.

The enfilade of state halls occupied the entire length of the northern, Nevsky façade of the palace. And in the northeastern risalit there is the Ambassadorial or Jordanian staircase. Opposite her on the Neva at Epiphany, according to tradition, an ice hole was cut in which the water was blessed.

Empress Catherine II did not really like the Winter Palace, like her predecessor. Rastrelli was immediately dismissed from work, and the work was entrusted to the architect Jean-Baptiste Vallin-Delamote. In 1764-1775, he, in collaboration with Yuri Matveyevich Felten, created the Small Hermitage.

In which Catherine hosted private evenings and stored art collections. The Hanging Garden was built for the empress to take walks.

The luxurious Pavilion Hall at the end of the building facing the Neva was created later, in the mid-19th century, according to the design of Andrei Ivanovich Stackenschneider. Today it houses the famous peacock clock and a unique ancient Roman mosaic.

From Paul to Nicholas II

Paul I was forced to live in the Winter Palace while his own residence, Mikhailovsky Castle, was being built. But the two subsequent emperors: Alexander I and Nicholas I, lived mainly here.

The first one loved to travel and therefore did not see much difference where he lived. The second literally personified himself with the power of Russia. And he could not imagine living in any other, smaller palace. Most of the surviving ceremonial and residential interiors date back to the reign of Nicholas I.

In the first third of the 19th century, according to the design of the architect Karl Ivanovich Rossi, a Military Gallery was created in memory of the heroes of the Patriotic War, and a number of other premises.

Fire of 1837 and restoration

By the way, it was under Nicholas I, in 1837, that a great fire occurred in the Winter Palace. After which the residence was restored literally from scratch. The tragic incident happened shortly before Christmas, on the evening of December 17 (29 new style). The cause is believed to have been a fire in the chimney.

During the restoration, construction solutions that were innovative for that time were used. In particular, iron beams in the ceilings, and new chimney systems. And perhaps that is why the palace remained unchanged after the renovation - the ceremonial interiors turned out to be too luxurious...

The restoration work was led by: Vasily Petrovich Stasov and Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov. By the way, the brother of the famous painter who wrote the epic “The Last Day of Pompeii”. Over 8 thousand people worked at the construction site every day.

Most of the halls received a different decoration in the mature Russian Empire style. The interiors are much more luxurious than before.

Under Alexander II, the residential halls of the Winter Palace were thoroughly remodeled, decorating them according to the fashion of that time.

The next two kings chose not to live here. Alexander III and his family left the city for security reasons. And when he left the Great Gatchina Palace, he stopped at Anichkov on Nevsky Prospekt.

His eldest son, Nicholas II, mainly used the Winter Palace for luxurious balls. Although on the second floor of the western enfilade the personal apartments of the last emperor have also been preserved.

Foreign sovereigns who visited St. Petersburg usually lived here as if in a hotel. Entire suites of halls were dedicated to the needs of the next guest. The grand dukes also lived in the imperial residence - there was enough space for everyone.

Winter Palace: halls

The interiors were often rebuilt in accordance with the wishes of the new kings, but the main halls, the main purpose of which was to show off foreign sovereigns and envoys, as well as their own subjects, remained unchanged.

The Jordan Staircase, recreated on the site of Ambassador Rastrelli, received a luxurious design: a marble balustrade, giant double columns of Serdobol granite on the second floor, a picturesque “Olympus” lampshade with an area of 200 m2 on the ceiling by the Italian painter Gasparo Diziani...

Neva parade enfilade

It begins with the Nikolaevsky antechamber, followed by the stately and austere Great Nikolaevsky hall. This is the largest room in the palace, its area is 1103 m2! Today the premises are used mainly for exhibitions.

Behind Nikolaevsky are the Concert Hall and (with windows on the Neva) the famous Malachite Living Room. The interior, decorated with 125 pounds of Ural malachite, was created by the architect Alexander Bryullov, who once opened the personal suite of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I.

Alexandra Feodorovna, the bride of Nicholas II, was also dressed here for her wedding. Festive family breakfasts were also held here before the family moved to the Alexander Palace.

The following rooms were subsequently used as living rooms by Nicholas II - the apartments of the last emperor were located on the second floor opposite the Admiralty building.

