History of the Winter Palace for children. Winter Palace. Neva parade enfilade

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. First Winter Palace It was two stories high, 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.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna also wished to remodel the imperial residence to her taste. The construction of the new palace was entrusted to the architect Rastrelli. The design of the Winter Palace created by the architect was signed by Elizaveta Petrovna on June 16, 1754.

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 brought from the south plants grew, 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 Theatre, the Small, New and Large Hermitages, forms a single museum complex, the State Hermitage.

The Winter Palace is a legendary building that previously served as the home of Russian rulers. The Winter Palace was built in St. Petersburg in the mid-18th century. The main collection of the historical State Hermitage was placed in the palace premises in the 20th century.

The building of the 1.5th century served as the official winter residence for state monarchs, only during the reign of Nicholas II the emperor moved it to the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo.

The Winter Palace and Palace Square are beautifully combined in architectural ensemble and are a decoration of St. Petersburg. Every year, thousands of travelers from all over the world visit the historical building.

History of the palace

During the 18th century, 5 Winter Palaces were erected on this site.

1. Wedding chambers of Peter the Great

At the beginning of the 18th century, wedding chambers were built for Peter I. The head of the city presented this building to the Tsar in honor of the wedding.

2. Winter Palace of Peter I

The Tsar gave the order for the construction of the new Winter Palace to the architect Georg Mattarnovi in ​​1716. During construction, the building had to be moved 50 meters to the river Palace Embankment. The emperor settled in the building four years later, and died in 1725.

3. Winter Palace of Anna Ioannovna

The status of the capital was returned to St. Petersburg by Empress Anna Ioannovna. She decides to settle in the Winter Palace and gives it the status of an official residence. However, the design did not meet the needs of the empress, and she ordered the building to be re-equipped. F.B. Rastrelli took over the construction in 1731.

The Empress moved to a new building on permanent residence after 4 years. The building consisted of four floors, on which there were about 70 state rooms, about one hundred bedrooms, service and guard rooms, and its own theater.

Elizaveta Petrovna sits on the throne after the death of Anna Ioannovna. She wants an even more luxurious design than her predecessor and orders the rooms adjacent to the Light Gallery to be separated from the south.

In the mid-18th century, the Empress instructed F.B. Rastrelli to expand the building. The architect builds new premises in unison with the existing one. A year after this, the Empress orders the building to be increased in height. Rastrelli has to transform his drawings, and he advises the empress to build a building in another space in the city. But she refuses to move the building. This led to the fact that in 1754 an order was signed to erect a palace building on the previous site.

4. Fourth (temporary) Winter Palace

It was created by Rastrelli in 1755. Seven years later the building was dismantled.

5. Fifth (existing) Winter Palace

The current Winter Palace was built from 1754 to 1762. The ruler removes the architect Rastrelli from his post, and other architects, led by Betsky, are engaged in construction. The building contained more than 1,500 rooms. The Empress died before construction was completed. The building was commissioned already by Peter III. The construction cost more than 2.6 million rubles.

Within the walls of the palace, Catherine II orders a room to be built for her lover Count Orlov.

The Empress from Germany was given more than 300 expensive paintings to pay off her debt to Prince V.D. Dolgorukov. These paintings became the source of the Hermitage collection.

In 1783, the Empress issues a decree on the destruction of the palace theater.

The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg has seen many incidents since those times. It survived a terrible fire, as a result of which the entire interior and statues on the roof of the building had to be restored. Saw the assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander II. It became the venue for chic costume balls. It housed a hospital and the Provisional Government. Survived a difficult assault during the revolutionary years. Center cultural heritage St. Petersburg was located in the palace. During the difficult years of the Second World War it served as a bomb shelter for more than two thousand citizens. The building was greatly damaged by military bombing - restoration of the structure lasted many decades after the war.

Today, the Winter Palace is a luxurious structure and has a rectangular configuration with sides 137 by 106 meters. The height of the building is 23.5 meters. The palace is perfectly located on the territory of the city, and gives it an artistic and compositional flavor.

Tourism

Currently, the Winter Palace of St. Petersburg serves as a historical, cultural and artistic building. Every year more than 500 thousand foreigners and about 2 million Russians come to admire its beauty.

Palace in art

The Winter Palace played no small role in art. His greatness is revealed in the films “Russian Ark”, “Rasputin”, “October”, etc. In the legendary strategy “Red Alert 3” one of the episodes must be performed in a simulated Winter Palace.

