What material is the winter palace built from? History of the Winter Palace. Reference

Saint Petersburg - northern city, he is used to surprising with his luxury, ambition and originality. 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 is distinguished 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 story and the secrets with which he never ceases to amaze his 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.

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 glory of the All-Russian Empire and, due to the circumstances, 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 large area, 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 order; 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 was main 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 already in Soviet time- 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.

Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. Historic building in the Elizabethan Baroque style with French Rococo elements, former imperial palace, built according to the design of B.F. Rastrelli in 1754-1762. Since 1920, the building has been part of the main museum complex of the State Hermitage.

Before 1762, five Winter Palaces were built in St. Petersburg, including the current version. The first palace was built in 1712, the second in 1720, the third in 1735, and the penultimate fourth in 1755. From the moment of its construction until 1904, the last Winter Palace was used as the official winter residence of the Russian emperors. After the 1917 revolution, the Provisional Government met in the palace. Since 1920, the building began to be used as a museum.

The palace building has the shape of a square of 4 wings, which are located around the Great Courtyard, and with their facades facing the Neva, the Admiralty and Palace Square.

The magnificent and magnificent appearance of the Winter Palace was supposed to demonstrate the status of the new city on the Neva as the capital of the Russian Empire. This was achieved by installing special two-level columns on the facades of the building, as well as with the help of sculptures and vases located above the cornice along the entire perimeter of the palace.

B. F. Rastrelli did not have time to personally finish the work on the interior decoration of the halls, since he was removed by Catherine II; the interiors of the palace were completed by Y. M. Felten, J. B. Vallin-Delamot and A. Rinaldi. The most famous rooms of the palace are the Jordan Gallery, Jordan Staircase, Field Marshal's Hall, Peter's (Small Throne) Hall, Armorial Hall, Military Gallery of 1812, St. George's (Grand Throne) Hall, Great Church, Picket (New) Hall, Alexander Hall, October staircase, White hall, Golden living room, Crimson office, Boudoir, Blue bedroom, Antechamber, Large (Nikolaevsky) antechamber, Concert hall, Malachite living room, Small (White) dining room.

In 1837, there was a fire in the Winter Palace that lasted for 3 whole days, and the restoration of the building after which took about 2 years.

In 1844, Emperor Nicholas I signed a decree prohibiting the construction of civil buildings higher than the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. The ban was in effect until 1905.

During the First World War, in 1915, the palace housed a military hospital named after Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich.

The storming of the Winter Palace, or rather its encirclement and arrest of members of the Provisional Government, became the main event of the October Revolution of 1917, which brought the Bolsheviks to power.

During the Great Patriotic War, 12 bomb shelters were equipped in the basements of the palace, designed for 2,000 people. During the war years, the palace building was hit by 17 artillery shells and 2 aerial bombs. But already in November 1944, the Winter Palace was partially open to the public, although its complete restoration took several years.

The interiors of the palace are often used for filming feature films, and are also modeled in animated films and computer games.

Almost 50 cats live in the palace, descending from the Dutch cat of Peter I. Their main role is to protect the Winter Palace from mice. There is even a special fund for friends of Hermitage cats, and museum staff organize special parties for them.

The three-story building of the Winter Palace has 1084 rooms, 1945 windows and 117 staircases. The length of the facade on the Neva side is 137 meters, on the Admiralty side - 106 meters, the height of the palace is 23.5 meters, the total area is 46,516 square meters.

The Winter Palace is included in the Unified State Register of Objects cultural heritage(historical and cultural monuments) of Russia and to the list World Heritage UNESCO as part of the historical center of the city.

Note to tourists:

A visit to the Winter Palace will be interesting for tourists interested in the architecture of the second half of the 18th century, for everyone who wants to see the exhibitions housed in the palace, and can also become one of the points excursion program while exploring neighboring attractions included in the architectural ensemble

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 five Winter Palaces in total 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 ceremonial 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

The history of the Winter Palace begins with the reign of Peter I.

The very first, then still Winter House, was built for Peter I in 1711 on the banks of the Neva. The first Winter Palace was two-story, with a tiled roof and a high porch. In 1719-1721, the architect Georg Mattornovi built a new palace for Peter I.