Eastern enfilade

The main premises (from the Jordan Stairs perpendicular to the Neva) are opened by the Field Marshal's Hall, created before the fire of 1837 according to the design of Auguste Montferrand (the author of St. Isaac's Cathedral). It is decorated with portraits of great Russian commanders: Suvorov, Rumyantsev, Kutuzov.

Next comes the Petrovsky or Small Throne Hall, and behind it the majestic Armorial Hall, created by Stasov in 1837. On the left are: the Military Gallery of 1812 and the luxurious St. George or Great Throne Hall, all lined with Carrara marble.

Practical information

Address: Russia, St. Petersburg, Dvortsovaya embankment 32
Opening hours: 10:30 - 18:00: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday; 10.30-21.00: Wednesday, Friday. Monday - day off
Ticket prices: 600 rubles - adults (400 - for citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus), children under 18 years old, students and pensioners of the Russian Federation are admitted free!
Official website: www.hermitagemuseum.org

You can get to the Winter Palace on foot from the Admiralteyskaya or Nevsky Prospekt metro stations: 5-10 minutes: look.

The Winter Palace is the largest palace building in St. Petersburg. Its dimensions and magnificent decoration make it possible to rightfully classify it as one of the most striking monuments of the St. Petersburg Baroque. “The Winter Palace as a building, as a royal dwelling, perhaps has nothing like it in all of Europe. With its enormity, its architecture, it depicts a powerful people who have so recently entered the midst of educated nations, and with its internal splendor it reminds of the inexhaustible life that boils in the interior of Russia... The Winter Palace for us is a representative of everything domestic, Russian, ours,” - this is what V. A. Zhukovsky wrote about the Winter Palace. The history of this architectural monument is rich in turbulent historical events.

At the beginning of the 18th century, in the place where the Winter Palace now stands, construction was permitted only to naval officials. Peter I 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.

In 1711, especially for the wedding of Peter I and Catherine, the architect Georg Mattarnovi, on the orders of the Tsar, began rebuilding wooden palace in stone. During the work, the architect Mattarnovi was removed from work and the construction was headed by Domenico Trezzini, an Italian architect of Swiss origin. 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 January 1725, Peter I died here (in a room on the first floor behind the current second window, counting from the Neva).

Subsequently, 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 the buildings that stood at that time in the place occupied the current palace, houses that belonged to Count Apraksin, the Maritime Academy, Raguzinsky and Chernyshev. Anna Ioanovna approved the project, the houses were bought up, demolished, and work began to boil. In 1735, construction of the palace was completed, and the Empress moved to live there. Here, on July 2, 1739, Princess Anna Leopoldovna's engagement to Prince Anton-Urich 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.

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 decided to rebuild the entire building. New project- the next building of the Winter Palace - Elizabeth Petrovna signed on June 16, 1754.

Construction lasted eight long years, which coincided with the end of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna and the short reign of Peter III.

The story of Peter III’s arrival at the palace is interesting. After Elizabeth’s death, 15 thousand dresses, many thousands of shoes and stockings remained in her wardrobe, and only six silver rubles were left in the state treasury. Peter III, who replaced Elizabeth on the throne, wished to immediately move into his new residence. But Palace Square was cluttered with piles of bricks, boards, logs, barrels of lime and similar construction debris. The capricious disposition of the new sovereign was known, and the Chief of Police found a way out: in St. Petersburg it was announced that all ordinary people had the right to take whatever they wanted on Palace Square. A contemporary (A. Bolotov) writes in his memoirs that almost all of St. Petersburg with wheelbarrows, carts, and some with sleighs (despite the proximity of Easter!) came running to Palace Square. Clouds of sand and dust rose above her. The inhabitants grabbed everything: boards, bricks, clay, lime, and barrels... By evening the square was completely cleared. Nothing interfered with the ceremonial entry of Peter III into the Winter Palace.

In the summer of 1762, Peter III was overthrown from the throne. Construction of the Winter Palace was completed under Catherine II. In the autumn of 1763, the Empress returned from Moscow to St. Petersburg after the coronation celebrations and became the sovereign mistress of the new palace.

