What are exhibited in the winter palace. Winter Palace
Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. Historic building in the Elizabethan Baroque style with elements of French Rococo, the former imperial palace, designed by B. F. Rastrelli in 1754-1762. Since 1920, the building has been part of the main museum complex of the State Hermitage.
Until 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, the penultimate fourth - in 1755. The last Winter Palace from the moment of construction until 1904 was used as the official winter residence of the Russian emperors. After the revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government met in the palace. Since 1920 the building has been used as a museum.
The building of the palace has the form of a square of 4 outbuildings, which are located around the Great Courtyard, and with their facades look at 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 around 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 Yu. M. Felten, J. B. Vallin-Delamot and A. Rinaldi. The most famous premises of the palace are the Jordan Gallery, the Jordan Stairs, the Field Marshal's Hall, the Petrovsky (Small Throne) Hall, the Armorial Hall, the Military Gallery of 1812, the St. staircase, White Hall, Golden Living Room, Raspberry Study, Boudoir, Blue Bedroom, Entrance Hall, Large (Nikolaev) anteroom, Concert Hall, Malachite Living Room, Small (White) Dining Room.
In 1837, a fire broke out in the Winter Palace, which 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 in St. Petersburg above the Winter Palace. The ban was in effect until 1905.
During the First World War, in 1915, the military hospital named after Tsarevich Alexei Nikolayevich was located in the palace.
The storming of the Winter Palace, or rather its encirclement and the arrest of members of the Provisional Government, was the main event of the October 1917 coup, which brought the Bolsheviks to power.
During the Great Patriotic War, 12 bomb shelters designed for 2,000 people were equipped in the basements of the palace. During the war years, 17 artillery shells and 2 air bombs hit the palace building. But already in November 1944, the Winter Palace was partially opened to the public, although its full restoration took several years.
The interiors of the palace are often used for filming feature films, as well as being modeled in animated films and computer games.
Almost 50 cats live in the palace, descending from the Dutch cat Peter I. Their main role is to protect the Winter Palace from mice. There is even a special fund for friends of the Hermitage cats, and the museum staff organizes special holidays for them.
The three-storey building of the Winter Palace has 1084 rooms, 1945 windows and 117 stairs. The length of the facade from the side of the Neva is 137 meters, from the side of the Admiralty - 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 Cultural Heritage Objects (monuments of history and culture) of Russia and in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of historical center cities.
Note to tourists:
A visit to the Winter Palace will be of interest to tourists interested in the architecture of the second half of the 18th century, to everyone who wants to see the expositions located in the palace, and can also become one of the points of the excursion program while exploring neighboring attractions that are part of the architectural ensemble
The history of the Winter Palace begins with the reign of Peter I.
The very first, then still the Winter House, was built for Peter I in 1711 on the banks of the Neva. The first Winter Palace was two-storey, 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 settle in it. She commissioned 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 Naval Academy, were purchased. They were demolished, and by 1735 a new Winter Palace was built in their place. 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 remake the imperial residence to her taste. The construction of the new palace was entrusted to the architect Rastrelli. The Winter Palace project created by the architect was signed by Elizaveta Petrovna on June 16, 1754.
In the summer of 1754, Elizaveta Petrovna issued a nominal decree on the beginning of the construction of the palace. The required amount - about 900 thousand rubles - was withdrawn from the "tavern" money (collection from the drinking trade). The previous palace was demolished. During construction, the yard moved to a temporary wooden palace built by Rastrelli on the corner of Nevsky and Moika.
The palace was notable for its incredible size for those times, magnificent exterior decoration and luxurious interior decoration.
The Winter Palace is a three-storey rectangular building with a huge front yard inside. The main facades of the palace face the embankment and the square that was formed later.
Creating the Winter Palace, Rastrelli designed each facade differently, based on specific conditions. The northern façade, facing the Neva, stretches like a more or less even wall, without noticeable ledges. From the side of the river, it is perceived as an endless two-tiered colonnade. The southern façade, overlooking the Palace Square and having seven articulations, is the main one. Its center is highlighted by a wide, richly decorated risalit cut through by three entrance arches. Behind them is the main courtyard, where in the middle of the northern building was the main entrance to the palace.
