Where is the summer palace located? Story

03.05.2020

Summer Palace Peter I in St. Petersburg. A historical building in the Petrine Baroque style, a former imperial residence, built according to the design of D. A. Trezzini in 1710-1714. Currently, the building is part of the Russian Museum.

The Summer Palace of Peter I is one of the oldest buildings in St. Petersburg; it was built in 1714 and has been preserved in its original form to this day. The two-story palace was intended only for summer residence, so it had thin walls and single window frames. The Emperor first settled in the unfinished palace already in 1712 and in summer time lived there for the rest of his years. It was the Summer Palace that gave the name to the Summer Garden.

The facade of the palace is decorated with bas-reliefs from the events of the Northern War by A. Schlüter, where Peter I himself is depicted in the image of Perseus, and the hipped roof is decorated with corner gutters in the form of winged dragons. The roof itself was crowned with a weather vane, indicating the direction and strength of the wind. The general appearance of the Baroque palace is outwardly modest, the building has even proportions and an abundance of windows on all sides of the building. It is interesting that the building is strictly oriented to the west and east, this was the embodiment of the emperor’s idea that Russia was equally aimed at both of these sides of the world.

The Summer Palace is quite small - it consists of only 14 rooms (7 per floor). The discreet appearance of external forms was compensated by wealth interior decoration. The interiors were painted by Russian artists A. Zakharov, I. Zavarzin and F. Matveev. Among the most noticeable decorations inside the palace are an oak panel in the lower vestibule, unique Dutch tiles, fireplaces with stucco bas-reliefs, and picturesque lampshades. The themes of glorifying Russian culture were widely used in decoration. military glory, many sculptural and artistic decorative elements are dedicated to this.

The rooms of Peter I were located on the first floor, and his wife and children on the second. The palace also included reception rooms (“assembly rooms”), an office, a throne room, and even the king’s personal punishment cell. One of the rooms of the palace was occupied by a mechanical turning workshop, where the emperor loved not only to work personally, but also to receive reports from nobles.

In Peter's time, there was a small harbor near the palace - Gavanets, which was later filled up after a flood. It made it possible to swim up to the entrance to the palace directly by boat. The water surrounding the palace was also used for sewerage.

After the death of Peter I the palace for a long time it was used as a summer residence for dignitaries and courtiers; the Supreme Privy Council met here, but the reigning persons themselves no longer lived in the palace. It is to this that the palace owes its preservation - Elizabeth built herself a new summer residence, but no one began to rebuild Peter’s palace.

In 1925, the palace came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Museum, and since 1934 it has become a full-fledged museum exhibition dedicated to Peter I.

The Summer Palace of Peter I is included in the Unified State Register of Cultural Heritage Objects (historical and cultural monuments) of Russia.

Note to tourists:

A visit to the Summer Palace of Peter I will be interesting for tourists interested in the architecture of the early 18th century, for everyone who wants to see the exhibitions located on the territory, and can also become one of the points excursion program while exploring nearby attractions -

The Summer Palace of Peter I in St. Petersburg was built in 1711–1712. designed by the architect Domenico Trezzini. Architects and sculptors from Western Europe: Andreas Schlüter, Georg-Johann Mattarnovi, Jean-Baptiste-Alexandre Leblond.

The Summer Palace of Peter I has a happy fate: after the death of Peter the palace never rebuilt, although there were some losses in interior decoration. The layout and appearance of the building, picturesque lampshades with allegorical content, pine wardrobes, tiled stoves and wall decoration with painted Dutch tiles, wooden paneling of the ground floor premises, interior decoration of the Lower and Upper Cookrooms and the Green Office have been preserved unchanged to this day. The unique wind instrument in the Cabinet of Peter I still shows the direction and strength of the wind, as well as time. On the second floor there is a Danzig wardrobe, in which, according to legend, Peter I kept his linen and boots.

The Summer Palace is valuable not only as one of the early architectural monuments of St. Petersburg, but also as evidence of the tastes, interests, and aspirations of Peter I, which were reflected in the architectural features of the monument.

To set up his residence, Peter I chose a habitable and advantageously located manor on a cape between the Neva and the Nameless Erik (now the Fontanka River), where the estate of the Swedish major Erich Berndt von Konow (Konau) was located - a small house with a farm yard and garden. At first, Peter could use the Konau house for living, but perhaps even then he built his own house for him. Ivan Matveev (Ugryumov), who from 1705 to 1707 supervised all engineering and construction work on the former Swedish manor. It was this building that I saw in 1710–1711. author of “Description of St. Petersburg and Kronshlot”: “Right by the river,” he writes, “the royal residence, that is, a small house in the garden of the Dutch facade, colorfully painted with gilded window frames and lead ornaments.”

On Peter’s instructions, a stone building was built on the site of his former house according to the design of the architect D. Trezzini. On April 17, 1712, Peter had already moved to live in the Summer Palace, and a year later the royal residence was visited by “overseas” guests: “On the third day [July] 6 Dutch and English trading ships came here, of which galliot and gukar (types of Dutch ships XVIII c.) they moored to me, that is, to my very chambers...”

After the death of Peter I, the Summer Palace lost its significance as a royal residence. Court servants lived here for some time . During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter’s daughter, who honored the memory of her father, the “dilapidations” were repaired, and the former royal residence in the first half of the 19th century began to be used as a place for the summer residence of prominent dignitaries of that time.

For the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, an exhibition of monuments from the Peter the Great era was held in the Summer Palace. Portraits and engravings, banners, military weapons, pieces of furniture and applied art, books, and drawings were delivered from the imperial palaces, the Hermitage, and the State Archive. The bed of Peter I from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, presented at the exhibition, is still on display at the palace.

After 1917, the palace was preserved as a historical and architectural monument, but did not yet have the status of a museum. In 1925, the palace was transferred to the jurisdiction of the historical and everyday life department of the State Russian Museum, where exhibitions were held that were not related to the historical past of the palace.

Since 1934, the Summer Palace of Peter I became independent museum memorial, historical and artistic nature. At the museum's exhibition you can see the clothes of Peter I, furniture, paintings and engravings, and objects of applied art from Peter's time.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Summer Palace was damaged by a blast wave, but the damage was repaired already in 1946, and the following year the palace-museum was opened to visitors. In the 1960s The palace underwent a comprehensive restoration under the leadership of the architect A. E. Gessen.

Since 2004, the Summer Palace has become part of the State Russian Museum. In 2015–2017 A comprehensive restoration was carried out in the palace, which was preceded by the painstaking work of historians and art critics. During the restoration process, the atmosphere of a royal home from the early 18th century was restored in the palace.

Of particular note is the restoration of the picturesque lampshades in seven rooms of the Summer Palace, after which the darkened unique painting was brought closer to its original color. There was a feeling of air and floating of allegorical figures.

In the Green Cabinet, where Peter’s rarities were located in special display cabinets, which marked the beginning of the history of the Kunstkamera in St. Petersburg, the unique wall painting on wood of the early 18th century was cleaned and strengthened. The oak doors and shutters in the palace have been restored, and the parquet floors and fabrics on the walls have been updated in accordance with historical materials. 19th century window frames have been replaced.

Particular attention was paid to the famous wind instrument (anemometer), which was ordered by Peter I in Dresden and installed in the Summer Palace in 1714. The device combines three dials: one of them is an hour dial, the other two are indicators of wind direction and speed. The arrows of the right and left dials are connected to the weather vane located on the roof through a shaft cut into the wall. The device is an integral part of the Summer Palace, its most unique rarity. The wind device has a carved frame on which mythological characters are represented: the lord of the winds Aeolus, the lord of the seas Neptune and sea emblems - rudders of ships, oars, tridents and a crown of rostra - prows of ships - crowning the frame.

Specialists carefully approached the restoration of the Lower and Upper Povaren, decorated with painted Dutch tiles. In Nizhnyaya Povarna there is a sink made of black marble, which is part of the water supply system of Peter the Great's time. Under the palace building, a brick vaulted tunnel has been preserved, which provided the operation of a flow-through sewer system - the first in St. Petersburg.

An updated gilded weather vane shone on the roof of the palace.

Existing now Winter Palace in St. Petersburg – the sixth in a row. year was founded Peter-Pavel's Fortress, under whose protection the construction began new capital Russian Empire– city of St. Petersburg. In the autumn of 1704, a shipbuilding shipyard, the Admiralty, was founded on the left bank of the Neva. Settlements populated by shipbuilders and sailors arose around it.

In one of these settlements, in the early 1710s, the Winter House of Peter I was built, next to which the Winter Canal was later dug.

The first Winter Palace was a small two-story building covered with a high tiled roof. It was very modestly decorated - pilasters on the corners, rectangular frames on the windows, a central portal. Low service wings adjoined it on both sides.

By 1721, according to the design of the architect I.S. Mattarnovi, the Second Winter Palace was erected, with facades overlooking the Neva and the Winter Canal. It was larger than the First Winter Palace, had a high sloping roof, an emphasized center and a modest façade decorated with pilasters. Soon Domenico Trezzini (c. 1670-1734) begins to build the third Winter Palace. He included the second palace in the new one as the western wing. The new building was distinguished by the elegant design of the center.

The next Winter Palaces were built closer to the Admiralty, where the palace of Admiral General Apraksin, the Kikin house, and the chambers of Raguzinsky and Yaguzhinsky had previously stood. In 1783-89, the Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi, by order of Empress Catherine II, began to build the Hermitage Theater on the site of the Third Winter Palace. He used the ground and first floors of the former royal residence as load-bearing structures. Later, Emperor Nicholas I tried unsuccessfully to find traces of her. It seemed as if the palace had disappeared forever...

Opening of the Winter Palace of Peter I

During the archaeological and restoration work of 1976-1986, truly sensational results were obtained. Researchers discovered six rooms of the central building of Peter's palace, fragments of the former front courtyard, bypass galleries and several rooms of the residential building.

Fragment of the front courtyard, bypass galleries and “Small Tents” of the Third Winter Palace. Photo from Wikipedia

Premises and interiors of the restored Winter Palace of Peter I

Front courtyard of the Winter Palace of Peter I located under the stage of the Hermitage Theater. Five arches of the facade have been preserved. The three right arches belonged to the central risalit of the Third Winter Palace. In Peter's time, above them was Cavalier Hall, where in the winter of 1725 the farewell ceremony for the Russian Emperor took place.

In 1725-26, two-story galleries were added to the risalit, two of which have been preserved on the ground floor level.

As archaeological studies have shown, the courtyard was originally laid out with bricks in a herringbone pattern. In the middle of the 18th century it was paved with cobblestones.

Truly fantastic discoveries awaited archaeologists and restorers. The so-called "Small tents"— living quarters of Emperor Peter I, built according to the design of the architect I.G. Mattarnovi in 1716-1719 The two-story residential wing was part of the Third Winter Palace and was connected by a passage with "Embankment Chambers".

In 1719 it was dug Winter groove. Along it, in front of the chambers, a parterre garden with a fountain was laid out and a harbor was built. Peter I did not like to live in spacious rooms with high ceilings. The area of living rooms is 16-21 square meters. m, the ceiling height of the first floor is 3.8 m, the second floor is 3 m.

The “small tents” were covered with a red tiled roof, the facade was painted gray. In 1726-27, when work was carried out to expand the palace, the “Small Tents” were not affected, because Catherine I wanted to keep her chambers and those of Peter I intact. During the construction of the Hermitage Theater, the second floor, where the Empress’s chambers were located, was dismantled, and the walls of the first floor, where Peter’s chambers were located, became load-bearing structures. Five of the seven chambers of the emperor have retained their layout.

During restoration work 1989-1992. interiors restored Turners, Desk, Dining Room, Stoker's Closet and Seine. Tiled stoves and fireplaces, windows with oak frames, wall panels and parquet floors, and the original façade painting with gray lime were recreated. The other two rooms were cut off by the theater wall.

The height of the desk is noteworthy. Unfortunately, this impression is hidden in the photograph, but when you see it in reality, you understand how enormous Peter the Great was.

In one of the restored rooms there are portraits of members of the imperial family. The photograph below shows portraits of Tsarevich Alexei (1690-1718), the son of Peter the Great from Evdokia Lopukhina, his wife Charlotte Sophia Christina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1694-1715), Peter II (1715-1730), the eldest daughter of Peter I and Catherine I Anna Petrovna (1708-1728), Catherine I (1684-1727), wife of Peter I.

On the wall of one of the halls you can see an old engraving of the farewell ceremony for Peter I. The Emperor died on January 28 (February 8), 1725, and was buried on March 10, 1725.

In one of the halls - "Wax Person" of Peter I. It was created by B.K. Rastrelli at the request of Empress Catherine I. On the third day after Peter’s death, plaster casts were taken from the exposed parts of the body and then molds were cast from a mixture of pure beeswax, pine resin and chalk. The figure is carved from wood, the joints of the arms and legs are made on hinges so that their position can be changed. The wig is made from the king's own hair, cut in 1722 during the Persian campaign. Work on the “wax person” was completed in July 1725.

"Wax Person" of Peter I

After the death of Catherine I, court painters, sculptors, and craftsmen lived and worked in the Winter Palace. In 1738, by decree, the first “music school” in Russia was opened, where 12 Russian boys and girls, under the guidance of an Italian dance master, studied the art of dance.

In 1749, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna donated the palace for apartments to veterans of the first guards company of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment as a token of gratitude for the services provided to her during the palace coup of 1741. From that time on, the Petrovsky Palace began to be called the Life Campaign Corps. In 1762, by decree of Catherine II, the “life company” was abolished, the building was transferred to the palace servants and the Italian troupe. In 1766 it came under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters. In 1783-87. Giacomo Quarenghi built the Hermitage Theater on this site.

Ancient drawings presented in the museum’s exhibition give an idea of what the Third Winter Palace of Peter I looked like:

Information for visitors

Address: St. Petersburg, Dvortsovaya embankment, 32
Operating mode: Tuesday - Saturday 10.30 - 17.00, Sunday 10.30 - 16.00, day off - Monday. The ticket office closes one hour before the museum closes.

Cultural heritage Russian Federation: imperial palaces. Part 1

Summer Palace of Peter I

Until 1703, here, near the Neva and Fontanka, there was the estate of the Swedish officer Konau. After the founding of St. Petersburg, in 1704, the summer residence of Peter I, which became known as the Summer Garden, was located on the site of the estate. At the same time, a wooden house was built here for him. This house was built on the very corner, in the place where the Fontanka flows from the Neva. A small havanese was dug from the Fontanka near the Summer House of Peter I, thus surrounding it with water on three sides. The water approached the very porch of the building.

Cabinet
The Summer Palace of Peter I is the name of the residence of Peter I that has survived to this day in its original form. It is located in the Summer Garden (St. Petersburg).

On August 18, 1710, the architect Domenico Trezzini began to build a new stone Summer Palace of Peter I on the site of a wooden one. This house was built in the Dutch style, as Peter I loved. It became one of the first stone residential buildings in St. Petersburg, along with the Menshikov Palace and Golovkin's house. Construction of the Summer Palace of Peter I took four years

Lower kitchen
On the first floor of the Summer Palace there were Peter's chambers, on the second - his wife Catherine and children. On the ground floor there was the king's reception room. Here he accepted written requests and oral complaints. A punishment cell was set up next to the reception area, where Peter personally shoved the guilty and then released them himself. From the reception room one could get into a large “assembly” room.

Writing instrument of Peter I

Staircase to the chambers of Empress Catherine I.

Upper kitchen

Green office

Chinese living room

Children's

Catherine I's bedroom

Throne room

Reception room of Catherine I
Peter I lived in this house only from May to October. That’s why the palace is called the Summer Palace and has fairly thin walls. There are 14 rooms, two kitchens and two corridors. The ceiling height is only 3.3 meters. One of Peter I’s favorite rooms in the Summer Palace was the turning room. Her household was managed by the famous mechanic Andrei Nartov

Turning

The first sewerage system in St. Petersburg appeared in the Summer Palace. Water was supplied to the house by pumps and flowed into the Fontanka. The operation of the flowing sewer system was facilitated by the fact that the building was washed on three sides by water, the driving force being the flow of the Fontanka. After the flood of 1777, Havanets was filled up and the sewerage system ceased to function.

Dining room
In the lobby of the Summer Palace, an attempt was made on Peter I by one of the schismatics. After this, his fellow believers were ordered to wear a piece of red and yellow fabric on their clothes in order to distinguish them from other people.

Since 1934, a historical and everyday life museum has been operating in the Summer Palace. The decoration of the premises was created by artists A. Zakharov, I. Zavarzin, F. Matveev.

Painting "Summer Palace of Peter I". Series “Views of St. Petersburg”. Paper, watercolor, ink. State Hermitage Museum. Gift of the artist to Emperor Alexander I (1810) Andrey Efimovich Martynov

The Summer Palace was built in the Baroque style. It is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The two-story palace is quite modest and consists of only fourteen rooms and two kitchens.

The facade of the palace is decorated with 29 bas-reliefs, which depict the events of the Northern War in allegorical form. The bas-reliefs were made by the German architect and sculptor Andreas Schlüter.

Peter moved into the partially finished palace in 1712 and lived there in the summer until his death (1725). He occupied the ground floor, and the premises on the second floor were intended for Catherine. After the death of Peter, until the middle of the 19th century, the palace was used as a summer residence for dignitaries and courtiers.

Navigation devices from the time of Peter I are still in use today
In 1934, a historical and everyday life museum was opened in the palace building.

During the Great Patriotic War, the building suffered: frames were torn out, plaster on the ceilings of rooms and on the facade fell off, the roof was damaged by shell fragments. Restoration of the palace began in 1946. In 1947, the museum was reopened to the public. In the 1950-1960s, a full-scale restoration was carried out in order to restore the original appearance of the palace, including replacing the floors, changing the heating system, restoring the sculpting, the design of the lampshades, and returning the fabric upholstery to the walls.

Currently the museum is a branch of the Russian Museum.
Address - Summer Garden, 3
Photo - S.N. Kudas
Winter Palace of Peter I
I enter the Palace, where there is silence,
Light candlelight as at that time
And the spirit of Peter's era greets me,
And history is a long burden.
Leonid Vstrechny

Unknown Italian (?) artist, based on a drawing by M.I. Makhaeva. View of the Winter Palace. Fragment of the Winter Palace of Peter I - the personal residence of Emperor Peter I, erected on the Neva embankment near the Winter Canal, an architectural memorial monument of architecture of the early 18th century, partially preserved and located in the building of the Hermitage Theater, included in museum complex State Hermitage.

Front arcade
On the site of Admiralty Island, adjacent to the courtyard of the shipwright Feodosius Sklyaev, between the present Millionnaya Street and the Neva embankment, the Wedding Chambers of Peter I were built in 1712, located on the Upper Embankment, which then ran approximately in the middle of the block.
However, after 4 years, the Winter Court of Peter I expanded significantly to the north: piles were driven along the shallow waters of the river and a new embankment, which still exists today, was built: “... when the Millionnaya Line embankment began to be built with stone chambers, then this line of the structure moved onto the Neva River for several fathoms, then the aforementioned tents of the previous structure remained in the yard"

G. Mattarnovi. Facade project. 1716
Peter I conceived the new Winter House on the newly organized embankment as a personal residence that fully corresponded to his lifestyle and tastes. In 1716, architect Georg Mattarnovi created a project and began construction. The royal family remains to live in the old palace - the Wedding Chambers.
Location Features
The seemingly random position of the palace among the usual ordinary buildings of philistine houses was in fact surprisingly well chosen by Peter I himself. It is from here that even now the most impressive panoramas of the Neva in front of the Strelka are revealed Vasilyevsky Island, given the banks of the Big Neva and the space of the Little Neva stretching out to the sea: “... the palace is located so that from it one can see most of the city, the fortress, the house of Prince Menshikov and especially the open sea through the river branch.”
- Description of the capital city of St. Petersburg // White Nights. L., 1975. P. 213.

The main facade, facing the Neva, was far from the ceremonial representativeness of the palaces of St. Petersburg nobles, reminiscent of a respectable burgher's dwelling. The central risalit with four windows on the first floor is rusticated, and on the second it is decorated with pilasters of the Doric order.
In the triangular pediment, two allegorical figures supported a cartouche for the coat of arms, surmounted by a crown. The side parts of the facade with wide blades between the windows are decorated with panels with garlands. The roof is of the Dutch type (with a fracture), above the risalit is in the form of a tent with a decorative vase. The rooms did not exceed 18 square meters. m, and only in the front building facing the Neva, the Great Hall had an area of 75 square meters. m, and the corner one to the Winter Canal is 41 sq. m. m. Note the L-shaped corridor separating the king’s rooms.

The front yard and sleigh of Peter I
Returning in March 1718 after a trip to Europe, Peter I made adjustments to the design of the new palace, ordering “to make... eight chambers of the upper housing” in “small tents”
According to Mattarnovi's sketches, the palace was magnificently decorated using red marble on the walls of the Great Hall, plaster reliefs, oak doors and window frames. The palace had four oak staircases and floors - "French style with frames." In February 1720, the palace was ready.

Isolated from neighboring buildings (including Wedding tents) palace complex it also included a service building with a gallery, a boathouse for storing and repairing the sailing boat of Peter I.

Basement in the central part of the palace
Between the boathouse and the living quarters of the palace there was a Havanese (7.5x16 m) and a tiny (16x19 m) parterre flower garden with a fountain at the intersection of the diagonal paths was built. The patio was lined with Dutch yellow brick.

Small tents of the Winter House of Peter I. Architect G. Mattarnovi, 1716
The architect Georg Johann Mattarnovi died suddenly on November 2, 1719, while the palace was in the midst of construction. Whether N.F. Gerbel or B.F. Rastrelli were among his successors is not documented.

Garden stroller of Peter I
In the period from 1719 to 1722, the central and eastern parts of the front building of the state halls facing the Neva were built. Matarnovi refused any identification of intermediate parts connecting the three risalits, and made them extremely small - only three windows. However, visually they appear larger thanks to two more windows, which are compositionally related to the side projections. The new extended and generally solemn facade organically included the western part of the palace, built earlier and already representing one whole. To achieve unity, this western “burgher” façade of the Mattarnovi Winter House is repeated as an eastern risalit.

VIEW OF THE OLD WINTER PALACE IN WHICH PETER I DIED. Engraving by E. Vinogradov from a drawing by M. Makhaev. 1753.
The architect concentrated the entire effect of the royal residence in the center, repeating the well-known effect of a three-span triumphal arch Roman Caesars. Powerful columns of the Corinthian order on high pedestals adjoin paired pilasters and form a Baroque, skyward portico of four pillars carrying a strongly loosened entablature.

The main plastic element is the attic with a spectacular finish. Tall, complex with numerous projections and wests, emphasized by panels, it also carries three magnificent Baroque cartouches along the continuation of the window axes. The central cartouche, decorated with figures and a large crown rising on a pedestal, has the complex outlines characteristic of German art. On the axes of the columns and on the attic there are four statues with attributes characteristic of the allegories of Peter the Great’s time.

With the construction of the Winter Palace of Peter I, the time of modest royal dwellings ends - this palace becomes the most solemn in St. Petersburg. At the same time, with all its divisions, scale, window sizes and cornice heights, the palace is organically connected with the surrounding buildings along the Neva embankment, which gives reason to talk about laying the foundations of ensemble architecture, characteristic of the St. Petersburg architecture of the subsequent era.

By the autumn of 1723, the new part of the palace was ready. On November 24, here, in the new Cavalier Hall, a great feast took place, ending with a wonderful fireworks display on the ice of the Neva. And on December 9, in the Great Palace Hall, in the presence of the entire court and many close associates, the betrothal of the Duke of Holstein to the eldest daughter of Peter I, Anna, took place. The Great Hall was very large - 17.95 by 11.56 meters, height - 6.69 meters. The walls were completed with a frieze and cornice, which were crowned with a paduga. Five large chandeliers hung from a rectangular panel on the ceiling. It was this hall that became the “Sad” or “Funeral Salo” of Peter the Great.
In 1725, Peter I died in this palace.

After the death of the Tsar in 1726 - 1727, on the orders of Catherine I, the palace was expanded by Domenico Trezzini towards Bolshaya Nemetskaya Street. A square of service buildings is also being built along the perimeter of the site, and the Havanese is filled in. Instead of numerous, different-time and different-character buildings located on the site, it was necessary to create a two-story building of considerable length with rhythmically articulated modest facades overlooking the canal and Bolshaya Nemetskaya Street, where it was planned to build an arch to enter the large front courtyard. Everything was done with incredible haste.

Some work continued after the death of Catherine I; interiors were created for Peter II. The last changes in appearance date back to 1731 in connection with the return of the court to St. Petersburg from Moscow. However, Anna Ioannovna settled in Apraksin’s house, which stood on the same Upper Embankment, but closer to the Admiralty. Subsequently, the Old Winter Palace was used for various needs of the imperial court, and under Elizabeth Petrovna, a life campaign company was stationed there, with the help of which the daughter of Peter I took the royal throne. At the end of the 18th century, the Hermitage Theater was built on this site.

Small tents of Peter's Winter House
It seemed that Peter's Winter Palace was lost and buried forever under the new theater building of the architect Giacomo Quarenghi. The research undertaken by Nicholas I, oddly enough, did not produce results and our ancestors forgot for a long time about the palace that once existed.

The first architectural studies were carried out by the chief architect of the Hermitage V. P. Lukin and a researcher in his department E. M. Bazhenova in 1976, 1979 and 1981. A series of soundings laid across the building of the Hermitage Theater made it possible to identify the boundaries of the old walls of Peter the Great’s palace, the so-called “Small Tents”. Subsequent excavations and field surveys carried out in 1985-1987 made it possible to carry out a graphic reconstruction and, using extensive documentary material, to determine the stages of construction of the Winter House of Peter I. The group of researchers included architects G. V. Mikhailov, V. K. Galochkin, I. V. Burkovskaya, V. V. Efimov.

Painting by Paul Delaroche "Peter the Great"
Research carried out by architects showed that during the construction of the Hermitage Theater (1783-1789), Quarenghi preserved individual walls of the basement and first floors of Peter the Great's palace, as well as entire groups of premises for various purposes. In the space under the theater stage, a part of the front courtyard was discovered, surrounded on both sides by arcades of bypass galleries and enfilades of rooms of the Winter Palace.

The plot of land adjacent to the facade, when recreated, is lined with clinker bricks, as it was under Peter I, and in the higher part of the courtyard - with cobblestones (mid-18th century). On the surface of the walls, which preserved elements of architectural decor - rustication and medallions, under layers of plaster of a later time, particles of paint were discovered, in accordance with the color of which the walls were painted in our time.

Several rooms of the first floor of the “Small Tents” of Peter I have also been preserved. In three of them, historical interiors have been recreated, and the decoration of the rooms has been restored according to documents describing the work carried out in them: wall panels made of Dutch tiles, type-setting parquet floors, oak shutters and window frames. In the office of Peter I, the stove and fireplace were preserved, the tiled decoration of which was also restored “in the Dutch style.” The furnishings are made up of items that belonged to Peter I, which are kept in the Hermitage collection.

In addition, on two floors of the theater along the Winter Canal, twelve residential chambers of the “Newly Built Chambers” of Empress Catherine I, created by Domenico Trezzini in 1726-1727, have been preserved. In the restored premises of the palace in 1992 it opened permanent exhibition. Entrance for visitors from the side Palace Embankment(house no. 32). Opening hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10.30 - 17.00; Sunday 10.30 - 16.00; day off - Monday. Among the uncovered and restored interiors, the following exhibitions should be noted:
Cabinet

Interior decorated with map Baltic Sea and paintings: “View of the New Bridge in Paris” (H. Mommers) and “Portrait of Peter I” (Peter van der Werf). The desk of Peter I was made in England according to the Tsar's drawing. On it you can see a telescope, a sun and mechanical clock, an inkwell, a sandbox, as well as an amber box presented to Peter I by the Prussian king Frederick William I.
Dining room

The interior is decorated with Flemish tapestry and paintings by Dutch artists of the 17th century. On the table there is a Chinese porcelain dish, a Dutch crystal goblet with engraving, a refrigerator bucket from Augsburg with a bottle of wine, found here during excavations of the central part of the palace. Between the windows is an English clock with a miniature portrait.
Turning

The main attraction is the lathe and copying machine.
Front yard

Here you can see the carnival sleigh and garden carriage of Peter I - a rare example of a pleasure carriage from the early 18th century

Wax person of Peter I
Under the once existing “Funeral Salo”, where Peter the Great was buried, the premises of the palace guardhouse (guardhouse) have been preserved, in which it was decided to display the “Wax Person”. Peter I died on January 29, 1725 in the “Kontorka” - a study located in the western part of the palace. Immediately after the death of the emperor, K. B. Rastrelli removed the plaster mask from his face and made casts of his hands and feet. Based on these casts and a mask, in 1725 he created “Persona”

The city that is rightfully considered the cultural capital of Russia is St. Petersburg. Having visited it once, you want to come back again and again. Every corner, every centimeter is imbued with the centuries-old history of the Russian Empire. Streets, squares, gardens, parks, bridges, museums and architectural monuments create a unique atmosphere in this city. Anyone who comes to St. Petersburg will be able to feel the unique harmony of excellent settlement. The sights of St. Petersburg never cease to amaze its guests. Particularly popular among tourists is the main pearl of which is the palace of Peter I, on which we will focus our attention.

The history of the first Summer Palace

After construction of the Admiralty began on the left bank of the Neva, residential buildings began to appear house after house. Peter I also chose a site for his residence - the territory on the coast of the Neva between the Mya (Maika) river and the Nameless Erik (Fontanka). The first Summer Palace was a small wooden structure. The plastered and painted building did not stand out in any way among the other buildings located in the neighborhood, and bore little resemblance to the royal residence.

Symbol of the new policy of Russia

The victory near Poltava in 1709 meant a turning point in the Northern War in favor of the Russian army. The hasty construction of numerous stone buildings began in St. Petersburg. During this period, the Lebyazhy Canal was built, which connected the Moika to the Neva. As a result, a small island formed between the rivers. It was on this piece of land that Peter I decided to build a stone palace. By order of the tsar, a project was created that symbolizes the new political direction of Russia. The architect of the Summer Palace, Trezzini, proposed to position the building of the future royal residence in such a way that the same number of windows faced both the west and the east. Peter I approved this idea, and on August 18, 1710, construction of the palace began, which was completed in April 1712.

Summer house

An amazing feature of this structure was that during its construction the city's first sewer system was built. Water was supplied to the house using pumps, and the drain went into the Fontanka. Since the Summer Palace was surrounded by water on three sides, the driving force was the flow of the river itself. However, after the flood that occurred in 1777, the small Gavanets Bay, located in front of the house, had to be filled up. This caused the first sewerage system to cease to function.

First floor of the palace

The Tsar moved to the Summer Palace, the photo of which is presented below, with his entire family immediately after construction was completed and lived in it from spring until late autumn. It occupied six rooms located on the ground floor, including a bedroom with a fireplace. Nearby there was a reception room where various meetings were held and important matters were decided. The king's favorite room was a lathe with a machine, where the emperor free time mastered the craft of a carpenter. He spared no effort for his work and was proud of the fact that he had calluses on his hands.

Second floor of the palace

The Summer Palace of Peter I also had a second floor, to which a massive oak staircase led. There were six rooms here, which housed the queen with her ladies-in-waiting and children. The interior of the second floor was significantly different from the first, as there was a huge number of mirrors and paintings. Next to the bedroom of Catherine I there was a beautifully decorated throne room in which the queen decided her affairs. The Green Cabinet surprised visitors with its magnificent gilded decoration, numerous ivory and wood figurines, and amazingly beautiful Chinese frescoes. A special room was allocated for parties and dances.

Summer garden

A magnificent garden was laid out near the palace in 1720, which resembled a huge park. Beautiful alleys stretch throughout the entire garden. They share an area with beautifully trimmed trees and shrubs. Sculptures symbolizing Russia were installed throughout the territory. In addition, in the garden there were many marble busts, the creation of which was carried out by the best Italian craftsmen. Particular attention was paid to the construction of fountains, which served as decoration for the palace grounds. Due to the fact that the Summer Palace was surrounded by water on three sides, special boats were offered to guests for walks.

Historical memo

The Tsar loved the Summer Palace very much. It was here that he spent the last days of his life. In 1725, in the lobby of the palace, Peter I was attacked by one of the schismatics, which ended in death. After the death of the Tsar, Catherine I never lived in the residence. For some time, meetings were held here, but eventually the palace became a resting place for the imperial courtiers.

Everything beautiful is forever

After three centuries, the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg has undergone virtually no changes. Time has not made any adjustments to the exterior decoration of the palace. Not only the austere appearance of the building, built in the Baroque style, has been preserved to this day, but also the summer frieze under the roof, consisting of twenty-nine bas-reliefs that separate the floors. Under the high hipped roof, gutters built in the form of winged dragons have been preserved, and a weather vane in the form of St. George the Victorious has been installed on it, showing In addition to the external appearance, the main part has been preserved interior decoration: artistic carvings on the walls, painted ceilings and tiled stoves. The Green Study, the dining room and those rooms in which the royal ladies-in-waiting resided have practically the same appearance.

Tour of the Summer Palace

Today this palace is rightfully included in the “Best Sights of St. Petersburg” section. Thousands of tourists strive to visit it. What can you see in the palace?

The main decoration of the lobby is a large panel - a bas-relief of Minerva, carved from wood. It is impossible not to pay attention to the door, the trim on which is made of black marble. It leads to a room that was once the king's reception room. The next room is intended for orderlies; it is not of particular interest. Next is the Assembly Room (Second Reception Room), the main decoration of which is the “Triumph of Russia” lampshade. And between the windows there is an Admiralty chair, which previously belonged to Peter I. Behind the second reception room there is a narrow room that once served as the tsar’s dressing room.

Continuing to explore the Summer Palace, let's move on to the next room - the emperor's office, where some of the king's personal belongings have been preserved. Thus, of interest is a gift from the English King George I - ship's furniture. In the corner there is an oak cabinet with beautiful carvings. In the center there is a huge table and a work chair. A door leads from the office to the royal bedroom. What attracts attention here is the lampshade, which depicts the god of sleep Morpheus holding poppy heads in his hands. Looking at it, determining the purpose of the room is not difficult. In the bedroom there is a beautiful fireplace, in which, according to legend, the royal court jester Balakirev hid.

On the second floor, the most interesting will be the Green Office, which has retained all its decoration in its original form, which has already been described. There is a fireplace in the corner with sculptures of cupids on it. Moving into the dance room, you will find yourself in a world of mirrors. The large mirror in a walnut frame with unique carvings deserves special attention. In the children's room you can see a lampshade depicting a stork holding a snake in its beak, which symbolized the glorious reign of the heir and the death of enemies. Finally, you need to go to Catherine’s throne room, where her throne still stands.

The palace still has a cozy, homely atmosphere that attracts many tourists. People come here not only to see this landmark of St. Petersburg and get acquainted with history. Many people want to understand exactly how the emperor lived and what surrounded him.

Where is the Summer Palace and how to get to it

The palace is located at the address: Summer Garden, building 3. To get to this place, you need to get to the Gostiny Dvor metro station. After this Sadovaya street walk to the Lebyazhya Canal embankment. It is necessary to move towards reducing the numbering of houses. The entrance to the Summer Garden is located near the embankment.