First of all, Catherine removed Rastrelli from work, and Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy, the illegitimate son of Field Marshal Prince Ivan Yuryevich Trubetskoy and personal secretary of Catherine II, became the manager at the construction site. The Empress moved the 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 a library, an office, a boudoir, two bedrooms and a restroom to be equipped for herself. Under Catherine, a winter garden and the Romanov Gallery were also built in the Winter Palace. At the same time, the formation of St. George's Hall was completed. 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”).

The fourth, currently existing palace built by Elizabeth was conceived and implemented in the form of a closed quadrangle with a vast courtyard. Its facades face the Neva, towards the Admiralty and the square, in the center of which F.B. Rastrelli intended to erect an equestrian statue of Peter I.

The facades of the palace are divided into two tiers by an entablature. They 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, the abundance of stucco details, the many decorative vases and statues located above the parapet and above the numerous pediments create the decorative decoration of the building, which is exceptional in its pomp and splendor.

The southern facade is cut through by three entrance arches, which emphasizes its importance as the main one. The entrance arches lead to the front courtyard, where in the center of the northern building there was main entrance to the palace.

The main Jordan Staircase is located in the northeast corner of the building. On the second floor along the northern façade there were five large halls, the so-called “anti-chambers,” located in an enfilade, behind them was the huge Throne Hall, and in the southwestern part was the palace theater.

Despite the fact that the Winter Palace was completed in 1762, work on decorating the interior was still underway for a long time. These works were entrusted to the best Russian architects Yu. M. Felten, J. B. Ballen-Delamot and A. Rinaldi.

In the 1780-1790s, work on remodeling the interior decoration of the palace was continued by I. E. Starov and G. Quarenghi. In general, the palace was remodeled and rebuilt an incredible number of times. Each new architect tried to bring something of his own, sometimes destroying what had already been built.

Throughout the lower floor there were galleries with arches. Galleries connected all parts of the palace. The premises on the sides of the galleries were of a service nature. There were storerooms, a guardhouse, and palace employees lived here.

The state halls and living quarters of members of the imperial family were located on the second floor and were built in the Russian Baroque style - huge halls flooded with light, double rows of large windows and mirrors, lush Rococo decor. The upper floor mainly housed the apartments of the courtiers.

The palace was also subject to destruction. For example, on December 17-19, 1837, there was a strong fire that completely destroyed the beautiful decoration of the Winter Palace, of which only a charred skeleton remained. They could not put out the flames for three days; all this time, the property taken from the palace was piled up around the Alexander Column. As a result of the disaster, the interiors of Rastrelli, Quarenghi, Montferrand, and Rossi were destroyed. Restoration work began immediately and lasted two years. They were led by architects V.P. Stasov and A.P. Bryullov. According to the order of Nicholas I, the palace was to be restored the same as it was before the fire. However, not everything was so easy to do, for example, only some interiors created or restored after the fire of 1837 by A.P. Bryullov have reached us in their original form.

On February 5, 1880, Narodnaya Volya member S.N. Khalturin, with the aim of assassinating Alexander II, carried out an explosion in the Winter Palace. In this case, eight guard soldiers were killed and forty-five were wounded, but neither the emperor nor his family members were injured.

IN late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, the interior design was constantly changing and adding new elements. These, in particular, are the interiors of the chambers of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II, created according to the designs of G. A. Bosse (Red Boudoir) and V. A. Schreiber (Golden Living Room), as well as the library of Nicholas II (author A. F. Krasovsky). Among the updated interiors, the most interesting was the decoration of the Nicholas Hall, which contained a large equestrian portrait of Emperor Nicholas I by the artist F. Kruger.

For a long time, the Winter Palace was the residence of Russian emperors. After the assassination of Alexander II by terrorists, Emperor Alexander III moved his residence to Gatchina. From that moment on, only special ceremonies were held in the Winter Palace. With the accession of Nicholas II to the throne in 1894, the imperial family returned to the palace.

The most significant changes in the history of the Winter Palace occurred in 1917, along with the Bolsheviks coming to power. A lot of valuables were stolen and damaged by sailors and workers while the palace was under their control. The former chambers of Alexander III were damaged by a direct hit from a shell fired from a cannon at the Peter and Paul Fortress. Only a few days later, the Soviet government declared the Winter Palace and the Hermitage state museums and took the buildings under protection. Soon, valuable palace property and Hermitage collections were sent to Moscow and hidden in the Kremlin and in the building of the Historical Museum.