Along the perimeter of the roof of the palace there is a balustrade with vases and statues (originally made of stone in 1892-1894 were replaced by a brass knockout).
The length of the palace (along the Neva) is 210 meters, width - 175 meters, height - 22 meters. The total area of the palace is 60 thousand square meters, it has more than 1000 halls, 117 different staircases.
There were two chains of ceremonial halls in the palace: along the Neva and in the center of the building. In addition to the ceremonial halls, on the second floor there were living quarters of members of the imperial family. The first floor was occupied by utility and service premises. The apartments of the courtiers were mainly located on the upper floor.
About four thousand employees lived here, even had 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, patterned parquet.
Under Catherine II, a winter garden was organized in the Palace, where both northern plants and plants brought from the south grew, the Romanov Gallery; at the same time, the formation of St. George's Hall was completed. Under Nicholas I, a gallery was organized in 1812, where 332 portraits of participants in the Patriotic War were placed. The architect Auguste Montferrand added the Petrovsky and Field Marshal's Halls to the palace.
In 1837, a fire broke out 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 two years later.
In 1869, instead of candlelight, gas lighting appeared in the palace. Since 1882, the installation of telephones in the premises began. In the 1880s, a water pipe 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, 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 Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. The Winter Palace became a place for ceremonial receptions, ceremonial dinners, and the seat of the king during short visits to the city.
Throughout the history of the Winter Palace as an imperial residence, the interiors were redesigned in accordance with fashion trends. The building itself changed the color of its walls several times. The Winter Palace was painted in red, pink, yellow colors. 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 building of the Winter Palace. In 1922, part of the building was transferred to the Hermitage Museum.
In 1925 - 1926 the building was rebuilt again, now for the needs of the museum.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Winter Palace suffered from air raids and shelling. In the cellars 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 the same time the entire Winter Palace became part of the Hermitage.
At present, the Winter Palace, together with the Hermitage Theatre, the Small, New and Large Hermitage, forms a single museum complex "The State Hermitage".
St. Petersburg is the northern capital of vast Russia, accustomed to surprise us with its special individuality, originality of tastes and ambition. Hundreds of magnificent sights annually attract the views of many tourists and indigenous people. One of them is the Winter Palace, which is an invaluable monument of history and architecture of the past.
Description
Like many buildings, the building is distinguished by pomp, successfully combined with the special style and handwriting of the author, which we will talk about later. The St. Petersburg Winter Palace is a cultural heritage of Russia, one of the main attractions of the country, which contains interesting historical events and facts. There are many legends and myths around the Palace, some of which can be fully justified by historical facts.
Thanks to the splendor of the building, being next to it or inside it, you can fully experience the imperial spirit and features several centuries ago. You can also enjoy magnificent architectural solutions, which to this day are considered the standard of beauty and sophistication. The design of the Winter Palace has changed more than once over these centuries, so we can observe the structure not in its original form, which, however, does not make it less significant and noteworthy, since all the main features conceived by the author of the project, Francesco Rastrelli, were carefully preserved and transferred by architects of different times. This majestic building is located on the Palace Square of the northern city and perfectly reunites with the surrounding landscape.
The history of the creation and development of the palace
The construction is made in the style called Since the times of the USSR, its territory has been equipped for the main part. In earlier times, the Winter Palace has always been the main residence of the emperors of Russia. To fully experience the greatness of this place, you need to turn to the history of its creation.
Under the government of Peter I, in 1712, according to the law, it was impossible to give land at the disposal of ordinary people. Such territories were reserved for sailors belonging to the upper class of society. The site on which the Winter Palace is located today was taken under the control of Peter I himself.
From the very beginning, the emperor built a small and cozy house here, near which a small ditch was dug closer to winter and which was given the name Winter. Actually, the further name of the palace came from this.
For many years, the Russian emperor convened various architects to reconstruct his house, and now, years later, the building turned from an ordinary wooden house into a large stone palace.
And who built the Winter Palace? In 1735, Francesco Rastrelli was appointed the chief architect who worked on the building, who had the idea of buying out neighboring land plots and expanding the construction of the palace, which he told Anna Ioannovna, the ruler of Russia at that time, about.
