Description of the attraction
The so-called Baryatinsky mansion is located on Tchaikovsky Street in St. Petersburg. For a long time, the mansion belonged to the ancient family of princes Baryatinsky, whose roots go back to the Rurikovichs. At various times, representatives of a noble family were military leaders, served as ambassadors in the countries of Europe and Asia. Prince Baryatinsky Ivan Ivanovich, who lived here, served as a privy councilor, and his son Alexander Ivanovich Baryatinsky, the famous Russian general, governor of the tsar in the Caucasus, led the suppression of the national liberation movement of the mountaineers in the North Caucasus. In 1859 he took Shamil prisoner. Subsequently he was a member of the State Council.
The first owner of the house was F. I. Aprelev, lieutenant general from artillery. Fyodor Ivanovich Aprelev is the inventor of the device used to seal shells in gun barrels, in the presence of which the gun would fail. Aprelev helped start Arakcheev's successful career by recommending him to Pavel I as head of artillery in Gatchina.
Then the mansion was inherited by the son of Fyodor Ivanovich, but he was not the owner for long - he was killed on the day of his wedding on the doorstep of the house. After that, in 1837, the house was purchased by Princess M. F. Baryatinskaya, nee Keller.
The first project of the Baryatinsky mansion was developed in 1837 by E. I. Dimmert. Subsequently, in 1858, the building was expanded according to the project of the architect G. A. Boss. But at that time, it was not possible to fully implement the plan, only the eastern part of the mansion was erected. The western one was already under construction in 1874, according to the project of I. A. Merz, a concert hall was set up here. In 1858 Maria Feodorovna died, and in 1861 on the site of her bedroom a house church was built in honor of Mary Magdalene. After that, the mansion changed its owners several times, but no one stayed here for a long time.
In 1896. the mansion was acquired by the imperial court as a gift for the wedding of Olga Alexandrovna Romanova with Prince Peter Alexandrovich Oldenburgsky. This alliance was a kind of deal, concluded at the insistent desire of Empress Maria Feodorovna, who was trying to get rid of her unloved daughter. In the 90s. 19th century the mansion was reconstructed according to the project of the architect Krichinsky S. S. The pediment of the building was decorated with the Great Coat of Arms of the Grand Duchess in the form of two united coats of arms of Russia and Oldenburg. Under the imperial crown there are two Varangians - shield holders. The interiors for the house of Princess Olga Alexandrovna were created by the architect M. Kh. Dubinsky and artist N. N. Rubtsov. The mansion has been turned into a real palace.
Neither Olga nor Peter were happily married. The prince was poor, suffered from alcoholism, loved gambling, had little interest in his wife. Olga was not entirely beautiful, but very talented. She received an excellent education, drew well, had an easy character. Tired of her husband's "freaks", Olga took fate into her own hands. She met N. Kulikovsky, an officer who served with her brother in the same regiment. In 1916, 10 years after receiving permission for divorce from Emperor Nicholas II, she was able to marry Kulikovsky and take his last name, which helped her escape from death.
After the 1917 revolution, much of the mansion's interiors was lost. At first, communal apartments were arranged in the building, one of them in 1922 was occupied by S. Ya. Marshak. In addition to apartments, there was also a school.
In 1988 the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of St. Petersburg moved to this building, which in 1989 began work on the restoration of the interior decoration of the rooms. Stucco decorations were re-created, ceiling paintings were restored, doors and fireplaces were restored. The right wing now houses the tax inspectorate for the Central District of St. Petersburg, and the left wing houses the center for housing compensation.