A curious story is connected with the October Revolution in the Winter Palace: after the storming of the palace, the Red Guard, who was tasked with placing guards to protect the Winter Palace, decided to familiarize himself with the placement of guards in pre-revolutionary times. He was surprised to learn that one of the posts had long been located on an unremarkable alley of the palace garden (the royal family called it “Own” and by this name the garden was known to St. Petersburg residents). An inquisitive Red Guard found out the history of this post. It turned out that once Tsarina Catherine II, going out to the Razvodnaya platform in the morning, saw a sprouted flower there. To prevent it from being trampled by soldiers and passers-by, Catherine, returning from a walk, ordered a guard to be placed at the flower. And when the flower withered, the queen forgot to cancel her order to keep the guard at this place. And since then, for about a hundred and fifty years, a guard stood at this place, although there was no longer a flower, no Queen Catherine, or even the Drawing Platform.

In 1918, part of the premises of the Winter Palace was given over to the Museum of the Revolution, which entailed the reconstruction of their interiors. The Romanov Gallery, which contained portraits of sovereigns and members of the House of Romanov, was completely liquidated. Many of the palace's chambers were occupied by a reception center for prisoners of war, a children's colony, a headquarters for organizing mass celebrations, etc. The Armorial Hall was used for theatrical performances, and the Nicholas Hall was converted into a cinema. In addition, congresses and conferences of various public organizations were repeatedly held in the halls of the palace.

When the Hermitage and palace collections returned from Moscow to Petrograd at the end of 1920, there was simply no place for many of them. As a result, hundreds of works of painting and sculpture were used to decorate the mansions and apartments of party, Soviet and military leaders, holiday homes of officials and members of their families. Since 1922, the premises of the Winter Palace began to gradually be transferred to the Hermitage.

In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, many of the Hermitage’s valuables were urgently evacuated, some of them were hidden in the basements. To prevent fires in the museum buildings, the windows were bricked or shuttered. In some rooms, the parquet floors were covered with a layer of sand.

The Winter Palace was a major target. Big number bombs and shells exploded near it, and several hit the building itself. Thus, on December 29, 1941, a shell crashed into the southern wing of the Winter Palace, overlooking the kitchen courtyard, damaging the iron rafters and roofing over an area of three hundred square meters, and destroying the fire-fighting water supply installation located in the attic. An attic vault covering an area of about six square meters was broken through. Another shell hit the podium in front of the Winter Palace and damaged the water main.

Despite the difficult conditions that existed in the besieged city, on May 4, 1942, the Leningrad City Executive Committee ordered construction trust No. 16 to carry out priority restoration work in the Hermitage, in which emergency restoration workshops took part. In the summer of 1942, the roof was covered in places where it had been damaged by shells, the formwork was partially repaired, broken skylights or iron sheets were installed, the destroyed metal rafters were replaced with temporary wooden ones, and the plumbing system was repaired.

On May 12, 1943, a bomb hit the Winter Palace building, partially destroying the roof over the St. George's Hall and metal rafter structures, and damaging the brickwork of the walls in the storeroom of the Department of the History of Russian Culture. In the summer of 1943, despite the shelling, they continued to seal the roof, ceilings, and skylights with tarred plywood. On January 2, 1944, another shell hit the Armorial Hall, severely damaging the decoration and destroying two ceilings. The shell also pierced the ceiling of the Nicholas Hall. But already in August 1944, the Soviet government decided to restore all the museum buildings. Restoration work required enormous efforts and lasted for many years. But, despite all the losses, the Winter Palace remains an outstanding monument of Baroque architecture.

Today, the Winter Palace, together with the buildings of the Small, Large and New Hermitages and the Hermitage Theater, forms a single palace complex, which has few equals in world architecture. In artistic and urban planning terms, it belongs to the highest achievements of Russian architecture. All the halls of this palace ensemble, built over many years, is occupied by the State Hermitage Museum - the largest museum in the world, with huge collections of works of art.

In the appearance of the Winter Palace, which was created, as the decree on its construction stated, “for the united glory of all Russia,” in its elegant, festive appearance, in the magnificent decoration of its facades, the artistic and compositional concept of the architect Rastrelli is revealed - a deep architectural connection with the city on the Neva, became the capital of the Russian Empire, with all the character of the surrounding urban landscape, which continues to this day.

