Walk along the palace embankment. Palace Embankment Embankment of Palace Square

Palace Embankment– almost the same age as St. Petersburg. In 1705, on what was then still marshy river banks The house of one of the founders of the Army Fleet, Admiral General Fyodor Matveevich Apraksin, was built. Later, Anna Ioannovna settled in this house. Like the embankment itself, originally called Upper, the mansion was made of wood. During the period of active development, the so-called “red line” was determined for the entire street.

In 1712, the Wedding Chambers of Peter I were erected, and the houses of the emperor's associates gradually grew next to them. Four years later, the Tsar’s personal residence, the Winter Palace of Peter the Great, was erected here (today it has only been partially preserved and is located in the building of the Hermitage Theater). And in 1710-1714, the construction of the palace of the same name was underway in the Summer Garden according to the design of Domenico Trezzini, the founder of the European school in Russian architecture. This building has reached us almost unchanged and is now a branch of the Russian Museum.

The central quarters gradually turned into the kingdom of “stone chambers,” but only in the middle of the 18th century, when piles were installed in the shallow waters of the river and the bank was additionally reinforced with earth, did the construction of a renewed embankment become possible. It was with Dvortsova that the history of the city's stone streets began; it was the first to be clad in granite slabs in accordance with the plan of the architect Yuri Felten. At the same time, the first staircase-piers appeared. After completion of construction Winter Palace According to the project of Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the embankment was given its modern name.

However, half a century later appearance The streets were not at all formal - between the barns and sheds there were piles of building materials intended for the construction of the General Staff. By order of Nicholas I, another architect with Italian roots, Carl Rossi, developed a reconstruction project. The descent to the Neva was decorated with bronze sculptures of lions and vases made of polished porphyry. The latter became a gift to the Russian Emperor from King Charles XIV of Sweden. In 1873, both of them were moved to the Admiralteyskaya Embankment, where they are still located.

Since its inception, the street has had different names: Cash or Stone Line, Upper or Millionnaya Embankment, Ninth January Embankment. Since 1944, the name Palace Embankment was officially established.

Sights of Palace Embankment

Palace Embankment is included in the list Cultural heritage Russian Federation. Due to the fact that the construction lasted for decades, it cannot be said that the buildings standing here were made in a single architectural style; each era had its own dominant feature. Initially, the tone was set by the summer and winter residences of the first Russian emperor, built in the spirit of Peter the Great's Baroque. Then came the turn of monumental Rococo. City guests can see the heritage of these styles in the facades of the Winter Palace and the Great Hermitage. But in its original form, most monuments XVIII centuries were not preserved and were either completely demolished, like the wooden Opera House, on the site of which the Betsky mansion is now located, or significantly altered in subsequent years, like the Cantemir Palace, which through the efforts of several architects turned into the Gromov House.

But there are still many examples of classicism on Palace Embankment today: the Hermitage Theater, which absorbed the Winter Palace of Peter I, Marble Palace– the first St. Petersburg building completely lined with natural stone, the Saltykov house with partially preserved interiors, the already mentioned Betsky house, the Small Hermitage.

The Gromov mansion and the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace represent architectural eclecticism, since during numerous alterations initiated by the heirs or new owners, the architects more or less preserved the features of the original buildings. It is worth mentioning in a separate line former palace Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, where the House of Scientists is now located. In the second half of the 19th century, it was designed by the first chairman of the St. Petersburg Society of Architects, Alexander Rezanov, in the style of a Florentine palazzo.

It is interesting that, despite all the heterogeneity of development, the Palace Embankment in St. Petersburg looks harmonious and architecturally holistic.

How to get there

There are piers for ships on Dvortsovaya Embankment. Nearby there are stops along the route of several buses and trolleybuses. The nearest metro station is Admiralteyskaya, but warm time It won't be difficult to walk from the Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor stations.

Palace Embankment

And, leaning on the colonnades, Granite masses rise in an unshakable sequence of Palaces Above the darkened Neva!.. N. Agnivtsev.

