Nikolaevsky Palace. House Church in the name of the Mother of God of joy of all who mourn. It can be accessed directly from the main staircase. The church is now operational, but the interior has been badly damaged
home The palace is of interest not only historically, but also architecturally and artistically. It was built in the neo-Renaissance style. The front yard is surrounded by a beautiful cast iron trellis. Wide Ionic pilasters decorate the first floor, and Corinthian columns decorate the second. The decor of the palace uses stucco and ornamental sculptural inserts. Architectural styles Baroque and Renaissance define the character interior decoration
palace The dance hall with columns and choirs and the main staircase are exceptionally good.
Admiring this palace, you inevitably think about how great the responsibility, as they now say, of VIPs is to society: they have enormous opportunities and the power of example. The life of the inhabitants of the Nicholas Palace shows that they really could not use their high position and contributed to the deterioration of the situation in Russia. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr. (Uncle Nizi, 1831-1891) was the son of Nicholas I and brother of Alexander II, and was married to Princess Alexandra Petrovna of Oldenburg (1838-1900). He was Inspector General for Engineering (1852), commander of the Separate Guards Corps (1862-1864), Commander-in-Chief of the Guard and the St. Petersburg Military District (1864-1880), Inspector General of Cavalry (1864). He behaved like a dictator in relation to his subordinates, for the sake of his own benefit he could curry favor with the emperor, he was capable of deception and fraud, nevertheless he always held important positions. When he was commander in chief Russian-Turkish War
1877-1878, he was involved in fraud with supplies to the front, the case went to court, which, under pressure from above, was able to be canceled and the “case” closed, since it would inevitably have to reveal not only the affairs of the schemers, but also the participation of the commander-in-chief in their scams . Nikolai Nikolaevich loved freedom not only in business transactions, but also in his personal life. He fell in love with the ballerina E.G. Chislovu (1845-1889), made her his mistress, began to live openly with her, they had two sons and two daughters. Chislova completely subjugated him to her will. Chislova, who had a quarrelsome character, suited him, thundering throughout St. Petersburg, could inflict beatings on him, the whole city laughed at his bruises and inevitable wounds. But aging Grand Duke He endured everything and loved his “ingénue” and their children. He showered them with expensive gifts, provided them with extra financially, completely contained them all. His legal wife, suffering from her humiliating position as an abandoned woman, and even actually kicked out of her husband’s house, set up a monastery near Kiev, became a nun and its abbess (after which her husband began to feel even more completely free in St. Petersburg).
Nikolaevsky Palace
He may seem modest, as if hiding behind a cast-iron fence. But, located at a distance from the red line of the square, it is actually significant in volume and extremely rich in decorative design. And in the fenced front yard, only the desire to open up a perspective on the building from the side of a small square was reflected.
On the territory where the Nikolaevsky Palace is located, since 1721 there has been a rope yard. He served the Admiralty.
In the 1790s, two-story wooden barracks for sailors were built here.
In 1851, Emperor Nicholas I ordered the construction of a ceremonial residence for his third son, Nicholas. Nikolai Nikolaevich with early childhood was destined for a military career. Already on his birthday, he was appointed chief of the Life Guards of the Uhlan Regiment and was included in the lists of the Life Guards of the Sapper Battalion. As a child, he often accompanied his father on trips. His training focused on military sciences. From the age of twelve, Nikolai began to be introduced to artillery and sapper work.
The location on Blagoveshchenskaya Square was not chosen by chance for the palace. At that time, it began to develop dynamically and even turned into a lively and elegant area of the city. Nearby, the amazingly beautiful Blagoveshchensky Bridge across the Bolshaya Neva was recently opened. The main dominant feature of the square was the Church of the Annunciation, built by the architect Ton.
Nikolaevsky Palace. Modern look
At the end of 1851, a competition was announced for the best design of the residence of 20-year-old Nikolai Nikolaevich. In the end, the project, commissioned by the Palace Department, was developed by the architect Andrei Ivanovich Stackenschneider. August Lange and Karl Ziegler were appointed junior architects. At the order of the emperor, construction was entrusted to the architects Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov, Konstantin Andreevich Ton and Rudolf Andreevich Zhelyazevich. The latter became famous for the construction of the Passage shopping gallery.
The Nikolaevsky Palace was founded on May 21, 1853. A reliquary with gold and silver coins and a gilded copper plaque with an engraved inscription about this event were lowered into the base of the building.
The design of the Nikolaevsky Palace provided for the appearance of not only housing for Nikolai Nikolaevich, but also an arena, stables, and an outbuilding for servants. The Nikolaevsky Palace occupied an area of two hectares. Construction was suspended while Crimean War. And it resumed in 1856. The opening and consecration ceremony of the Nicholas Palace took place in December 1861.
The Grand Duke moved to the Nikolaevsky Palace with his wife Alexandra Petrovna. From the time of their wedding in 1855 until the opening of his residence, he lived with her in the Winter Palace.
The Nikolaevsky Palace, along with the Annunciation Church, became the dominant feature of Annunciation Square (now Labor Square).
The palace, rectangular in plan, has two risalits on the main and three on the garden facades. All its premises are located around two light courtyards.
Stackenschneider chose Italian Renaissance architectural techniques for the façade. At this time, eclecticism came into fashion. Andrei Ivanovich Stackenschneider was one of the first architects to use this style in St. Petersburg. Unlike the Mariinsky Palace, the architect highlighted each floor of Nikolai Nikolaevich’s residence with a cornice. The low ground floor with Ionic pilasters is rusticated. There are bas-reliefs in rectangular frames above the windows, and massive consoles below the windows. The mezzanine is designated as a main floor, with high Renaissance windows and many small cast-iron balconies.
