Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
Winter Palace is the ceremonial residence of the House of Romanov, built in the mid-18th century in St. Petersburg by order of Empress Elizabeth. The spectacular Baroque building was the first in the complex of buildings that form the modern Hermitage. The main facade of the Winter Palace overlooks Palace Square, the most visited attraction of the Northern Capital.
- History of the Winter Palace
- Architectural features of the building
- Dimensions of the Winter Palace
Tours of the Winter Palace - Halls of the first floor
- Second floor of the Winter Palace
- Third floor
- Tourist information
History of the Winter Palace
Architectural features of the building
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Halls of the first floor
The lower floor is not as popular with visitors as the second floor, but even here each room contains unique exhibits recovered by archaeologists.
>The private quarters of the emperor’s daughters
The former apartments of Nicholas I’s daughters in the Winter Palace are given over to the archaeological collection. In the front room there are finds from the Paleolithic Age, in the bright Gothic Drawing Room with its lancet arches and medieval plant reliefs there are Neolithic and early Bronze Age finds. The decor of the Living Room with Cupids appeared in the 50s of the XIX century. The architect Shtakenshneider did not skimp on fat-cheeked cupids: babies with wings hid in the arches, reliefs with their images decorated the ceiling. Now these decorations house a collection of antiquities from the Bronze Age. In the study of Olga Nikolaevna, the future Queen of Württemberg, the architect acted much more delicately: thin golden curves in the upper part of the ceiling vaults shade the artifacts of the Bronze Age. Nearby are simple rooms without decorations, given over to Scythian archaeological collections of weapons, ceramics, jewelry.
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The premises of the brig
From the “women’s” wing, the Kutuzovsky corridor with modest columns leads guests of the Winter Palace past the former brig, now given over to the art halls of the peoples of Altai and other regions of Siberia. The world’s oldest pile carpet, woven in the 4th-3rd centuries B.C., is kept here. In the middle of the corridor the entrance hall of the Saltykovsky entrance, which is in the same style, leads from it to the halls of ancient Altai and Tuvan art and nomadic tribes of Southern Siberia.
.Collection of Central Asian and Caucasian antiquities
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The second floor of the Winter Palace
The northeast wing of the second floor is temporarily closed – its collections have moved to the General Staff building. Next to it is the Grand Throne Room, or St. George’s Hall of the Winter Palace, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi and remodeled after the fire by Vasily Stasov. Carrara marble, a unique parquet of 16 types of wood, an abundance of columns with bronze gilding, mirrors and powerful lamps are designed to draw attention to the throne standing on the dais, ordered in England for Empress Anna Ioannovna. The huge room passes into the relatively small Apollo Hall, which connects the Winter Palace with the Small Hermitage.
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Grand Parade Enfilade
Access to the Throne Room is via the 1812 Military Gallery, containing works by George Dawe and the artists of his studio – over 300 portraits of Russian generals, participants in the Napoleonic Wars. The designer of the gallery was the architect Carlo Rossi. On the other side of the gallery is an enfilade of state rooms. The Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace, designed by Stasov, contains symbols of Russian provinces and solid stone bowls made of aventurine. The Petrovsky or Small Throne Hall, conceived by Montferrand and restored by Stasov, is dedicated to Peter the Great. Its walls are decorated with burgundy Lyon velvet sewn with gold, the ceiling is covered with gold reliefs. The throne was ordered for the imperial family at the end of the XVIII century. The White Field Marshal’s Hall houses Western European porcelain and sculpture.
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Nevskaya enfilade
The Avanzal is the first in a row of ceremonial rooms facing the Neva. Its main attraction – a French rotunda with 8 malachite columns supporting a bronze gilded dome – was put here in the middle of the last century. Through the Avansal opens the entrance to the largest room of the Winter Palace, the Nicholas Hall, with Corinthian columns and monochrome ceiling paintings. There is no permanent exhibition in it, only temporary exhibitions are organized. On the opposite side of the Nicholas Hall is the snow-white Concert Hall with paired Corinthian columns and antique reliefs. Adjoining the Nevsky Enfilade is the Romanov Portrait Gallery, which contains portraits of members of the imperial family, beginning with Peter the Great.
Part of the north-west wing is temporarily closed, including the Arap’s Hall with Greek decoration, which served as a dining room. Waiting for guests Rotunda – a spacious round hall with rectangular and round Corinthian columns, a simple circular balcony in the second tier, the ceiling with recesses-coffers decorated with reliefs. The floor with circular inlays of precious wood is particularly spectacular. Going from the Nevsky enfilade to the chambers of the heir to the throne, the small halls overlooking the Dark Corridor are given over to 18th century art objects.
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Private quarters of the Emperor and Empress
Emperor Nicholas I spared no expense on interiors, so each room of the private chambers is a true masterpiece of design art. The malachite living room of Alexandra Feodorovna is decorated with emerald green vases, columns, and a fireplace. The richly ornamented floor and carved ceiling perfectly harmonize with the exhibition of decorative and applied arts. Next to it is the Small Dining Room, decorated in the rococo style. The furniture chosen for the Empress’s study is by Gumbs, the best master of the era. The architect Carlo Rossi made sketches of furniture for the neighboring room. The Emperor’s smoking room impresses with its oriental opulence and bright colors. Not many halls in the Winter Palace are associated with the name of Nicholas II – the last emperor preferred other residences. His library with high windows in the English Gothic style and a carved fireplace, imitating a medieval book depository, has been preserved.
.Interiors of Russian houses in the Winter Palace
The Imperial Wing has rooms reproducing the interiors of urban wealthy houses of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Neo-Russian style is represented by pieces of furniture from the 1900s with fairy-tale folklore motifs. In the former Adjutantskaya there is an original ash set in Art Nouveau style. The austere neoclassical interior is enlivened by a light portrait of Princess Yusupova. “Second” rococo of the middle of the XIX century is no less opulent than the samples of a century ago. “Pompeian dining room” with furniture by Gumbs refers the viewer to archaeological finds. The Gothic study is decorated with furniture from the Golitsyn-Stroganov estate, reproducing the forms of the European knightly Middle Ages – carved backs and armrests of armchairs, gloomy tones of wood. The boudoir is the former restroom of Alexandra Fyodorovna with brightly painted furniture of the 40-50s of the XIX century. The living room of the manor house with white columns demonstrates a strict classical interior.
.The quarters of the future Emperor Alexander II and his wife
In the southwestern part of the second floor of the Winter Palace are the chambers of Alexander II, furnished when he was heir to the throne and preparing for his wedding. The rooms occupied by the future Empress Maria Alexandrovna are architecturally remarkable: the Green Dining Room with lavish rococo decor, the White Hall with many reliefs and sculptures, the Golden Drawing Room with elaborate stucco ornamentation, parquet flooring and a jasper fireplace, the Crimson Study with textile wallpaper, the Blue Bedroom with golden columns.
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Collection of Western European Art
The wing of the heir to the throne and the enfilade dedicated to the victory in the War of 1812 contain paintings and works of decorative arts from Great Britain and France: works by Reynolds, Gainsborough, Watteau, Boucher, Greuze, Fragonard, Lorrain, and the famous bust of Voltaire by Houdon. In the south-eastern wing there is the Alexander Hall with a collection of silverware in noble white and blue colors, combining elements of Gothic and classicism. Next to it is the Big Church designed by Rastrelli in the Baroque style. The Picket Hall, where the palace guard was raised, is temporarily closed.
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Third floor
The functioning halls of the third floor in the Winter Palace are given over to the Islamic art of the Middle East, Byzantium, the Hun State, India, China, and Japan. Among the most valuable exhibits are finds from the Cave of 1000 Buddhas, ancient Chinese furniture and ceramics, Buddhist relics, and treasures from Tibet.
.Tourist Information
How to get there
The official address of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is 2 Palace Square. The nearest metro station is “Admiralteyskaya”, from it you need to walk a little more than 100 meters to the north. The Palace Embankment bus stop is located to the west of the Winter Palace. There are wheelchair elevators and elevators inside the palace. You must enter the museum through the main turnstile.
.Ticket prices and opening hours
A visit to the entire Hermitage complex, including the Winter Palace, costs 600 rubles, and is free on the first Thursday of the month. If you want to visit only the Winter Palace, a ticket for 300 rubles will suffice. It is recommended to purchase tickets in advance via the Internet, so as not to stand in line at the ticket office or terminal. This can be done on the official website www.hermitagemuseum.org. Children and students, Russian pensioners – a preferential category that receives free tickets. The day off is Monday, access to tourists is open from 10:30 to 18:00, on Wednesday and Friday – until 21 hours. The Winter Palace is not open on New Year’s Day and May 9.
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