Palace Square

Any tour of the Winter Palace begins on Palace Square. It has its own history, which is no less interesting than the history of Winter itself. The square was formed in 1754 during the construction of the Winter Palace according to the design of V. Rastrelli. An important role in its formation was played by K. I. Rossi, who in 1819-1829 created the General Staff building and the Ministry building and connected them into a single magnificent whole Arc de Triomphe. The Alexander Column took its place in the ensemble of Palace Square in 1830-1834, in honor of the victory in the War of 1812. It is noteworthy that V. Rastrelli intended to place a monument to Peter I in the center of the square. The ensemble of Palace Square is completed by the building of the Headquarters of the Guards Corps, created in 1837-1843 by the architect A. P. Bryullov.

The palace was conceived and built in the form of a closed quadrangle, with a vast courtyard. The Winter Palace is quite large and stands out clearly from the surrounding houses.

Countless white columns either gather in groups (especially picturesque and expressive at the corners of the building), then thin out and part, revealing windows framed by platbands with lion masks and cupids' heads. There are dozens of decorative vases and statues on the balustrade. The corners of the building are bordered by columns and pilasters.

Each facade of the Winter Palace is made in its own way. The northern facade, facing the Neva, stretches like a more or less even wall, without noticeable protrusions. The southern façade, facing Palace Square and having seven divisions, is the main one. Its center is cut through by three entrance arches. Is there a front yard behind them? where in the middle of the northern building there used to be the main entrance to the palace. Of the side facades, the most interesting is the western one, facing the Admiralty and the square on which Rastrelli intended to place the equestrian statue of Peter I cast by his father. Each casing decorating the palace is unique. This is due to the fact that the mass, consisting of a mixture of crushed bricks and lime mortar, was cut and processed by hand. All stucco decorations on the facades were made on site.

The Winter Palace was always painted in bright colors. The original coloring of the palace was pink and yellow, as illustrated by drawings from the 18th - first quarter of the 19th centuries.

Of the interior spaces of the palace created by Rastrelli, the Jordan Staircase and part of the Great Church have retained their Baroque appearance. The main staircase is located in the northeast corner of the building. You can see on it various parts decor - columns, mirrors, statues, intricate gilded stucco, a huge lampshade created by Italian painters. The staircase, divided into two ceremonial flights, led to the main, Northern enfilade, which consisted of five large halls, behind which in the northwestern risalit there was a huge Throne Hall, and in the southwestern part - the palace Theater.

The Great Church, located in the southeast corner of the building, also deserves special attention. Initially, the church was consecrated in honor of the Resurrection of Christ (1762) and secondly in the name of the Savior, the Image Not Made by Hands (1763). Its walls are decorated with stucco - an elegant floral design. The three-tier iconostasis is decorated with icons and picturesque panels depicting biblical scenes. The Evangelists on the ceiling vaults were later painted by F.A. Bruni. Now nothing reminds of the former purpose of the church hall, destroyed in the 1920s, except for the golden dome and the large picturesque ceiling by F. Fontebasso, depicting the Resurrection of Christ.

White Hall

It was created by A.P. Bryullov on the site of a number of premises that had three semicircular windows along the facade in the center, and three rectangular windows on the sides. This circumstance gave the architect the idea of dividing the room into three compartments and highlighting the middle one with particularly luxurious treatment. The hall is separated from the side parts by arches on projecting pylons, decorated with pilasters, and the central window and the opposite door are emphasized by Corinthian columns, above which are placed four statues - female figures personifying the arts. The hall is covered with semi-circular vaults. The wall opposite the central windows is designed with an arcature and above each semicircle there are pairs of bas-relief figures of Juno and Jupiter, Diana and Apollo, Ceres and Mercury and other deities of Olympus.

The vault and all parts of the ceiling above the cornice are decorated with caissons and stucco molding in the same late-classical style, rich in decorative elements.

The side compartments are decorated in the spirit of the Italian Renaissance. Here, under the common crowning cornice, a second smaller order with Tuscan pilasters, covered with small moldings with grotesque ornaments, is introduced. Above the pilasters there is a wide frieze with figures of children engaged in music and dancing, hunting and fishing, harvesting and winemaking, or playing at sailing and war. This combination of architectural elements of different scales and overloading the hall with ornaments are characteristic of the classicism of the 1830s, but the white color gives the hall integrity.