Location: left bank of the Neva, from Troitsky to Palace Bridge

Palace Embankment, one of the most picturesque in St. Petersburg, is located on the left bank of the Neva, between Kutuzovskaya and Admiralteyskaya embankments. It crosses Suvorovskaya Square and is connected by the Palace Bridge with Vasilyevsky Island, and the Trinity Bridge with the Petrograd Side. The ensemble of Dvortsovaya Embankment includes those outstanding in their artistic significance architectural structures: Winter Palace, Small and Old Hermitages, Hermitage Theater, Marble Palace, House of Scientists and other buildings.

Soon after the founding of St. Petersburg, in 1715, the general scheme of the Palace Embankment was outlined. In those days it was called Verkhnyaya, and retained this name until the end of the 18th century. In 1754-1762, according to the design of the architect Rastrelli, the Winter Palace was erected, which became the royal residence. It was he who gave the name to the nearby Palace Square, Palace Embankment, Palace Passage and Palace Bridge. During the heyday of Soviet power, when it became a good tradition to rename streets and avenues, naming them in honor of prominent figures and memorable dates of the revolution, Palace Embankment turned into the Ninth January Embankment. However, already in 1944 the original name was returned, and since then it has remained unchanged.

In the middle of the 18th century, the Palace Embankment was lined with granite; it was complemented by picturesque descents to the water, made by the master G. Nasonov according to the design of the architect I. Rossi. In the 19th century, at the place where the entrance to the Palace Bridge is located today, there was a pier decorated with bronze sculptures of lions (sculptor - I. Prokofiev) and porphyry vases. In 1873 they were moved to the Admiralteyskaya Embankment.

On Palace Embankment there is the former palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, designed by the architect A. Rezanov in the style of a Florentine palazzo. Today it houses the House of Scientists (Dvortsovaya Embankment, 26). House No. 20 belonged to I. Moshkov, the quartermaster of Peter I. The old walls of the building were preserved under late plaster. House No. 18 was built in the mid-19th century by the architect Stackenschneider for Grand Duke Michael. There is no stylistic unity in the development of Palace Embankment, but its appearance gives the impression of harmony, balance and architectural integrity.

Historical reference

1715 - creation of the embankment. 1754-1762 - construction of the Winter Palace building, which gave its name to the embankment. 1763-1767 - the embankment is lined with granite, descents to the water have been built. 1763-1766 - construction of the Hermitage Bridge across the Winter Canal. 1767-1768 - construction of the Verkhne-Lebyazhy Bridge across the Lebyazhy Canal. Legends and myths

There are several palaces located on Palace Embankment, including the official royal residence, so it is not surprising that many legends about the palaces themselves and their owners are associated with this place in St. Petersburg. For example, among the Hermitage workers there is a legend about the last owner of the Winter Palace - Emperor Nicholas II. They say that in the evenings the ghost of the martyr king appears in the galleries of the Hermitage, sadly looking around his former possessions.

The development of the Palace Embankment began to take shape as one of the first in St. Petersburg. Its character was determined by the construction on this bank of the Neva of both the summer and winter residences of Peter I. Due to its proximity to the Admiralty, the highest naval authorities first settled here. A little further, upstream the Neva, shipwrights settled. Among them are Pyotr Mikhailov (the “carpenter king” Peter I himself), Fedosei Sklyaev, Philip Palchikov, Gavrila Menshikov.

The first buildings on Palace Embankment, as throughout the city, were wooden. In the summer of 1705, at a distance of 200 fathoms from the Admiralty, according to the design of Domenico Trezzini, a wooden house of Admiral General Fyodor Matveevich Apraksin was built. Such a distance was required from the Admiralty by the rules of the “fortification esplanade”. That same summer, construction began on a wooden mansion for Vice Admiral Cornelius Cruys. Apraksin's house set the red line for the Palace Embankment, while Kruys's house was located a little further from the low bank of the river in this place. The gap between these two buildings marked the beginning of Srednaya Street, which ran parallel to the banks of the Neva.