The task assigned to the architect
It was this architect who created the image of the Winter Palace that we are all used to seeing. However, it is worth remembering that some features of the building have changed over time, but still the main ideas and works of Francesco Rastrelli have remained unchanged to this day.
The Winter Palace acquired its modern look with the advent of Elizabeth Petrovna to the imperial throne. As the ruler considered, the building does not look like a Palace worthy of Russian emperors staying in it. Therefore, a task appeared for Rastrelli - to modernize the structure and design of the structure, which is why it acquired a new look.
During the construction of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the hands of 4 thousand workers were used, many of the masters of whom Rastrelli personally invited to cooperate. Each detail, which differs from other elements of the structure, was personally thought out by the great architect and successfully implemented.
About the architecture of the building
The architectural component of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is truly multifaceted. The great height of the structure is emphasized by weighty double columns. The chosen baroque style in itself brings notes of pomp and aristocracy. According to the plan, the Palace occupies a territory in the form of a square, which includes 4 outbuildings. The building itself is three-story, the doors of which open onto the courtyard.
The main facade of the palace is cut through by an arch, the other sides of the building are made in an exquisite style, which is expressed in Rastrelli's unique sense of taste and his unusual decisions, which can be traced everywhere. These include the extraordinary layout of the facades, differences in the design of the facades, noticeable risalite ledges, uneven construction of the columns, and the author's special emphasis on the stepped corners of the building attracts attention.
The Winter Palace, the photo of which is presented to your attention in the article, has 1084 rooms, where in total there are 1945 window structures. According to the plan, there are 117 stairs in it. Also unusual and memorable facts include the fact that at that time it was a building with a very large, by European standards, amount of metal in the structures.
The color of the building is not uniform and is made mainly in sandy shades, which are Rastrelli's personal decision. After several reconstructions, the color scheme of the palace changed, but today the authorities of St. Petersburg have come to the conclusion that the best solution is to recreate the appearance of the palace exactly in the version that was originally conceived by the great architect.
A few words about the architect
Francesco Rastrelli was born in the capital of France in 1700. His father was a talented Italian sculptor who had no difficulty in recognizing his son as a future skilled architect. After graduating in 1716, he and his father come to live in Russia.
Until 1722, Francesco worked only as an assistant to his father, but by 1722 he was ripe for the start of an independent career, which at first did not develop very well in a country that was very inhospitable to him. Rastrelli Jr. spent 8 years traveling around Europe, where he did not work most of the time, but received new knowledge in Germany, Italy, France and other countries. By 1730, he had formed his own vision of the Baroque style, which was reflected in his most ambitious project - the Winter Palace.
The architect has repeatedly worked on the creation and reconstruction of buildings in Russia. His main work fell on the period from 1732 to 1755.
Exclusive facts about the Winter Palace
The building is the richest building in St. Petersburg, and the value of its exhibits still cannot be accurately calculated. The Winter Palace has many secrets and interesting stories, of which the following can be distinguished:
- During the war with the German invaders, the color of the palace was red. The current white and green color of the building was acquired only after the war in 1946.
- At the end of construction work, so much construction waste had accumulated in the square in front of the Palace that it could take whole weeks to clean it up. However, the king came up with an interesting idea: he allowed absolutely anyone to take any thing from these building materials left after work. The area in front of the building was cleared as soon as possible.
Fire
In 1837, all the efforts of Francesco Rastrelli and other architects practically came to naught. A terrible event happened: a considerable fire broke out in the palace due to a malfunction of the chimney, and 2 companies of specialists were called to extinguish it. For 30 hours, firefighters tried to reduce the flames by blocking windows and other openings with bricks, but this did not bring any result. The fire subsided only a day after the start of the fire, incinerating almost all the beauty of the structure. From the former palace, only walls and columns remained, which were singed under high temperatures.
Restoration work
Restoration work was started immediately and lasted 3 years. Unfortunately, the masters of that time did not have any drawings from the first buildings, so they had to turn on improvisation and come up with a new style literally on the go. As a result, the “seventh version” of the palace appeared with a predominance of light green and white shades and gilding inside.
Along with the new look, electrification also came to the palace. The largest power plant in all of Europe (considered as such for 15 years) was installed on the 2nd floor and provided electricity to the entire building.
Not only the fire knocked on the doors of the Winter Palace with bad news. So, this building at one time survived the assault, and the attempt on Alexander II, and numerous bombings of the Great Patriotic War.
For modern tourists
Today, you can walk through the halls of the Winter Palace by ordering one of the many excursions, individual or in a group. The doors of the museum are open to visitors from 10:00 to 18:00 and are closed only on Monday - an official day off.
You can buy tickets for a tour of the Winter Palace directly at the museum's box office, or by ordering them from a tour operator. They are not always available due to the high popularity of the building, especially during the tourist season. Therefore, it is better to buy tickets in advance.
Back in 1752, F. B. Rastrelli drew up several projects for the restructuring of the existing Winter Palace during the time of Anna Ioannovna. These projects have clearly shown that the possibilities of expanding the former building have been completely exhausted. In 1754, the final decision was made to build a new palace in the same place.
In terms of size and magnificence of architectural decoration, it was supposed to surpass all previous imperial palaces in St. Petersburg, to 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: towards the end."
The New Winter Palace was conceived as a closed quadrangle with a vast front yard. The northern facade of the palace was facing the Neva, the western - towards the Admiralty. In front of the southern facade, F. B. Rastrelli designed a large square, 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. For 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, a solemn consecration of the house church of the Winter Palace took place, marking the end of construction, although many rooms were still unfinished. Elizabeth Petrovna did not have a chance to live in the new palace - she died in December 1761. Emperor Peter III moved to 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 the architects V.P. Stasov and A.P. Bryullov.
The Winter Palace belongs to one of the most outstanding works of Russian Baroque. The three-storey building is divided into two tiers by an entablature. The facades are decorated with Ionic and Composite columns; 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 architraves (one can count two dozen of their types), abundant stucco work, many decorative vases and statues on the parapets and pediments create an extraordinary decoration of the palace in terms of splendor and magnificence. The bright contrasting coloring of the walls and architectural decorations enhances the overall picturesque impression. Its original gamut was somewhat different compared to the modern one - the palace was “painted from the outside: the walls with sandy paint with the thinnest yellow, and the ornaments with white lime.”
The southern facade of the palace is cut through by three entrance arches leading to the front courtyard. In the center of the northern building was the main entrance. Through the long vestibule one could go to the main Jordan staircase, which occupied a whole risalit in the northeast corner of the building. On the second floor, along the Neva façade, a solemn enfilade passed from the stairs, closed by 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), brought its length to 49 meters.
Along the eastern façade, from the Jordan Stairs, there was a second enfilade, ending in the palace church. Behind the church, in the southeastern risalit, personal apartments of Elizabeth Petrovna 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 times - in 1938 the magnificent carved iconostasis was dismantled. The interior of the church was restored in 2014.
Now the building of the Winter Palace belongs to the State Hermitage Museum, the museum's expositions are located here.
At the same time, this is already the sixth residence of Russian emperors in the Northern capital, and the history of the Winter Palaces began under Peter the Great, 50 years before the appearance of a magnificent building on Palace Square.
In 1711, on the banks of the Neva, the architect Domenico Trezzini built a small house for Peter, consisting of a central portal and two side wings, it was a “little house of Dutch architecture” for the shipbuilder Peter Alekseev, as the tsar called himself.
The building was a two-story building with a high porch, a tiled roof, and the only thing that adorned it was pilasters (ledges) in the corners and architraves on the windows. This building was often called the Wedding Chambers, since the built house was a gift from the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Menshikov for the wedding of Peter and Catherine. It was here that the wedding feast took place, and the legend that has come down to us confirms this.
According to legend, 12 years after the wedding, when Peter found out about the betrayal of his wife, he led her to the mirror of the hall where the wedding was celebrated, and said: “This Venetian glass mirror is made of simple materials, but it can turn into its former insignificance.” Then he hit the mirror with his cane. The former servant and laundress Marta Skavronskaya understood the hint, but was not at a loss and asked: “Has your house become more beautiful now?”
Second Winter Palace for Peter
The first house of Peter, overlooking the canal, turned out to be cramped and in 1716 the architect Georg Mattarnovi created a project for a new home for the royal family. The emperor himself chose a place for it - closer to the Neva, from where a beautiful view of the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island and the expanses of the Neva opens. The house, built by the autumn of 1723, had a grand appearance, its facades and halls were magnificently decorated.
It should be noted that Peter was an advanced person and all the technical innovations that appeared in Europe were implemented in his house. The palace had central heating and flood sewage, hot and cold water was supplied through lead pipes. Only 12 batmen served the king, moreover, he chose them according to their intelligence and quickness, and if they deserved, he brought them out to the people.
The Winter Palace of Peter I, where the founder of St. Petersburg lived and died, is a unique monument of the early 18th century, which you can visit with a guided tour or on your own. The entrance to the museum is located at Palace Embankment 32. Administratively refers to the Hermitage Museum. Among other things, there is a wax figure of Peter, made by Carlo Rastrelli, and dressed in an authentic costume and shoes, and on his head you can see the king's real hair.
During the Persian campaign in 1722, it was hot and Peter cut his hair, from which he made a wig. It was used by Rastrelli for the wax person of the king.
Third Winter Palace
After the death of Peter the Great, Catherine I ordered Trezzini to expand the palace along Millionnaya Street and thus the building took the form of a huge square.
Fourth Winter Palace for Anna Ioannovna
Anna Ioannovna, who ascended the throne, ordered Francesco Rastrelli to build a new palace for her. For the construction, a place was also chosen on the left side of the Neva, on the site of the Apraksin Admiralty House. The building, built in 1733 - 1735, was spacious, it had 70 rooms and a theater, but the layout of the premises was confusing and inconvenient.
Temporary Winter Palace for Elizabeth Petrovna
Having ascended the throne, Elizaveta Petrovna considered that the old building did not correspond to her status and ordered Rastrelli to prepare a project for a new palace. At the time of construction, a beautiful wooden building was erected, consisting of 100 rooms, on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and the embankment of the Moika River. In this house, in 1761, Elizaveta Petrovna died, and the building, which had stood for 10 years, was dismantled after the death of the empress.
Sixth Winter Palace
The Winter Palace was under construction from 1754 to 1762, but Elizaveta Petrovna died without seeing it completed. The monumental building on the Neva embankment was erected in the Baroque style, with an abundance of columns and decorative stucco details. It was the last and most grandiose creation of Rastrelli.
Interior decoration was completed under Peter III, and when he was overthrown, Catherine II, who seized power, removed Rastrelli from work, giving him leave.
The architect left for a year in Italy, but the situation did not change upon his return. Rastrelli was the most prominent representative of the baroque style, which at that time had gone out of fashion. He was not given important tasks, he had no customers left, and soon he was dismissed "in the argument of old age and poor health" with the appointment of a pension of a thousand rubles a year.
Interestingly, the architect worked for 46 years under many emperors, but only PeterIIIfor his faithful service he was awarded the rank of Major General and the Order of St. Anne.
For more than 100 years in St. Petersburg it was forbidden to build houses higher than the Winter Palace. In order to increase the number of floors, but not to break the law, cunning builders found a way out - they made a visor and built on top of 1-2 floors of attics, the construction of which was not prohibited by law.
A fire that happened in 1837 damaged the interiors created by the great masters Rastrelli and Quarenghi, Rossi and Moferan. It took two years to restore the building.
We are accustomed to the light green tone of the facades of the building, but meanwhile, before the First World War, the building was painted in red-brick color.
One of the legends explains this curiosity by the fact that German Emperor Wilhelm sent a whole train of minium wagons to Russia to paint ships, but the officials rejected the paint and decided to paint the facades of the city with it, and the Winter Palace became the first victim of this idea.
The Winter Palace on Palace Square is the sixth and last residence of the representatives of the Romanov family. It was he who was taken by storm during the October Revolution in 1917, although, according to historians, this is a myth and there was no storm. After all, one can hardly call the Aurora blank shots by storm, after which the armed men broke into the palace without loss, and the main concern of the women's battalion and the cadets defending the building was to prevent the theft of valuables.