Description of the attraction
When, in the middle of the eighteenth century, a fire on Nevsky Prospekt almost completely destroyed a small mansion - the property of Count S. G. Stroganov, one of the most magnificent palaces in St. Petersburg was built on this site. Construction was carried out in 1753-1754 according to the project and under the direction of the architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
The owner of the palace under construction completely relied on the taste and skill of the court architect. And Rastrelli did not disappoint him, having created a magnificent building in two years. Huge windows and stucco moldings on the facade in the best traditions of the Russian Baroque. Fifty spacious rooms with high ceilings, a sumptuously decorated large hall and gallery filled with artfully selected sculptures and visually expanded with tall mirrors. The gallery housed one of the best private collections of paintings in Russia - works by Rembrandt, Botticelli, Greuze, Poussin, Van Dyck and other famous painters. The Stroganovs were the richest family in Russia. Therefore, the architect designed the palace, taking into account this fact: the main entrance of the palace is decorated with the coats of arms of the Stroganovs - sables and spears - symbols of Siberia, the homeland of this family. Over time, under the influence of changes in fashion, the interiors of the palace were redesigned many times. The most famous architects took part in these works: Voronikhin, Bosse, Rossi, Sadovnikov and others. From the interiors of Rastrelli, the main lobby and the Great Hall with a unique plafond "Triumph of a Hero" have been preserved here.
The Stroganov Palace was a meeting place for the city's cultural elite: its frequent guests were writers G. R. Derzhavin, D. I. Fonvizin, I. L. Krylov, composer D. S. Bortnyansky and other famous personalities. After the revolution, the palace was nationalized. The People's House Museum was opened here. The previous collections of the palaces were partly sold out, partly transferred to the State Hermitage.
Since 1925, various design and economic institutions were located in Stroganovskoye, and museum life ceased. The refined interiors were badly damaged and by the time the building was handed over to the Russian Museum, their condition was deplorable. For 16 years, the Russian Museum has been restoring the Stroganov Palace, as a result of which the original appearance of this most beautiful creation of the eighteenth century was returned. In 2005, the Stroganov Palace was opened to visitors.
Few of the visitors will be uninterested in the Mineral Cabinet, created by the architect Voronikhin. It contains a unique collection of minerals collected throughout Russia and abroad. The Corner and Arabesque halls are remarkable. And the hall with an oak fireplace enchants with the coziness and tranquility of the atmosphere.
An exhibition of wax figures was organized in the palace building, where you can see representatives of the imperial family, members of the Stroganov family, architects who took part in the construction of the palace and the design of its interiors.
Interesting temporary exhibitions are held here, and by 2012 the Art Gallery, the Library and the Physics Office may be opened, in which restoration is still ongoing. The Russian Museum, whose branch is now the Stroganov Palace, plans to organize a permanent exhibition in the palace dedicated to Russian patrons and collectors of the imperial era.