The next building on Palace Embankment in 1706 was the Postal Court. At the same time (in 1706-1708) the wooden house of the Swedish major Konow was moved closer to the bank of the Neva, which became the predecessor of the Summer Palace of Peter I. The first Winter Palace of Peter I was built on the site of house No. 32 in 1708. Srednaya Street was extended to its main facade from the Apraksin house. The latter did not last long, since Peter I did not want to have narrow “medieval” passages between houses in St. Petersburg.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the embankment was called Postal, since the Postal Yard was located in the place where the Marble Palace is now located. Next to it in 1711, the Red Canal was dug, which connected the Neva and Moika. Parallel to it, on the other side of the Tsaritsyn Meadow (now the Field of Mars), the Swan Ditch was dug.

After the victory at Poltava (1709) and the capture of Vyborg (1710), active stone construction began in St. Petersburg. Not everyone could afford to build an expensive stone house, but the residents of Dvortsovaya Embankment had enough money for this. Apraksin's house was rebuilt in stone in 1712, but four years later the admiral wanted to have more spacious apartments. The new building was moved closer to the river by about 50 meters, which defined the modern red line of the embankment. At the same time, they began to build new luxurious buildings for Raguzinsky, Yaguzhinsky, Olsufiev, Kruys, Golovin. The construction of these palaces was completed by 1721, when construction of the palace of Dmitry Cantemir (house No. 8) began at the opposite end of the embankment. This was the first project of the young F.B. Rastrelli in St. Petersburg.

In those same years, the new Winter Palace of Peter I was built, which was moved closer to the Neva River itself. For this purpose, the shore was strengthened with wooden walls and piers were built. Thus, more than 80 meters were “recaptured” from the Neva. In 1718, a canal was dug between the Neva and Moika, called the Winter Canal. A wooden drawbridge, the Winter Palace Bridge, was built across it at the embankment alignment by engineer Herman van Boles.

The development of the Neva bank was regulated by administrative methods. On January 30, 1720, Peter I issued a decree:

“The Great Sovereign... indicated to those who have chambers built under the roof along the banks of the Neva river down from the Postal Yard, so that, of course, in those chambers they should build 2 or 3 or 1 chambers each by this winter and move on to live in them, so that the street next from the Postal Yard to the Winter Tsar's Majesty's House should be blocked off into those courtyards when it is ordered. stone structure. And if someone was ordered to build a wooden one, giving way from the chambers to the courtyards of twenty and at least fifteen fathoms, and with those embankments of the chambers from the river, of course, all the places were properly placed and were not occupied by anything..." [ Quoted from: 2, p. 6, 7]

One of the decrees of 1721 lists all the owners of land on the embankment [Quoted from: 2, p. 8]:

• 1. Postal Yard
• 2. Mr. Prince Volosky
• 3. Yagana Feltin, firemaster
• 4. Prokofei the Short
• 5. Danilo Chevkina
• 6. Butt Cue Ball
• 7. Major Ushakova
• 8. Major Volkov
• 9. Life Guards clerk Andrei Ivanov
• 10. Major Korchmin
• 11. Doctor Areskin
• 12. Petra Moshkova
• 13. Lieutenant Prokofy Murzin
• 14. Prince Vasily Dolgorukov
• 15. Count Musin-Pushkin
• 16. Gavrily Menshikova
• 17. Feodosia Sklyaeva
• 18. His Royal Majesty's Winter House

The surname of Pyotr Moshkov, who lived on the site of modern house No. 20, remained on maps of St. Petersburg in the form of the name Moshkov Lane. The legendary Vasily Korchmin lived nearby, after whom, according to legend, Vasilievsky Island is named. Most of the buildings existing at that time were built according to standard designs and were similar to each other. The houses of Peter I and Admiral Apraksin especially stood out.