Curious trivia about the St. Petersburg Winter Palace

  1. More than 50 cats live within the walls of the State Hermitage. Their mission was laid down by Peter I, when he brought a cat from Europe to catch rodents in the Winter Palace, and the emperor’s daughter acquired 30 more mousecatchers. A unique reserve has been created for the Hermitage cats Money. Every year, a festive feast with all kinds of cat treats is organized for the cats. The holiday takes place on April 1 and is called March Cat Day.
  2. Nicholas I issued an interesting state decree, which stated that the maximum height of residential buildings in the city should not exceed 11 fathoms (23.47 m). This led to the fact that the Winter Palace was taller than private houses, although the decree said nothing about it.

This grandiose building, located in St. Petersburg, like all the architectural creations of the city, is distinguished by its sophistication combined with pomp and pomp. Winter Palace St. Petersburg serves as a center for art and tourism Russian Federation, its great attraction. This building has a centuries-old mysterious story, shrouded in legends and myths. The splendor of the palace enchants and makes you travel back to the distant times of emperors, balls and social life of that time. Architectural solutions, used during construction, amaze with their magnificence. The design went through a number of changes, it was reincarnated several times and came to its final form in our time. This creation is located on Palace Square, uniting with it into a single whole and recreating a grandiose landscape.

Winter Palace: description of the building

The style in which the building is made is Elizabethan Baroque. Since Soviet times, this room has housed the main exhibition of the State Hermitage. Throughout its history, the Winter Palace has been the residence of Russian emperors.

Many tourists took photos of the winter palace as a souvenir. This extraordinary beauty mesmerizing. The palace is gorgeous both outside and inside. More on this later.

History of the Grand Palace

Back in 1712, during the reign of Peter I, land It was forbidden to give it to ordinary people. Such land zones were intended for upper-class sailors. Peter took this plot for himself.

At first, a wooden, ordinary house was built. Closer to the cold weather, a ditch was dug in front of the front of the house, which was called the Winter. This is where the name of the palace later came from.

Over the years, Peter appointed many famous architects to work on the reconstruction and improvement of the house. So, from a wooden one it turned into a stone palace.

In 1735, the eminent architect Francesco Rastrelli got down to business. He suggested that Anna Ioanovna, who was in power, buy nearby plots of land with houses and carry out a total reconstruction. This is how the current Winter Palace was built, which after some time acquired a slightly different appearance.

With the coming to power of Elizabeth Petrovna, the Winter Palace became different, the one that contemporaries can see. In her opinion, the palace did not meet the requirements necessary for the residence of the empress. Rastrelli created a new project.

The great architect made his creation truly magnificent in a short period of time. The best craftsmen and 4 thousand workers were involved. Francesco Rastrelli individually worked out every detail of the palace, which were not similar to each other.

Palace architecture

The architecture of the Winter Palace is striking in its versatility. The height of the building is emphasized by two-tier columns. The Baroque style itself is an example of pomp and richness.

This building has 3 floors, a courtyard, and a square plan consisting of 4 wings. The facades of the palace face the Neva River, Palace Square and the Admiralty.

The facades are decorated very elegantly, the main one is cut through by an arch. Solemnity and splendor are created by Rastrelli’s unusual architectural solutions: projections of risalits, uneven distribution of columns, varied layout of facades, accents on the stepped corners of the building.

The Winter Palace consists of 1084 different rooms with a total of 1945 windows. There are 117 staircases. For world practice of that time, this building was unusual in that it was constructed using great amount metal

The color scheme of the palace is such that it corresponds to sandy shades. This move was conceived by the architect Rastrelli. Local authorities, after all sorts of color choices, came to the conclusion that it was necessary to recreate the color scheme that was thought out and executed by Rastrelli.

Winter Palace from the inside

Unfortunately, that original splendor created by the great architect, in modern times No. The reason for this was a fire in 1837. Only load-bearing walls and semi-columns on the ground floor could be preserved, in contrast to the decoration of all the halls.

The Winter Palace has the following halls:

  • Field Marshals' Hall (it is decorated with portraits of 6 field marshals; according to tradition, the 7th niche is empty);
  • Jordan Gallery (made in the Russian Baroque style, named after the religious procession from the Great Church of the Winter Palace through this room);
  • Petrovsky/Small Throne Hall (dedicated to the memory of Peter I);
  • The Armorial Hall (after a fire, it was restored by V.P. Stasov in the style of Russian late classicism, it was intended for receiving gentlemen, it has the coats of arms of Russian provinces);
  • St. George/Great Throne Hall (located is the white marble bas-relief “St. George the Victorious Slaying the Dragon”);
  • Military gallery (dedicated to the war with Napoleon and the victory over him);
  • Picket/New Hall (dedicated to the history of the Russian army);
  • Large church (a belfry with 5 bells was built, made in the Baroque style);
  • Chambers of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (consist of the Golden Living Room, Dance Hall, Blue Bedroom, Boudoir, Crimson Study);
  • Alexander Hall (currently houses a collection of silver of Western European origin);
  • Antechambers of the Neva Front Enfilade (consists of a concert hall, Antechamber, Nikolaevsky Hall);
  • White dining room (features a variety of interiors, designed in the Rococo style);
  • Malachite living room (125 pounds of malachite were used for decoration, the entire living room is framed in it).

Conclusion

The Winter Palace has always been and will be a symbol of the greatness of the Russian state. This is an unshakable leader among world-class tourist sites. For the sake of such historical beauty, many stunned tourists put the Winter Palace with its enchanting summer garden , broken on the banks of the Neva.

There is probably no person in our vast country who is absolutely unaware of the Winter Palace in the city of St. Petersburg; quite a few facts are associated with it that change the course of our history. The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg was built in the mid-eighteenth century especially for Empress Elizabeth Petrovna according to the skillful design of the famous Italian architect Rastrelli in the lush Rococo style. Upon completion, the palace complex consisted of a thousand rooms, 117 magnificent staircases and almost two thousand windows and doors. From the moment of its construction, the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg became the main imperial residence until the well-known events of the bloody revolution of the 17th year.

Brief description of the Winter Palace

Throughout this time, several buildings were added to the Palace: the Small Hermitage, the Old and New Hermitage, and the Hermitage Theater. IN given time The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is part of the famous museum complex State Hermitage. The architectural monument is a magnificent three-story rectangular building on Palace Square. The dimensions of the palace are amazing: the length is 210 meters, the width is 175 meters. The appearance of the Winter Palace is probably familiar to many people from numerous images: the luxurious central gate with cast-iron bars and the side main entrances.

Halls of the Winter Palace

The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg delights with its decoration: a roof decorated with ancient gods and magnificent vases, elegant sculptures of Neptune and Amphitrite, majestic snow-white columns at the entrance. Inside, the Grand Throne and Concert halls, Malachite living room and many other rooms. And the State Hermitage, located in the vast expanses of the Palace, is the largest and richest museum in the world, which has a rare collection of paintings and antiquities.

The Winter Palace on Palace Square in St. Petersburg is the main attraction northern capital, from 1762 to 1904 served as the official winter residence of the Russian emperors. The palace has no equal in St. Petersburg in terms of the richness and variety of architectural and sculptural decoration.


To get around all the exhibits in the Hermitage, you will need to spend 11 years of your life and walk 22 kilometers. All St. Petersburg residents know well: in the main museum of the city on the first floor there is the Egyptian Hall, on the third floor there are the Impressionists. City guests are also aware.

How will we surprise you? You can try with facts:

№1. The Hermitage is huge... Like the territory of a huge country ruled by a tsar, the autocrat of all Rus', right from the walls of this luxurious palace. 1057 rooms, 117 staircases, 1945 windows. Total length The main cornice bordering the building is almost 2 km.

№2. The total number of sculptures installed on the Winter Palace parapet is 176 pieces. You can count the number of vases yourself.

№3. The main palace of the Russian Empire was built by more than 4,000 masons and plasterers, marble makers and stucco makers, parquet floorers and painters. Receiving an insignificant payment for their work, they huddled in miserable shacks, many lived here, on the square, in huts.

№4. From 1754 to 1762, construction of the palace building took place, which at that time became the tallest residential building in St. Petersburg. For a long time... Empress Elizaveta Petrovna died without settling into the new mansions. Peter III accepted 60,000 square meters of new housing.

№5. After the completion of the Winter Palace, the entire area in front of it was littered with construction debris. Emperor Peter III decided to get rid of it in an original way - he ordered it to be announced to the people that anyone could take anything they wanted from the square, for free. After a few hours, all the debris was cleared.

№6. The garbage was removed - a new problem. In 1837 the palace burned down. The entire imperial family was left homeless. However, 6,000 unknown workers saved the situation, working day and night, and within 15 months the palace was completely restored. True, the price of a labor feat is several hundred ordinary workers...

№7. The Winter Palace was constantly repainted in different colors. It was both red and pink. It acquired its original pale green color in 1946.

№8. The Winter Palace is an absolutely monumental building. It was intended to reflect the power and greatness of the Russian Empire. It is estimated that there are 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows and 117 staircases. The length of the main facade is 150 meters and the height is 30.








 

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