Empress Anna Ioannovna considered the Winter Palace too small and did not want to live in it. She entrusted the construction of the new Winter Palace to the architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. For new construction, the houses of Count Apraksin, Raguzinsky and Chernyshev, located on the embankment of the Neva River, as well as the building of the Maritime Academy were purchased. They were demolished, and in their place by 1735 a new Winter Palace was built. At the end of the 18th century, the Hermitage Theater was erected on the site of the old palace.

In the summer of 1754, Elizaveta Petrovna issued a personal decree to begin construction of the palace. The required amount - about 900 thousand rubles - was taken from the "tavern" money (collection from the drinking trade). The previous palace was dismantled. During construction, the yard moved to a temporary wooden palace, built by Rastrelli on the corner of Nevsky and Moika.

The palace was distinguished by its incredible size for those times, lavish exterior decoration and luxurious interior decoration.

The Winter Palace is a three-story building, rectangular in plan, with a huge front courtyard inside. The main facades of the palace face the embankment and the square that was formed later.

When creating the Winter Palace, Rastrelli designed each facade differently, based on specific conditions. The northern facade, facing the Neva, stretches like a more or less even wall, without noticeable protrusions. From the river side, it is perceived as an endless two-tiered colonnade. The southern façade, facing Palace Square and having seven divisions, is the main one. Its center is highlighted by a wide, lavishly decorated risalit, cut through by three entrance arches. Behind them is the front courtyard, where in the middle of the northern building there was the main entrance to the palace.

Along the perimeter of the palace roof there is a balustrade with vases and statues (the original stone ones were replaced by a brass knockout in 1892-1894).

The length of the palace (along the Neva) is 210 meters, width - 175 meters, height - 22 meters. total area The palace is 60 thousand square meters, it has more than 1000 halls, 117 different staircases.

The palace had two chains of state halls: along the Neva and in the center of the building. In addition to the state rooms, on the second floor there were living quarters for members of the imperial family. The first floor was occupied by utility and service premises. The upper floor mainly housed the apartments of the courtiers.

About four thousand employees lived here, there was even its own army - palace grenadiers and guards from the guards regiments. The palace had two churches, a theater, a museum, a library, a garden, an office, and a pharmacy. The halls of the palace were decorated with gilded carvings, luxurious mirrors, chandeliers, candelabra, and patterned parquet flooring.

Under Catherine II, a winter garden was organized in the Palace, where both northern and plants brought from the south grew, and the Romanov Gallery; At the same time, the formation of St. George's Hall was completed. Under Nicholas I, a gallery of 1812 was organized, where 332 portraits of participants in the Patriotic War were placed. The architect Auguste Montferrand added the Peter and Field Marshal halls to the palace.

In 1837, there was a fire in the Winter Palace. Many things were saved, but the building itself was badly damaged. But thanks to the architects Vasily Stasov and Alexander Bryullov, the building was restored within two years.

In 1869, gas lighting appeared in the palace instead of candlelight. Since 1882, the installation of telephones in premises began. In the 1880s, a water supply system was built in the Winter Palace. At Christmas 1884-1885, electric lighting was tested in the halls of the Winter Palace; from 1888, gas lighting was gradually replaced by electric lighting. For this purpose, a power plant was built in the second hall of the Hermitage, which for 15 years was the largest in Europe.

In 1904, Emperor Nicholas II moved from the Winter Palace to the Tsarskoye Selo Alexander Palace. The Winter Palace became the place for ceremonial receptions, state dinners, and the place where the Tsar stayed during short visits to the city.

Throughout the history of the Winter Palace as an imperial residence, its interiors were remodeled in accordance with fashion trends. The building itself changed the color of its walls several times. The Winter Palace was painted red, pink, and yellow. Before the First World War, the palace was painted red brick.

During the First World War, there was an infirmary in the building of the Winter Palace. After the February Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government worked in the Winter Palace. In the post-revolutionary years, various departments and institutions were located in the Winter Palace building. In 1922, part of the building was transferred to the Hermitage Museum.

In 1925 - 1926, the building was rebuilt again, this time for the needs of the museum.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Winter Palace suffered from air raids and artillery shelling. In the basements of the palace there was a dispensary for scientists and cultural figures who suffered from dystrophy. In 1945-1946, restoration work was carried out, at which time the entire Winter Palace became part of the Hermitage.

Currently, the Winter Palace, together with the Hermitage Theater, the Small, New and Large Hermitages, forms a single museum complex"State Hermitage".

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