Until 1724, the Winter Palace of Peter I expanded along the embankment. The emperor died in it in 1725. At the same time, the newlyweds were temporarily settled in the Apraksin mansion: the Duke of Holstein and the daughter of Peter I Anna.

St. Petersburg in 1726 is captured in the memoirs of the Frenchman Aubrey de la Motre. He wrote about the future Palace Embankment as follows:

“You find yourself on an embankment 800 steps long and 30 wide, dominated by a number of palaces. Russian nobles built these palaces, as well as many other large houses and public buildings that decorated St. Petersburg” [Cit. from: 2, p. 12, 13].

The Apraksin house was passed to Peter II in his will in 1728. The young emperor never settled here; he moved with the government to Moscow, where he died of cholera. Apraksin’s house was empty all this time, but in 1731 it began to be rebuilt as the residence of Anna Ioannovna. Domenico Trezzini began this work and continued it at the request of Empress F.B. Rastrelli. To accommodate new premises, a neighboring plot belonging to the Maritime Academy was purchased. By 1735, the new Winter House of Anna Ioannovna was built here, with the main façade facing the Admiralty.

In 1729, the artist H. Marcelius created two drawings that conveyed in sufficient detail the nature of the development of the entire Palace Embankment. They became the first such historical document.

Initially, from 1737, the embankment was called the Cash Line. It ended at the city border, which was Fontanka in the 18th century. The numbering of houses then went against the flow of the river. On April 20, 1738, the highway was named Upper Embankment Street (the Lower Embankment was the modern English Embankment). Along with this name, there were others: Upper Embankment Line, Upper Kamennaya Embankment Line, Upper Embankment River Line, Upper Neva River Embankment Line, Embankment Line, Embankment Street, Nevskaya Embankment or Upper Embankment. In the 1740-1790s, the embankment was also called Millionnaya. There were also other names: Millionnaya Embankment Line, Millionnaya Embankment Street, Bolshaya Millionnaya Embankment. The last two options were used together with “Palace Embankment” until the 1790s.

In 1746, Moshkov Lane appeared, facing the Neva between houses No. 20 and 22 on Palace Embankment.

The most notable building on Palace Embankment is the Winter Palace, built in 1754-1762 according to the design of the architect F. B. Rastrelli. After the start of its construction, it turned out that the construction site was separated from the Neva by a very narrow, inconvenient strip of shore. In this regard, the architect provided the Office of the Buildings with a plan and profile of an expanded and additionally reinforced wooden embankment.

The plan began to be implemented by carpenter I. Erich, summoned from Moscow, who in 1758 provided two projects for strengthening the bank, providing for its facing with stone. Work began in December 1762; until the following May, piles were driven into the ground, and on June 7, a team of masons began making a foundation for the stone wall. At the same time, the supply of hewn stone for cladding began.

The first stone was laid on the embankment in mid-June 1763. The construction work was carried out under the supervision of stone craftsmen B. Manigiotti, G. Lizeni and P. Corti. The construction of the stone embankment opposite the Winter Palace was most likely completed in 1764. But due to miscalculations in the design, it very soon began to collapse. In September 1765, the shore subsided noticeably in some places due to the fact that the foundation was not given sufficient time to settle. Having discovered these shortcomings, Lieutenant General N.E. Muravyov and Engineer-Major General I.M. Golenitsev-Kutuzov reported to Catherine II that it was impossible to repair the embankment, it needed to be redone.

Most local historians believe that the Palace Embankment was built according to the design of Yuri Matveevich Felten. This assumption was made by I.E. Grabar at the beginning of the 20th century, without supporting it with documents. Therefore, Felten’s authorship was easily refuted by historian V.I. Kochedamov. He proved that Felten was mentioned in documents related to the stone Palace Embankment only six years after the start of its creation, when the embankment wall from the Liteiny Dvor to the Admiralty had already been built.

So who actually became the author of the Palace Embankment project? Various local historians proposed candidates such as J. B. Vallin-Delamot, architect S. A. Volkov. The author of the book “St. Petersburg of the 18th Century,” K. V. Malinovsky, proves that he is the adviser to the Chancellery for Buildings, Ignatio Rossi. He refers to documents in which Rossi is directly named as the author of the Palace Embankment project and the corresponding estimate. For example, the protocol of the Chancery from buildings on September 7, 1762: " ... Mr. collegiate adviser Ignati Rossi, who, according to his ability, drafted the construction of banks and bridges and composed estimates" [Quoted from: 4, p. 379]. On September 10, he was appointed head of the "Office of Construction on the Neva River of the Stone Bank."

Rossi's original design involved the creation of a stone embankment wall and a metal balustrade. The descents to the water were straight stairs with the same metal fences. It was proposed to make the piers in the form of double-widened slopes. The bridge across the Fontanka was designed to be made of stone and lifted on chains. Therefore, its central part had to become wooden.

It is worth noting that not only Palace Embankment was being built at that time. The project included lining the entire bank of the Neva with stone from the Liteiny Dvor to the Galernaya Shipyard. On February 14, 1763, the first piles began to be driven into the shore. Already in the process of these works, their volume increased significantly, since it was decided to drive not one row of piles, but 13. In this case, round pine logs were used, eight to ten meters long and 20 to 30 centimeters thick.

During the construction process, adjustments were made to the project. Already since 1764, the slopes to the water were created not straight, but oval. Fences “for strength” began to be made entirely of stone. The author of these changes is unknown. It is possible that they were offered to Catherine II by J. B. Vallin-Delamot, who was then engaged in the reconstruction of the premises in the Winter Palace. The museum of the city of Angoulême in France contains a drawing of Delamot with an image of an oval descent to the Neva.

In 1763-1766, a stone Hermitage Bridge was built across the Winter Canal instead of a wooden one. To improve transport connections with the Moscow side, the embankment was extended beyond the Fontanka. At the same time, in 1766-1769, the Laundry Bridge was built across the Fontanka, and in 1767-1768, the Verkhne-Lebyazhy Bridge was built across the Lebyazhya Canal. The profile of these crossings is organically introduced into the silhouette of the granite embankment. Bridges form a single architectural ensemble with it.

Already in January 1765, Catherine II checked the finished section of the embankment opposite the old Winter Palace. On February 8, a decision was made to increase the minimum permissible height of buildings erected here. On April 27, 1766, the Commission on Stone Construction of St. Petersburg and Moscow determined this height to be ten fathoms.

The construction of the Palace Embankment was fully completed in November 1767. The following January, “architecture assistant” Neelov installed stone pillars tied with iron chains at the descents of the Neva.

After completing the main part of the work on lining the left bank of the Neva with stone, Ignatio Rossi resigned. He was replaced by the architect Yuri Matveevich Felten, who had to create the famous fence of the Summer Garden. The bank opposite it was carried out into the river bed by 20 meters.

Dvortsovaya became the first embankment lined with granite in St. Petersburg. It has seven descents to the water. The granite parapet is interrupted only at the Hermitage Bridge, where the cobblestone bank is protected only by bollards with chains hanging from them.

The construction of new buildings on Palace Embankment began simultaneously with its stone cladding. In 1762-1769, the building of the Small Hermitage (house no. 36) was added to the Winter Palace, and then the Great Hermitage (house no. 34). In 1762-1785, the Marble Palace was built on the site of the old Postal Yard. At the same time, the Red Canal was filled up. A service building was erected next to the Marble Palace (house no. 6). In 1784-1788, the Saltykov house (No. 4) was built. The neighboring Betsky house (No. 2) was also built in the 1780s. In 1783-1787, on the site of the old Winter Palace of Peter I, the architect Quarenghi built the Hermitage Theater, which was connected to the Great Hermitage by an arch.

On October 6, 1778, the highway began to be officially called Palace Embankment. At the beginning of the 19th century it was also called the Bolshoi and the Great Palace. The name "Palace Embankment Street" existed until 1822.

In 1799, two buildings on the site of the now existing house No. were combined into one according to Quarenghi's design. This was a gift from Emperor Paul I to his favorite Anna Petrovna Lopukhina for her wedding with Prince Gagarin.

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Palace Embankment was sketched by the Swedish artist Benjamin Patersen. He created a series of watercolors in which the left bank of the Neva is visible from Zayachy and Vasilyevsky Islands.

In 1803, the Palace Embankment was connected to the St. Petersburg side by the floating Trinity Bridge. Initially, it overlooked the left bank of the Neva in the area of ​​the Summer Garden.

The area between the Saltykovs' house and the service building of the Marble Palace was originally intended for development. But by the end of the 1810s, nothing had been erected here. In 1818, at the proposal of the architect K. Rossi, the site became a new square, which connected the Champs de Mars with the Palace Embankment. A monument to A.V. Suvorov was erected in its center, and the square was named Suvorovskaya.

In the early 1820s, the embankment area near the Winter Palace was a construction site. Here there were barns, sheds, piles of stone, heaps of sand and stacks of boards prepared for the construction of the General Staff building. Nicholas I decided to improve this area, and the work was entrusted to the architect Carlo Rossi. According to his design, a wide descent to the Neva was built here. Rossi planned to decorate it with sculptures of Dioscuri (young men holding back horses) and cast-iron lions, copies of those at St. Michael's Palace. The emperor forbade placing Dioscuri here; the architect replaced them with porphyry vases.

In 1827, in connection with the construction of the first floating Trinity Bridge, the fence and lanterns on the embankment were renewed. In 1857-1862 the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace (house no. 18) was built, in 1867-1872 the palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (no. 26).

By the 1860s, the development of Palace Embankment had expanded far beyond the boundaries of Fontanka. At this time, the “flowing” part of the highway was separated into a separate Gagarin embankment, which now bears the name of the great Russian commander M. I. Kutuzov. At the same time, the numbering of houses that exists to this day was introduced.

After the construction of the first permanent bridge across the Neva, the floating St. Isaac's Bridge was moved closer to the Winter Palace. They gave it another name - Palace.

In 1903, a permanent metal Trinity Bridge was built between the Palace Embankment and Trinity Square. In 1915, in connection with the commissioning of the permanent Palace Bridge, the pier with the lions was moved to the Admiralteyskaya Embankment. The route of the new crossing passed right through the old pier.

Of the nineteen houses here, half belonged to the royal family. Thanks to this, until 1917, Palace Embankment lived according to its own “schedule”. In summer, the palaces located here were empty. Their owners left for country estates, and a large retinue left St. Petersburg with them. At this time, the facades of the houses were put in order and repainted. The pavement was being repaired. In winter, the palaces came to life. The embankment was filled with luxurious carriages and walking public.

On October 6, 1923, the Palace Embankment was renamed the “Ninth January Embankment (1905).” The year was given in parentheses, so it was often omitted. The highway was given this name because the order to shoot a peaceful demonstration on January 9, 1905 was given by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who lived here.

On September 9, 1941, during an air raid, one of the bombs fell in front of house No. 14, destroying its facade and facades neighboring houses No. 12 and 16. After the war, the facades of these buildings were combined.

In 1944, the embankment was returned to its former name - Dvortsovaya.

Palace Embankment (Russia) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

• Tours for the New Year in Russia
• Last minute tours in Russia

Previous photo Next photo

Palace Embankment can be called one of the most beautiful and famous embankments in St. Petersburg. This is where world-famous attractions are located Northern capital: Hermitage, Winter Palace, Russian Museum, House of Scientists and many others. This street offers a great view of Strelka Vasilyevsky Island And Peter and Paul Fortress. The Palace Embankment is located on the left bank of the Neva from the Kutuzov Embankment to the Admiralteyskaya Embankment. Its length is 1300 meters.

On the Palace Embankment there are world-famous sights of the Northern capital: the Hermitage, the Winter Palace, the Russian Museum, the House of Scientists and many others. From this street there is an excellent view of the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island and the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The development of the Palace Embankment began quite early - at the very beginning of the 18th century. The architectural tone of the buildings was set by the summer and winter residences of Peter I. People close to the Tsar also began to build their houses on this land. In 1705, the first wooden house of Admiral General Fyodor Apraksin appeared. The building defined the red line of the street, and all other buildings began to be erected according to this line.

Palace Embankment

Palace Embankment had many names: Cash Line, Verkhnyaya Kamennaya Line Embankment, Millionnaya. It was often called Pochtovaya due to the fact that the Postal Yard was located here. In 1762, the architect Rastrelli built the royal residence here - the Winter Palace. After this, the embankment, square and bridge located nearby began to be called palace. Already under Soviet rule, the street was renamed the Ninth January Embankment. But in 1944 it was given back its old name.

To transport the main part of the Alexander Column, which weighs 600 tons, a special pier was used on Palace Embankment. Engineer Glasin developed a special bot capable of lifting loads of up to 1,100 tons. In order to unload the monolith, they even built a new pier.

Gradually the embankment became better and better: it was dressed in granite and made comfortable descents to the river. By the way, until the mid-18th century, all St. Petersburg embankments were wooden. Palace Embankment became the first stone street. Nevertheless, in the 20s of the 19th century, the area around the Winter Palace remained unkempt. The construction of the General Staff building was planned here and therefore there were working materials, piles of sand and boards everywhere, as well as all kinds of warehouses and barns. Nicholas I commissioned the architect Carlo Rossi to put this place in order. Rossi developed a project for a beautiful descent to the Neva, decorated with sculptures of Dioscuri and lions. But the emperor was not impressed by the sculptures of young men holding back horses, so they were replaced with porphyry vases. Subsequently, in connection with the construction of the Palace Bridge, the pier with the lions was moved to the Admiralty Embankment.

Palace Embankment has always been famous for the fact that famous and influential people: Romanov dynasty, poet Ivan Krylov, Count Sergei Witte.

It lives up to its name: there are almost a dozen large palaces in which the most important figures of Russian history of the 18th - 19th centuries lived: scions of the House of Romanov, major nobles, cultural figures. We have selected the most popular ones.

1. Summer Palace Peter the Great

A very modest two-story palace in the Summer Garden, where Peter the Great lived from May to October for twelve years, from 1712 to 1725. During the time of Peter, a small canal was dug from the Fontanka to the entrance to the palace, so that the royal residence was located on the peninsula. The emperor loved it when guests came to him by boat.

Modesty was generally inherent in Peter's buildings. For example, the Marly Palace did not have a main hall at all, and the Summer Palace bore little resemblance to the residence of the emperor of a huge country. Luxury is Menshikov's. Peter tried to avoid excesses and used only the most necessary things. So all the palaces of those times turned out to be small and cramped. Formally, the palace is registered in the Summer Garden, but is located a few meters from the Palace Embankment.

Address: Summer garden, 2

2. Palace of the Prince of Oldenburg (Betsky House, University of Culture and Arts)

Until the 1770s, there was a theater building here, in which an Italian troupe constantly performed: Elizabeth Petrovna’s courtiers, as a rule, attended its performances. After the death of the Empress and the departure of the Italians, the building by Rastrelli was demolished, and in 1784 - 1787 a house was built here for Ivan Betsky, who conducted classes here for his students educational institutions, and also gradually collected a collection of works of art. Ivan Krylov also lived there, who opened a printing house in the building and printed his magazines.

The house received its second name when Prince Peter of Oldenburg moved into it in 1830. Under him, the architect Stasov built and reconstructed the building. His son, Alexander Oldenburgsky, sold the building to the Provisional Government for a large sum at that time (1.5 million rubles). In 1962, the Leningrad Library Institute was located here, and the building of the Betsky House was connected to the neighboring Saltykov House. Now here is the University of Culture and Arts, the famous “kulek”.

Address: Palace Embankment, 2

3. Marble Palace

Before, according to the design of the architect Rinaldi, they began to build a palace here for the favorite of Catherine the Great, Grigory Orlov, there was first a postal yard here, then a zverovy, where the first St. Petersburg elephant lived for a short time, then the building burned down, and then a place was cleared for a square.

The count did not wait for the queen’s gift, and she bought the palace from Orlov’s descendants and gave it to her grandson Konstantin Pavlovich. After which it remained the residence for members of the House of Romanov until 1918. Then there was the Russian Academy of the History of Material Culture, then a branch of the Lenin Museum was opened, and since 1992 the Marble Palace became a branch of the Russian Museum, where exhibitions of contemporary art are mainly held (Warhol, the Ludwig Museum, etc.).

Address: Millionnaya street, 5/1

4. Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace

The third palace built by Stackenschneider for the children of Nicholas I (after the Mariinsky and Nikolaevsky). Its design began after the wedding of Mikhail Nikolaevich. Several older buildings in the neighborhood were demolished to construct the building. The palace itself is a wonderful example of early eclecticism and combines in its appearance the features of a variety of architectural styles: baroque, rococo, classicism. In addition, in the construction of the Novo-Mikhailovsky Palace, metal structures that were rare at that time were used.

Mikhail Nikolaevich did not have time to immediately enjoy the beauty of the palace, because literally after settling in 1862 he was forced to go to the Caucasus as governor. He returned home only in 1881, when he was appointed chairman of the State Council. IN last years he usually did not leave the palace and sat thoughtfully at the windows of the first floor. Passers-by sometimes noticed him and saluted him. After his death, the building passed into the hands of his son Nikolai Mikhailovich. And now there is a library of oriental manuscripts.

Address: Palace Embankment, 18

5. Palace of Vladimir Alexandrovich

Vladimir Alexandrovich is the third son in the family of Emperor Alexander II. The architect of the palace was Messmacher, who would soon build another grand-ducal palace (the future House of Music on the Moika). The result was a modest, eclectic building, which, due to its masonry, did not fit into the ensemble of Palace Embankment.

Subsequently, by decision of the Petrograd Council, the Grand Duke's palace was turned into the House of Scientists. Herbert Wells visited here, Academician Vavilov worked here (as chairman of the council). During the Siege there was a hospital here. At the moment, there are dozens of different scientific sections in a variety of areas.

Address: Palace Embankment, 26

6. Small Hermitage

Despite the fact that this building by Felten and Wallen-Delamot is the smallest in the Hermitage ensemble, it is here that some of the most famous exhibits of the Hermitage are located: including the Pavilion Hall, the Peacock Clock, as well as the famous Hanging Gardens. At first there was " Winter Garden“, but then, when the building turned from a home residence into a museum, the concept had to be changed. You can only look at this garden from the window.

Address: Palace Embankment, 30

The main St. Petersburg palace, one of the most important museums in the world, a repository of hundreds of masterpieces of artistic culture, is already the fifth in a row. The first was built under Peter, the second - too, the third was ordered to be built by Anna Ioannovna, the fourth - temporary - was built by Rastrelli while the new one was being built for Elizabeth Petrovna. Only Catherine the Second moved into the current one: Elizabeth did not live to see the completion of construction, Peter the Third was overthrown shortly before the palace was commissioned.

The Winter Palace witnessed almost all the main events in Russian history after the 18th century. Monuments to the country’s main military victories were built around it, almost all Russian emperors lived here, it was here that one of the most notorious assassination attempts on the emperor was made (Khalturin detonated a bomb right under the dining room, Alexander II was not injured), a peaceful demonstration was shot near it on “Bloody Sunday” “, the Provisional Government met here and the Bolsheviks overthrew it here. Finally, some of the largest rallies for democracy of 1991 and 1993 took place near the Winter Palace. Nowadays, concerts and street sports festivals are held more often near the Hermitage.

Address: Palace Embankment, 32