St. George's Hall and Military Gallery

Experts call the St. George, or Great Throne Hall, created according to Quarenghi’s design, the most perfect interior. In order to create the St. George's Hall, a special building had to be added to the center of the eastern facade of the palace. In the design of this room, which enriched front suite, colored marble and gilded bronze were used. At the end of it, on a dais, there used to be a large throne made by the master P. Azhi. Other famous architects also took part in the design of the palace interiors. In 1826, according to the design of K.I. Rossi, a Military Gallery was built in front of St. George's Hall.

The military gallery is a kind of monument to the heroic military past of the Russian people. It contains 332 portraits of generals, participants in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the foreign campaign of 1813-1814. The portraits were painted by the famous English artist J. Dow with the participation of Russian painters A.V. Polyakov and V.A. Golike. Most of the portraits were made from life, but since in 1819, when the work began, many were no longer alive, some portraits were painted from earlier, surviving images. The gallery occupies a place of honor in the palace and is directly adjacent to the St. George's Hall. The architect K. I. Rossi, who built it, destroyed the six small rooms that previously existed here. The gallery was illuminated through glazed openings in the vaults supported by arches. The arches rested on groups of double columns that stood against the longitudinal walls. Portraits were arranged in five rows on the walls in simple gilded frames. On one of the end walls, under a canopy, was placed an equestrian portrait of Alexander I by J. Doe. After the fire of 1837, it was replaced by the same portrait by F. Kruger, it is his painting that is in the hall today, on its sides there is an image of the Prussian King Frederick William III, also painted by Kruger, and a portrait of the Austrian Emperor Franz I by P. Kraft. If you look at the door leading to the St. George's Hall, then on its sides you can see portraits of Field Marshals M.I. Kutuzov and M.B. Barclay de Tolly by Doe.

In the 1830s, A. S. Pushkin often visited the gallery. He immortalized it in the poem “Commander,” dedicated to Barclay de Tolly:

The Russian Tsar has a chamber in his palace:
She is not rich in gold or velvet;
But from top to bottom, all the way around,
With your brush free and wide
It was painted by a quick-eyed artist.
There are no rural nymphs or virgin Madonnas here,
No fauns with cups, no full-breasted wives,
No dancing, no hunting, but all cloaks and swords,
Yes, faces full of military courage.
The artist placed the crowd in a crowd
Here are the leaders of our people's forces,
Covered with the glory of a wonderful campaign
AND eternal memory twelfth year.

The fire of 1837 did not spare the gallery, however, fortunately, all the portraits were carried out by soldiers of the guards regiments.

V.P. Stasov, who restored the gallery, basically retained its former character: he repeated the treatment of the walls with double Corinthian columns, left the same arrangement of portraits, and retained the color scheme. But some details of the hall's composition were changed. Stasov extended the gallery by 12 meters. A balcony was placed above the wide crowning cornice for passage to the choirs of adjacent halls, for which purpose arches resting on columns were eliminated, rhythmically breaking the too long vault into parts.

After the Great Patriotic War, the gallery was restored, and four additional portraits of palace grenadiers, veterans who served in the campaign of 1812-1814 as ordinary soldiers, were placed in it. These works were also carried out by J. Doe.

Petrovsky Hall

Peter's Hall is also known as the Small Throne Room. Decorated with particular splendor in the spirit of late classicism, it was created in 1833 by the architect A. A. Montferrand. After the fire, the hall was restored by V.P. Stasov, and its original appearance was preserved almost unchanged. The main difference in later finishing is related to the treatment of the walls. Previously, the panels on the side walls were divided by one pilaster, now there are two of them. There was no border around each panel, a large double-headed eagle in the center, and on the upholstery of scarlet velvet, bronze gilded double-headed eagles of the same size were fixed in diagonal directions.

The hall is dedicated to the memory of Peter I. Crossed Latin monograms of Peter, double-headed eagles and crowns are included in the motifs of the stucco ornament of the capitals of columns and pilasters, the frieze on the walls, in the ceiling painting and decoration of the entire hall. On two walls there are images of the Battle of Poltava and the Battle of Lesnaya, in the center of the compositions is the figure of Peter I (artists - B. Medici and P. Scotti).

It might be useful to read: