Winter Palace Year of creation. Tsarist Palaces

In Petersburg ? This question is often asked tourists for the first time in the northern capital of Russia. And what kind of winter palace? Of that which is located now on the corner of the Palace Embankment and Admiralty pass? Or one of those winter palaces that historically preceded this construction? Let's deal with and try to find answers to all these questions.

Wedding chambers

The very first winter palace belonged to Peter I, but in the overall numbering of all winter palaces he is not mentioned. Palace was located on the Admiralty Island and was wooden. Its appearance is not preserved even on ancient engravings of Alexei Zubov - the very first Russian master who captured the original St. Petersburg in his works.

In 1711, in the same place for Peter I, Domenico Trezini instead of a wooden built the first stone Winter Palace. He unfolded his facade along the docks, now called the winter groove. The construction of this palace became necessary due to the marriage of the king on March of the Spavronskaya - the future Empress Catherine I.

Second Winter Palace

Peter I was not very comfortable to live with the family in the same house, given the rhythm of the imperial life. In addition, the monarch preferred to work in silence. In this regard, in 1716, the new project of the Palace for the emperor developed Georg Mattarov, but after his death, architects changed the ideas several times, they presented.

Peter I instructed the construction of winter chambers to French architect Jean Batistu Leblon, who arrived in St. Petersburg to hire a stone winter chambers near the wedding, here on the shore of the winter groove, but closer to the Neva. The new Stone Palace was turned the facade to the Neva - the main prospect of the city. However, the results of Leblon's work for some reason did not satisfy Peter I, so the restructuring of the palace and the completion of works on its creation again lay on the shoulders of Domenico Tresini.

Third Winter Palace

Palace, rebuilt for Peter I Trozini, is considered to be the third. The main work on construction covers the period from 1718 to 1719. At the same time, the Palace of Trezini became much larger than the initially ordinary Mattarov, but included as one of the new buildings what was developed by the predecessor. This part has become the Western Corps of the Second Winter Palace, and the Triumphal Arch joined it with a similar East Corps. The arch had three spans and was decorated with sculptures, allegorically represented by the victory of the Russian army in the Northern War with Sweden.

Fourth Winter Palace

This palace is already related to Empress Anne Ioannovna. He was erected by her decree also on the Admiralty Island, only below for the flow of the Neva and not from scratch. It was built on the site of the mansion of General Apraksin. Architect winter Anna Palace, John, became a young Italian master Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, then just started his career.

After the construction of this building, the previous winter palace began to be used as a household building. During the reign of Catherine II on its foundations and the remains of the facades, Jacomo Kurengy will build a building of the Hermitage Theater.

After climbing the throne Elizabeth Petrovna Rastrelli - architect created by the Winter Palace, Repeatedly expanded the building: created the interiors of the raspberry and amber cabinets, attached an additional two-storey body from the admiralty, chapel, soap and other rooms.

Fifth Temporary Winter Palace

Elizaveta Petrovna did not want to live in a modest, according to her reason, the Palace of the predecessor. Pupil for the French throne, no longer young Elizabeth preferred luxury and grace, refinement and sophistication in everything. She decides to rebuild the Winter Palace of Anna John and instructs this work to his court architect - the same F. B. Rastrelli. But where to stay during the construction of the Imperial Yard?

To solve this problem, Rastrelli builds a wooden palace for Empress, which occupied a considerable territory for the time: between the washing, Nevsky Prospect and the currently small marine street.

It is in this Palace of Elizabeth and held all his subsequent years in fun, masquerades and balas. It is assumed that it was in the temporary winter palace for the first time she met with the Yaroslavl Theater Fedor Volkov, who then became the basis for creating a Russian professional theater in 1756.

Interestingly, at the same time, when the sixth winter palace was built, and Elizabeth lived in a temporary palace, another palace building was erected on the other side of the sink, intended for Stroganov Barons. There is information that Elizabeth was roaringly followed the construction of the Stroganov Palace. After all architect of the Winter Palace - Author and the Stroganovsky mansion on the sink waterfront.

Sixth Winter Palace

Meanwhile, they grew up the sixth winter palace on the usual place for us. Only now he was built a lot longer than Stroganovsky. And on the irony of the fate of Elizabeth Petrovna, he did not have time to enter it and did not have time, the Empress died. The first owner was the emperor Peter III, who moved to a unfinished building. Also, the entire area in front of the palace was littered with construction trash, and the monarch had already planned to receive ambassadors. You will not refuse the resourcefulness to the emperor: he ordered to declare to the entire Petersburg, which gives everything he climbs the square, for free. And the area in one day was cleared.

The Elizabetan Winter Palace shone the reflected light of the European Baroque and became one of the pearls of the northern capital. Architect of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg Created a unique construction in the style of mature Russian baroque. He successfully used the achievements of European architecture in combination with the peculiarities of the life of the Russian aristocracy and the climatic conditions of St. Petersburg.

Winter Palace of Architect Rastrelli - One of the most impressive buildings of the city in size, since the length of his facades reaches two hundred meters, by the number of rooms, which is one thousand fifty-seven, on the richness of the decor.

Italian maestro

Name of the architect of the Winter Palace In St. Petersburg, it is known even to young children. And what do we know about this man?

Italian by origin, originally from Florence. Together with the Father, the sculptor Bartolomeo Carlo, Rastrelli got to France, where his father tripled him to serve to Louis XIV. When the king died, the Rastrelli family remained without livelihood. With work in Europe, then it was bad, and Bartolomeo Carlo grabbed the opportunity proposed by Russia - went to build a young Russian city under the contract.

The Rastrelli family came to the city at the Neva in 1716 for a period of three years of service at the court. Francesco helped his father in the work on the construction projects of the Strelninsky Palace and the decoration of the mansions of Shafirov and Apraksin. The first individual work of young dating was the Palace of Cantemir. Then followed the playpen for the Biron between the Nevsky Prospect, washing and the current large maritime street, the summer and winter palaces in St. Petersburg, the palaces in the biron residences.

In 1738, Rastrelli received the position of Ober-architect. After the arrest of Biron in 1740, the architect designed mansions for the German minister of mini and regent with a small emperor John Antonovich - his mother Anna Leopoldovna. After the coup of 1741, Elizabeth, who came to power, abolishes the county title of Rastrelli. He fell into opal, but did not despair because he knew: none of the other architects are not able to please the Frenchwoman. Soon he is again invited to the yard and entrust the construction of the most important objects in the state - the imperial palaces.

Winter Palace as a historical and cultural monument

The architect of the Winter Palace made this building the highest at the time building in the city. In the plan, the construction has a form of a closed quadrilateral with the inner yard of the quadrangular shape and four facades that do not repeat in their form and the decor of each other.

The general in the design of the facades is dividing by the eaves to horizontal parts. Footage on the facades there are columns and pilasters, which alternate with each other, creating a complex rhythmic base: single, dual, beams. Openwork forged lattices decorate entry into the territory of the courtyard. The root in the rhythm of the columns is a huge number of sculptures and VAZ. Sculptures are made in the drawings of the Rastrelli Boomkin himself. In some sources, you can meet information that they are hollow, in other - cut out from Pudozhsky stone. A huge amount of gilding, stucco, castle stones over the windows, the dome of the Palace Church, the frontones and attics make the appearance of the palace unforgettable and elegant, even a little fabulous.

The largest palace construction of St. Petersburg is the Winter Palace. Large size and magnificent finish make it possible to attribute the Winter Palace to the most bright monuments of the St. Petersburg Baroque. "The Winter Palace as a building, as a royal dwelling, may not have anything like this in the whole. His hope, his architecturally depicts the powerful people, so recently entered on Wednesday of the nations formed, and the internal magnificence reminds of the inexhaustible life, which boils in the inside of Russia ... The Winter Palace for us is the representative of the entire domestic, Russian, our "," He wrote about the Winter Palace V.A. Zhukovsky.

History of the Winter Palace

Bartholomew Varfolomeevich (Bartolomeo Francesca) Rastrelli (1700-1771) is the largest representative of the Russian Baroque. By origin. In 1716 came with his father to St. Petersburg. He studied abroad. In 1730-1760, he was appointed court architect. His bids include the Cathedral of the Smolny Monastery, the Grand Palace in Peterhof (now Petrodvorets), a large Ekaterininsky Palace in the Tsarist village, Palace Strogonov, Palace Vorontsov and, of course, the Winter Palace.

The Winter Palace was built at once with the goal that it would be the main residence of the kings. The palace was built "for the unified Glory of the All-Russian", emphasized Rastrelli. While the palace was erected, the royal court was located in the temporary wooden palace, built by Rastrelli in 1755 at the corner of the Nevsky Prospect and the embankment of washing. In 1754, the project of the Palace was approved. Its construction continued to eight long years, which fell at the sunset of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna and the short-term Board of Peter III. In the autumn of 1763, Catherine II returns after coronation celebrations from Moscow to St. Petersburg and becomes a full-awake mistress of the new palace.

At first, the Winter Palace was built as a small two-storey house, covered with tiles, with two protrusions along the edges and central entrance. But later another floor was completed.

The construction of the Winter Palace required a huge money and a huge number of workers. About 4 thousand people worked on this construction site. The best masters from all over the country were collected here.

Construction ended in 1762, but for a long time there were still work on finishing the internal interior. The interior decoration was charged with the best Russian architects Yu. M. Felten, J. B. Wallen-Demolov and A. Rinaldi.

In the 1780-1790s, I. E. Starov and J. Roserengi continued to rework the internal decoration of the palace. In general, the palace dismantled the incredible number and rebuilt. Each new architect tried to bring something his own, sometimes destroying already built.

The gallery with arches passed throughout the bottom floor. Gallery joined all parts of the palace. Premises on the sides of the galleries were official. Here were a storeroom, guard room, served by the palace.

Parade halls and residential chambers of the Imperial Surname were located on the second floor and were built in the style of Russian Baroque - huge halls flooded with light, double rows of large windows and mirrors, lush decor Rococo. On the top floor there were mainly located courts.

Many times the palace collapsed. For example, a strong fire On December 17-19, 1837, almost completely destroyed the beautiful finish of the Winter Palace, from which only burnt the escape remained. The interiors of Rastrelli, Rosengi, Monferran, Rossi died. Recovery work lasted two years. They were led by architects V. P. Stasov and A.P. Brulylov. According to the order of Nicholas I, the palace was to be restored the same as he was before the fire. However, not everything was so easy to do, for example, only some interiors created or recovered after the fire of 1837 A. P. Brylovov reached us in its original form.

At the end of the XIX - early XX century, the internal design was constantly changed and added with new elements. These are, in particular, the interiors of the chambers of Empress Mary Alexandrovna, Alexander II spouses, created by projects G. A. Boss (Red Boudois) and V.A. Schraiber (Golden Living Room), as well as a library of Nikolai II (author A. F. Krasovsky). Among the renovated interiors, the most interesting was the finish of the Nikolaev Hall, in which there was a large horse portrait of Emperor Nicholas I work by the artist F. Kruger.

For a long time, the Winter Palace was the residence of Russian emperors. After the murder of Alexander II terrorists, Emperor Alexander III suffered his residence in Gatchina. From this point on, in the Winter Palace, only a particularly solemn ceremony was held. With the entry into the throne of Nicholas II in 1894, the imperial surname returned to the palace again.

The most significant changes in the history of the Winter Palace occurred in 1917, together with the arrival of the Bolsheviks to power. A lot of values \u200b\u200bwere cleared and damaged by sailors and workers while the palace was under their control. The former chambers of Alexander III were damaged by the direct hit of the projectile released from the instrument of the Petropavlovsk Fortress. Only a few days later, the Soviet government announced the Winter Palace and Hermitage State Museums and took the building under protection. Soon the valuable palace property and the Hermitage collection were sent to Moscow and covered in and in the building of the Historical Museum.

In 1918, part of the premises of the Winter Palace was given under the Revolution Museum, which resulted in the reorganization of their interiors. The Romanov Gallery has undergone full elimination, which contained portraits of sovereigns and members of the Romanov's house. Many palace rest occupied the reception office for prisoners of war, children's colony, headquarters on the device of mass celebrations, etc. The stampal hall was used for theatrical ideas, the Nikolaev room was converted to cinema. In addition, congresses and conferences of various public organizations have repeatedly been held in the halls of the palace.

When, at the end of 1920, the Hermitage and Palace Collections returned from Moscow to Petrograd, for many of them, there was simply no place. As a result, hundreds of works of painting and sculptures went to the decoration of mansions and apartments of party, Soviet and military leaders, holiday homes of officials and their family members. Since 1922, the premises of the Winter Palace began to gradually transfer the Hermitage.

The Winter Palace suffered seriously during the war years. The small-tone or Petrovsky hall was damaged by the shells and bombs, the part of the coat of arms hall and the overlapping of the Rastrelyevsky gallery was destroyed, damage to the Jordan staircase was damaged. Restoration work required tremendous efforts, stretched for many years.

Features of the building of the Winter Palace

The palace is conceived and built in the form of a closed quadrilateral, with an extensive courtyard. The Winter Palace has a rather big dimension and is clearly distinguished among the surrounding houses.

Countless white columns are assembled into groups (especially picturesque and expressive at the corners of the building), then they are thinned and dispelled, opening windows framed by platbands with lion masks and amur heads. There are dozens of decorative vases and statues on the balustrade. Corners of the building are bordered by columns and pilasters.

Each facade of the Winter Palace is made in his own way. The northern facade facing the Neva stretches a more or less smooth wall without having noticeable protrusions. The southern facade overlooking the palace area and having seven members is the main one. The center is cut through three entrance arches. For them is a parade courtyard, where in the middle of the northern corps first was the main entrance to the palace. From the side facades, the Western, facing Admiralty and Square, on which Rastrelli assumed to put his father's equestrian statue of Peter I. Every platband, decorating the palace, unique. This is due to the fact that the mass consisting of a mixture of crowded bricks and a lime solution was cut and treated manually to the sharp. All stucco decorations of facades were performed on the spot.

Beautiful Winter Palace always in bright colors. The original coloring of the palace was pink-yellow, as they give the presentation of the XVIII-first quarter of the XIX century.

From the inner premises of the palace created by Rastrelli, the baroque appearance of the Jordanian staircase and a partially large church were preserved. The front staircase is located in the northeast corner of the building. It is located various details of the decor - columns, mirrors, statues, intricate gilded stucco, a huge ceiling, created by Italian painters. Divided into two solemn march, the staircase led to the main, Northern Anfilade, which consisted of five large halls, which in the north-western risatite was a huge throne room, and in the southwestern part - Palace Theater.

Special attention is also deserved by a large church located in the southeast corner of the building. Initially, the church was consecrated in honor of the resurrection of Christ (1762) and the second time - in the name of the sacrament of the non-manual image (1763). The walls are decorated with a stucco - elegant drawing a floral ornament. Three-tier iconostasis is decorated with icons and picturesque panels with images of biblical scenes. Evangelicals on the arches of the ceiling later wrote F. A. Bruni. Now, about the first appointment of the Church Hall, ruined in the 1920s, does not resemble nothing but the Golden Dome and the Great Picturesque Plafthon of F. Font Basso, depicting the Resurrection of Christ.

Specialists call Georgievsky's most perfect interior, or a big throne, the hall created by the krepanenga project. In order to create a St. George Hall, to the center of the eastern facade of the palace had to attach a special case. In the design of this premises, enriched by parade anfilad, we found the use of colored marble and gilded bronze. At the end of him on the elevation used to be a big throne, executed by the master P. Azhi. Other famous architects participated in the design of palace interiors. In 1826, according to the project, K. I. Rossi, a military gallery was built before the St. George races, on the walls of which there were 330 portraits of generals - participants in the Patriotic War of 1812. Most of the portraits were written by the English artist D. Dow.

Decent attention Avanzal, big and concert halls. All of them are characteristic of rigor and artistic integrity, which distinguishes the style of classicism. The largest winter hall is the Nikolaev Hall (a thousand one hundred square meters ranks). The malachite hall is especially remarkable - the only preserved sample of the malachite of a whole residential interior. The main decoration of the hall is the eight malachite columns, as much as the pilaster and two large malachite fireplace are performed in the technique of Russian mosaic.

Location of the Winter Palace

Three central squares - Palace, the Decembrists Square and St. Isaac Square form a single spatial element on the banks of the Neva. It is on these squares that the main attractions of St. Petersburg are located.

With its northern facades, the Winter Palace, Admiralty, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Senate and Synod faced in the direction of Neva. Its wide water spaces are inextricably linked with the prospects of grand area and powerful arrays of buildings located on them.

The official address of the Winter Palace - Palace Embankment, House 36.

Today it is difficult to separate the Winter Palace from the Hermitage. Here are now placed valuable exhibitions and exposures, and the palace himself has long been perceived as historical value. His story is a direct continuation of the history of Russia, St. Petersburg and the Imperial Dynasty.

It can be said that the Winter Palace is known in the whole world, he is also known as French and as an English Tower. St. Petersburg is one of the most interesting cities in Russia, and it is very attractive for tourists. And almost all excursion groups visit the Hermitage, where they learn the history of the Winter Palace.

Well, let's start with the most magnificent and main tsarist palace - winter!

The Winter Palace, according to the architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, was created "... for one of the Glory of the Ovsiskiy" and had to personify the greatness and strength of Russia, which became in the middle of the XVIII century a powerful European power.


In 1754, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna approved the draft new residence proposed by the leading architect of the Russian Baroque Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli.

The construction of the palace continued for a long eight years, which fell to the sunset of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna and the brief rule of Peter III. In the autumn of 1763, Catherine II, returning from Moscow to St. Petersburg after coronation celebrations, becomes a full-awake mistress of the Winter Palace.
Creating a parade residence, which, according to the intelligence, Elizabeth Petrovna's empress was to overshadow the Palaces of European monarchs with its magnificence, demanded tremendous money and a huge number of workers.

About 4,000 people worked at this construction site; The best masters from all over the country were collected here. Finishing the frontal halls and apartments of the Palace, the number of which, according to the testimony of its creator, was more than 460, was distinguished by an extraordinary luxury.

The Winter Palace is striking the scale of the scale, wealth and variety of decor and, at the same time, the integrity of the parts. In this construction, they found a vivid expression of the feature of the Rastrelli creativity, the creator of the style of Russian Baroque: the greatest parade of the forms, the limiting saturation of decorative details, the irrepressible desire for brightness, pomp, majority. The architect solved the palace as a city building - a colossal closed volume with an inner courtyard and free, no other buildings are not adjacent, facades. The main facade faced in the direction of the Palace Square has three mighty rizalitas. The widest of them, the middle, is cut through three arched openings, leading to a huge front courtyard. The emperatrica carriages or her guests, by passing the sentries, drove to the main entrance located in the northern corps.

The facades of the palace are decorated with the inherent creativity of Rastrelli diversity and fiction, the whole system of jewelry emphasized the world's height in those days - it dominated the city. The architect visually strengthened this impression, placing the columns in two tiers on each other. At the level of the roof, the wedding palace, was the balustrade with decorative stone sculptures and vases, continuing the vertical columns. Initially, the walls of the palace were painted with light yellow paint, and the decor and columns are isolated as white, which can be seen in the figures and patterns of the XVIII - the first quarter of the XIX century.

The internal layout of the building was clear with clarity and logicality. The main premises of the Palace - the Parade Staircase, the Throne Hall, the Cathedral and the theater - were to be in four angular corners (rizalits). Connecting them, the rest of the large and small rooms, living rooms, galleries, storage rooms - a total of the author himself, more than four hundred and sixty.

The main interiors of the second floor were solved in the style of the Russian Baroque of the middle of the XVIII century. It is characterized by the anflastic construction of the main chambers, huge halls, flooded with light, double rows of large windows and mirrors, lush rockey decor. Currently, only some interiors of the palace give an idea of \u200b\u200bthe initial decoration of the halls created in the drawings of Rastrelli. Among them is a parade staircase, in the XVIII century called the Embassy.

Restoring the staircase after a fire of 1837, Architect V.P. Stasov retained the intention of Rastrelli and repeated the composition almost unchanged. As in the XVIII century, the height of a huge split room, permeated with light flows, visually enhanced by a skillful perspective of a picturesque flap. Stasov included in the ceiling ceiling layout of the XVIII century with the image of Olympa, found in the pantry of the imperial hermitage. In the second tier on the pedestals from the paired pilaster, the statues of the statues: loyalty, justice, wisdom, greatness, abundance, justice, as well as Mercury and Muse. The base of the composition is the lower tier of the staircase with walls covered with an ornament.

V.P. Stasov used the decorative means of the Baroque style, but made some changes to the look of the stairs. Instead of wooden columns, lined with pink marble, monolithic columns of gray serdobol granite were erected, carved gilded bales of railings were replaced by a marble balustrade, white color with gold began to prevail in the entire room. One of the contemporaries of the restoration of the palace wrote that Stasova was the decoration of the stairs, "not retreating in the forms of his Rastrelli style, perfectly enlarged by the new concept of art relative to the purity, relief and the correctness of the drawing."

Having revived the big church after the fire, V.P. Stasov was guided by a few preserved drawings and drawings by B.F. Rastrelli.

The interior created by him testifies to the deep penetration in the originality of Baroque. The big church was one of the most magnificent premises in the Winter Palace. In its decoration, everything is permeated with secular cheerfulness and solemnly raising. The walls of the church are decorated by the intelligent curly ornaments and fluttering naked "Putti".

The carving and painting of the iconostasis are harmoniously combined with painting and smearing sails and walls. Completes the composition of the ceiling on the topic "Resurrection of Christ". With the maximum approach to the initial appearance, the interior of the precerning hall was recreated by architect.

The decoration of the Big Throne (Georgievsky) hall almost completely died in fire fire. However, drawings, engravings and drawings give a fairly complete idea of \u200b\u200bthe decoration of this hall, created by J. Kurengy in 1787 - 1795, - one of the best samples of the front interior of the era of Russian classicism. A huge twisting room with dual columns of the Corinthian order was unusual effect. Stasov fully retained the architectural memberships and the proportions of the kingdom hall, and, nevertheless, the interior gave a completely different character. Instead of polished columns of color marble, columns from white carrarsky marble appeared, which are covered with walls. Instead of stucco medallions in the second tier - marble paired pilasters. Instead of painted plaffones with images of soaring figures on the background of a cloudless sky and allegorical scenes on antique stories - a caissonated ceiling with litas, chased, gilded traction and ornaments of bronze. The device is not wooden, as usual, and the copper ceiling suspended to iron structures was a bold engineering solution.

The strict and magnitude architecture of the George Hall was consonant with the solemnity of official ceremonies, which were held here until the end of the reign of the Romanov dynasty.

Created by FB Rastrelli Winter Palace, a genuine masterpiece of Russian architecture of the XVIII century, identified the unique architectural look of the palace ensemble on the banks of the Neva. Each reign was becoming a new stage in the life of the parade royal residence. The interiors of the palace, created by the most famous architects of the XVIII-XIX centuries, reflected the change of architectural styles and artistic tastes of different eras.

The development of the territory of Eastern Admiralty began simultaneously with the emergence of shipyards. In 1705, on the banks of the Neva, a house was erected for the "Great Admiralty" - Fedor Matveyevich Apraksin. By 1711, the place of the current palace occupied mansions for the nobody involved in the fleet (only marine officials could be built here).

The first wooden winter house of the "Dutch architecture" on the "exemplary project" of Trezini under the tiled roof was built in 1711 for the king, as for the Ship Affairs of the Master Peter Alekseev. In front of his facade in 1718, the channel was breaking, subsequently became the winter groove. Peter called him "his office." Specially for the wedding of Peter and Catherine Alekseevna Palace of wooden was rebuilt into a modestly decorated two-storey stone house with a tiled roof, which had a descent to Neva. According to some historians, the wedding feast took place in the Big Hall of this First Winter Palace.

The second winter palace was built in 1721 on the project of Matnovi. The main facade he went on the Neva. In him, Peter lived his last years.

The Third Winter Palace appeared as a result of the restructuring and expanding this palace on the project of Trezini. Part of it later entered the amount of the Hermitage Theater, created by the kievna. During the restoration works, fragments of the Petrovsky Palace inside the theater were discovered: the front courtyard, staircase, senior, room. Now here is essentially the exposition of the Hermitage "Winter Palace Peter First".

In 1733-1735, on the project Bartolomeo Rastrelli on the site of the former Palace of Fedor Apraksin, bought for the Empress, the fourth Winter Palace was built - the Palace of Anna John. Rastrelli used the walls of the luxurious apraksin chambers, erected back in Petrovsky times by architect Leblon.

The fourth Winter Palace stood about the same way where we see the current one, and was much more good than previous palaces.

The Fifth Winter Palace for the temporary stay of Elizabeth Petrovna and her courtyard again built Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (in Russia it was often called Bartholomew Vartholomeyevich). It was a huge wooden building from washing to the small marine and from Nevsky Prospect to a brick alley. There is no trail from him for a long time. Many researchers of the history of the creation of the current winter think about him do not even remember, considering the fifth - the modern Winter Palace.

The current Winter Palace is the sixth time. It was built from 1754 to 1762 on the project Bartolomeo Rastrelli for the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and is a bright sample of lush baroque. But I did not have time to live in the palace of Elizabeth - it died, so the first real mistress of the Winter Palace became Catherine Two.

In 1837, the winter burned down - the fire began in the Field Marsh Hall and continued for three days, all this time, the servants of the palace endowed the works of art, who decorated the royal residence, a huge mountain from statues, paintings, precious baubles rose around the Alexandrovsk column ... They say that nothing disappeared ...

The Winter Palace was restored after the fire of 1837 without any serious external changes, by 1839 the works were completed, they led two architects: Alexander Bullelov (Brother of the Great Charles) and Vasily Stasov (author of the Savior-Percept and Trinity-Izmailovsky Cathedrals). It was only reduced the number of sculptures around the perimeter of his roof.

Over the centuries, the color of the facades of the Winter Palace changed from time to time. Initially, the walls were painted "sand paint with the thinnest heart", the decor - white lime. Before the First World War, the palace acquired an unexpected red-brick color, giving the palace gloomy look. A contrast combination of green walls, white columns, capitals and stucco decor appeared in 1946.

Exterior of the Winter Palace

Rastrelli struck not just a royal residence, - the palace was built "for one Glory of All-Russian", as mentioned in the decree of the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the Government of the Senate. From European Baroque buildings, the palace distinguish the brightness, cheerfulness of the figurative system, a festive solemn elevation of its more than 20-meter height emphasizes two-tier columns. The vertical membership of the palace continues statues and vases, taking a look into the sky. The height of the Winter Palace became a construction standard, erected in the principle of Petersburg city planning. Above the winter building in the old town was not allowed.
The palace is a giant quadrangle with a large courtyard. The facades of the palace in various compositions form how the folds of a huge ribbon. Step cornice, repeating all the ledges of the building, stretched almost two kilometers. The absence of sharply extended parts along the Northern Facade, from the Neva (here there are only three members), enhances the impression of the length of the building along the embankment; Two wings from the west side are addressed to Admiralty. The main facade overlooking the palace square, has seven members, he is the most charter. In the middle speaking, the part is the triple arcade of the entrance gate, decorated with a magnificent openwork grid. The main facade line is southeast and southwest risals. Historically, it was the way that there were residents of emperors and empress.

Layout of the Winter Palace

Bartolomeo Rastrelli has already had experience in building tsarist palaces in the royal village and Peterhof. In the scheme of the Winter Palace, he laid a standard planning option, previously tested. The basement of the palace was used as housing for servants or storage facilities. On the ground floor there were service and economic premises. In the second floor there were solemn parade halls and personal apartments of the imperial family. On the third, Freinin, doctors and neighboring servants were settled. This layout assumed mainly horizontal connections between the various premises of the Palace, which was reflected in the endless corridors of the winter.
The northern facade is characterized by the fact that it contains three huge front halls. Nevskiy Anfilad included: a small hall, a big (Nikolaev room) and a concert hall. Large Anfilad unfolded along the axis of the parade staircase, going perpendicular to Nevsky Avtilade. It included the Field Marsh Hall, Petrovsky Hall, a coat of arms (White) Hall Picket (New) Hall. The memorial military gallery of 1812, solemn Georgievsky and Apollors halls occupied a special place in the hall. The frontal halls included the Pubery Gallery and the Winter Garden. The route of the tsarist family through the Avfiladu of the Parade halls had a deep meaning. Scenario spent before the smallest detail served not only by demonstration of the entire gloss of autocratic power, but also by contacting the past and this Russian history.
As in any other Palace of the Imperial Family, in the winter there was a church, or rather, two churches: Big and Small. According to Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the big church was supposed to serve the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and her "Big Yard", a small - "young yard" - the court of Heir-Cesarevich Peter Fedorovich and his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna.

Interiors of the Winter Palace

If the exterior of the palace is made in the style of the late Russian baroque. That interiors are mainly performed in the style of early classicism. One of the few interiors of the Palace, who retained the original baroque decoration - the Paradinary Jordan Staircase. It occupies a huge space of almost 20 meters altitude and seems even higher due to the painting of the ceiling. Reflecting in the mirrors, the real space seems even more. Created by Bartolomeo Rastrelli Staircase after a fire of 1837 was restored by Vasily Stasov, who preserved the overall intention of Rastrelli. The decor of the staircase is infinitely diverse - the mirrors, the statues of the fancy gilded stucco, varying the motive of the stylized shell. The shapes of the baroque decor became maintained after the replacement of wooden columns lined with a pink kit (artificial marble) on monolithic granite columns.

Of the three halls of Nevsky Anfilad, the most restrained on the decoration of the Avanzal. The main decor is concentrated in the upper part of the hall - these are allegorical compositions performed in monochrome technique (Griezail) on a gold-plated background. Since 1958, Malachit Rotonda installed in the center of Avanzala (at first she was in the Tauride Palace, then in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra).

More solemnly decorated the largest Hall of Nevsky Anfilades - Nikolaevsky. This is one of the largest halls of the Winter Palace, its area - 1103 m. The parade is attached to the three-fourth columns of the magnificent Corinthian order, the painting of the border of the ceiling and huge chandeliers. The hall is designed in white color.

The concert hall intended at the end of the 18th century for court concerts has a more rich sculptural and picturesque decor than the two previous halls. The hall is decorated with the statues of the Muses installed in the second tier of the walls above the columns. This hall completed the enfilade and initially was conceived Rastrelli as a run to the throne room. In the middle of the 20th century, a silver tomb of Alexander Nevsky was established in the hall (transmitted to the Hermitage after the revolution) weighing about 1,500 kg, created on the monetary court of St. Petersburg in 1747-1752. For the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, in which the relics of Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky are stored to this day.
The Feldmarsh Hall, intended for the placement of portraits of Field Marshals, begins Greater Anfilado; He had to give an idea of \u200b\u200bthe political and military history of Russia. His interior was created, as well as a neighboring Petrovsky (or small throne) hall with him, Architect of Auguste Montpherom in 1833 and restored after the fire of 1837. Vasily Stasov. The main appointment of the Petrovsky hall Memorial - he is devoted to the memory of Peter the Great, so his finish is distinguished by a special pomp. In the gilded Decor of Frieza, in the painting of the arches - the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, the crown, wreaths of glory. In a huge niche with a rounded arch, a picture depicting Peter I, led by the goddess Minerway to victories; In the upper part of the side walls, paintings are placed with scenes of the most important battles of the Northern War - with forest and under Poltava. In decorative motifs adorning the hall, the monogram from two Latin letters "P" is infinitely repeated, denoting the name of Peter I, "Petrus Primus"

The coat of arms decorated with shields with the coat of arms of the Russian provinces of the XIX century., Located on huge chandeliers illuminating it. This is a sample of a late occupy style. Porticists on the end walls are being grown up the nurse of the hall, the solid gilding of the columns emphasizes its parade. Four sculptural groups of warriors of ancient Russia remind the heroic traditions of the defenders of the Fatherland and foresee the next 1812 gallery behind him.
The most advanced Creation of Stasov in the Winter Palace - Georgievsky (Big Throne) Hall. The knewing hall was created in the same place died in a fire of 1837. Stasov, retaining the architectural intention of the quartre, created a completely different artistic image. The walls are lined with carrar marble, the columns are carved out of it. The decor of the ceiling and columns is made of gilded bronze. The ornament of the ceiling is repeated in the parquet scored from 16 valuable wood. There are no two-headed eagle and holy Georgiy - to come to the coat of arms of the Great Empire. The throne of gilded silver is restored at the same place in 2000 by the architects and restorers of the Hermitage. Above the throne place is marble bas-relief with Saint George, damaging the dragon, the work of the Italian sculptor Francesco del Nero.

The hosts of the Winter Palace

The customer of construction was the daughter of Peter the Great, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, she rushed the Rastrelli with the construction of the palace, so the works were carried out with a mad pace. Personal quarters of the Empress (two completions and the office) were hurried (two felling and office), Cesarevich Pavel Petrovich and some adjacent to the rest of the room: church, opera house and a bright gallery. But the Empress did not have time to live in the Palace. She died in December 1761. The first owner of the Winter Palace was the nephew of the Empress (the son of her older sister Anna) Peter III Fedorovich. The Winter Palace was solemnly sanctified and put into operation for Easter of 1762. Peter III immediately started alterations in the southwestern risatite. The champions entered the office and library. It was planned to create an amber hall for the sample of Tsarskoselsky. For his wife, he determined the chambers in the south-west risatite, the windows of which went to the industrial zone of the Admiralty.

The emperor lived in the palace only until June 1762, after which he himself did not assume him, moved him forever, moved to his favorite Oranienbaum, where at the end of July signed a renunciation, soon after which he was killed in the Ropshin Palace.

The "brilliant age" of Catherine II, who became the first real mistress of the Winter Palace, and Southeast Rizalit, who was published on a millionth street and the palace square, became the first of the "zones of residence" the owners of the palace. Ekaterina II after the coup mainly continued to live in a wooden Elizavtian Palace, and in August left to Moscow for coronation. Construction work in the winter did not stop, but there are already other architects already conducted: Jean Baptiste Wallen-Demotam, Antonio Rinaldi, Yuri Felten. Rastrelli first sent on vacation, and then retired. Catherine returned from Moscow in early 1863 and postponed its relatives to South-West Risalit, showing the over-release from Elizabeth Petrovna to Peter III and to her - New Empress. All work in the western wing turned. At the site of Pepter III, with the personal participation of the Empress, the complex of Personal Region of Catherine was built. It includes: an audience chamber that replaced the throne hall; Dining with two windows; Restroom; Two casual bedrooms; Boudoir; Cabinet and library. All the premises were withstanding in the style of early classicism. Later, Catherine ordered one of the casual bedrooms into a diamond room or diamond peace, where the precious property and the imperial regalia were kept: the crown, a silepter, power. The regalia was in the center of the room on the table under a crystal cap. As new jewelry acquisitions, glazed boxes that are fastened to the walls appeared.
The Empress lived in the winter palace of 34 years and her rest expanded and rebuilt more than once.

Paul I lived in the Winter Palace Childhood and Youth, and having received Gatchina as a gift from Mother Gatchina in the middle of the 1780s left him and returned in November 1796, becoming the emperor. In the palace Paul lived four years in the reworked quiet of Catherine. Together with him moved his big family settled in their rooms in the western part of the palace. After the first time, he immediately began the construction of Mikhailovsky Castle, without hiding his plans to literally "hang up" the interiors of the Winter Palace, using all valuable for the decoration of Mikhailovsky Castle.

After the death of Paul in March 1801, Emperor Alexander I immediately returned to the Winter Palace. The palace returned the status of the main imperial residence. But he did not borrow the rest of the southeast rizalit, returned to his rooms located along the western facade of the Winter Palace, with the windows for the Admiralty. The premises of the second floor of the south-western rizalita forever lost the importance of the internal chambers of the head of state. Pavlo I began to repair in 1818, on the eve of the arrival of the King of Prussi Friedrich Wilhelm III, appointing the work of the "College Counselor of Karl Rossi." In its drawings, all design works are performed. From this time, the room in this part of the Winter Palace was officially called "Prussian Royal Rooms", and later - the second spare half of the Winter Palace. It is separated from the first half by the Alexander's hall, in the plan, this half consisted of two perpendicular Anfila, which overlook the windows to the palace square and a million street, which were connected differently to the rooms in the courtyard. There was a time when the sons of Alexander II lived in these rooms. First Nikolai Alexandrovich (who was not destined to become a Russian emperor), and from 1863 and his younger brothers Alexander (future emperor Alexander III) and Vladimir. They moved out of the premises of the Winter Palace in the late 1860s, starting their independent life. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the "first level" dies, saving them from the bombs of terrorists, were settled in the rooms of the second spare half. Since the beginning of the spring of 1905, the Governor-General of St. Petersburg Trepov lived there. Then in the autumn of 1905 in these premises were settled by Prime Minister Stolypin with family.

Premises on the second floor along the southern facade, the windows of which are located on the right and to the left of the main gate, still Paul I looked at his wife Maria Fedorovna in 1797. The intelligent, ambitious and volitional wife Paul during his widowing managed to form a structure that was called "the department of Empress Mary Fedorovna". It was engaged in charity, education, the provision of medical assistance to representatives of various estates. In 1827, the rest was repaired, ended in March, and in November of the same year she died. Her Third Son Emperor Nicholas I decided to conservate her chambers. Later there was formed the first spare half, consisting of two parallel Anfilates. It was the largest of the palace half, stretching on the second floor from White to the Alexandrovsky hall. In 1839, temporary tenants were settled there: the eldest daughter of Nicholas I Great Princess Maria Nikolaevna and her husband, Duke Leiktenbergsky. They lived there for almost five years, until the completion of the construction of the Mariinsky Palace in 1844. After the death of Empress, Maria Alexandrovna and Emperor Alexander II, their rooms were part of the first spare half.

On the first floor of the southern facade between the entrance of the Empress and to the main gate leading to a large courtyard, windows on the palace square were the premises of duty palace grenaders (2 windows), a candle position (2 windows) and separation of the military-acquisition of the emperor (3 windows). Next, the premises of the "Gof-Fourier and Camera Forerier's post" were walked. These premises ended in the commandant entrance, to the right of which the windows of the apartment of the Commandant of the Winter Palace began.

The whole third floor of the southern facade, along the long Freinti corridor, occupied Freinin apartments. Since these apartments were a serviceable living area, then, according to the will of the economic workers or the emperor, Freill could move from one room to another. Some of the Freinin quickly leaving married, forever left the Winter Palace; Others met there not only old age, but death ...

Southwest Risalit at Catherine II occupied the Palace Theater. He was demolished in the middle of the 1780s. To accommodate rooms there for numerous grandchildren of the Empress. Inside the rizalita arranged a small closed courtyard. In the rooms of the South-Western Rizalit, the daughters of the future emperor Paul I were settled. In 1816, the Great Prince Anna Pavlovna married Prince Wilhelm Orange and left Russia. Her rest was redone under the leadership of Carlo Rossi for the Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich and his young wife Alexandra Fedorovna. Spouses lived in these rooms for 10 years. After the Grand Duke began in 1825 by the emperor Nikolai I spouses moved in 1826 to North-West Rizalit. And after marriage Heir-Cesarevich Alenester Nikolayevich on the Princess of Hessian (future Empress Maria Alexandrovna), they took the premises of the second floor of the south-western rizalit. Over time, these rooms began to be called "Half Empress Mary Alexandrovna"

Photos of the Winter Palace

The Winter Palace on the Palace Square of St. Petersburg is the main attraction of the Northern Capital, from 1762 to 1904, which served as the official winter residence of Russian emperors. For wealth and variety of architectural and sculptural decoration, the palace is not equal in St. Petersburg.

To circumvent all the exhibits of the Hermitage, it will be necessary to spend 11 years of life and pass 22 kilometers. All Petersburgers know well: in the main museum of the city on the first floor - the Egyptian hall, on the third floor - impressionists. Guests of the city are also aware.

What will we am surprising? You can try the facts:

№1. Hermitage is huge ... as well as the territory of a huge country, which the king rules, the autocrat of all Russia is straight from the walls of this luxury palace. 1057 rooms, 117 stairs, 1945 windows. The overall length of the main cornice, bordering the building, almost 2 km.

№2. The total number of sculptures installed on the winter parapet - 176 pieces. The amount of VAZ can calculate themselves.

№3. The main palace of the Russian Empire was built more than 4,000 bricklayers and plasters, marbleders and layers, parquetrs and painters. Getting a negligible fee for his work, they jutter in miserable shacks, many lived here, on the square, in the slashes.

№4. From 1754 to 1762, the construction of the building of the Palace, which took the highest residential building in St. Petersburg at that time. Long ... Empress Elizabeth Petrovna died, without burning new choirs. She took 60,000 square meters of new housing Peter III.

№5. After completing the construction of the Winter Palace, the entire area in front of him was littered with construction garbage. Emperor Peter III decided to get rid of him with the original way - he ordered to declare the people that everyone could take everything from the square, and for free. After a few hours, all the garbage was cleared.

№6. Removed garbage - a new trouble. In 1837, the palace burned down. There was a whole imperial family without bed. However, 6,000 unknown workers saved the situation, working in the day and night and for 15 months the Palace of the ball completely restored. True, the price of an employment feat is a few hundred simple workers ...

№7. The Winter Palace was repainted in different colors all the time. It was red and pink. Your original, pale green, acquired in 1946.

№8. Winter Palace is a completely monumental structure. It was intended to reflect the power and greatness of the Russian Empire. It is estimated that there are 1786 doors, 1945 windows and 117 stairs. The length of the main facade of 150 meters, and the height is 30.