In front of the main facade there was an open area bordered by an openwork fence on a high granite plinth. In those years, there was no garden with trees and flower beds, and the center of the fountain was clearly visible - a portico with columns made of Serdobol granite and a ramp. In the eastern part of the Nicholas Palace, on the side of the garden, there is a house church.
To decorate the lobby, Stackenschneider used “official stone” left over from the construction of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The enfilade of the second floor (mezzanine) began with a white living room, decorated with stucco desudéportes and picturesque panels.
In the northwestern part of the dress circle there were dance and banquet halls. They were double-height and 17 meters high. The dance hall was decorated with sculptural works.
In the eastern part of the palace there were personal apartments of Nikolai Nikolaevich and his wife. The windows of these rooms overlooked the garden and Konnogvardeisky Boulevard. The private chambers could be accessed through a private entrance from the garden. From here one could go to the billiard room, the room of the adjutant on duty, the reception room, the office, and the standard room. The walls of the premises were decorated with images of the Grand Duke’s favorite horses. Horses were the true passion of the Grand Duke, who commanded all cavalry forces Russian Empire. The Grand Duke was interested not only in horses. His other passion was ballet and ballerinas. For one of them, he rented an apartment nearby, in a house on Galernaya Street. Its windows looked directly onto the façade of the Nicholas Palace. When the ballerina was ready to receive the Grand Duke, she placed two lit candles on the windowsill. The servant immediately announced that there was a fire in the city, to which Nikolai Nikolaevich, who was reputed to be a great lover of fires, allegedly went.
From the office three doors led to a balcony overlooking the garden. Interestingly, sometimes a chorus of soldiers from the Finnish rifle battalion could be heard.
Alexandra Petrovna's chambers adjoined the rooms of the Grand Duke. The princess's office overlooked the boulevard with two windows and a balcony. From here one could get into the winter garden, boudoir, restroom and bedchamber.
On the ground floor of the Nikolaevsky Palace there were children's rooms. The children's teachers lived in the northwestern part of the palace. Spare (guest) premises and a recreational hall for sports games were also built here.
It was the most technically equipped palace at that time. It was equipped with water supply, sewerage, and telegraph communications. The heating system, well thought out, consisted of 70 fireplaces, 15 pneumatic fireplaces, and many colorful Russian and Dutch (tile) stoves. Lightning rods, grounded in the garden, rose above the 92 pipes. In the center of the vast garden there was a round glacier in the form of a grotto made of red Finnish granite, and it survived. The former five-story servants' building also survived.
Adjacent to the Nicholas Palace was an arena made in the Arabic style and connected to the palace by a separate passage. It had two rooms for servants and a room in which exhibitions were held. purebred dogs, horses or breeding stock. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich was a member of various agricultural and sports societies.
The two-story house church of the Nicholas Palace was consecrated on October 24, 1863 in the name of Mother of God"Joy to All Who Sorrow."
The best military bands played at the balls in the Nicholas Palace. The owner of the palace, his brother Mikhail, took part in them. Everyone knew that Mikhail Nikolaevich preferred to dance with married ladies, and Nikolai Nikolaevich - with girls.
In the second half of the 1880s, the interiors of the palace began to be remodeled for the grown-up children of Nikolai Nikolaevich and Alexandra Petrovna.
After the death of the Grand Duke in 1890, the Nikolaev Palace was transferred to the Department of Appanages for debts.
They decided to establish a women's institute in the palace, named after the daughter of Emperor Xenia - Kseninsky. On the ground floor there was an office, an apartment for the head of the institute and living quarters for teachers. On the second floor there are classrooms. The stable was rebuilt into a dining room, and the arena into bedrooms. The Kseninsky Institute operated until 1917.
In 1917, the Nikolaevsky Palace was transferred to the Petrograd Union of Trade Unions. Since then it has been known as the Palace of Labor.
In 1999, services were resumed in the house church. Currently, the Nikolaev Palace is occupied by the Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region. It is also used for commercial purposes, some of the premises are rented out as offices.
From the book Watchmen of Moscow author Moleva Nina Mikhailovna From book Imperial Russia author Anisimov Evgeniy ViktorovichNikolaevsky Petersburg Nikolaevsky Petersburg was no match for Alexandrovsky, more like a grandiose construction site with a kingdom of fences that surrounded the buildings. Now, under Nicholas I, these buildings were not only completed, but also shone with all their might in their eternal beauty.
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From the book Rublyovka and its inhabitants. Romantic narrative author Blyumin Georgy ZinovievichA Nikolaev soldier was walking. The rain was dripping on the river. The grandfather was snoring on the stove. Grandma was knitting something and remembering the past... The stories of my grandmother Maria Ivanovna always stood on the edge true events, which she witnessed in her life, and fairy tales,
From the book Archeology in the Footsteps of Legends and Myths author Malinichev German DmitrievichNOT A PALACE, BUT A COLUMBARIUM - THIS IS WHAT THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS IS ON CRETE The famous German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, unconditionally trusting the texts of Homer, did not just discover Troy and evidence of its siege. He became the founder of a new and glorious branch of history - search
From the book Mysteries of St. Petersburg author Matsukh LeonidImperial Palaces of St. Petersburg
Blagoveshchenskaya Square,
now Labor Square
Nikolaevsky Palace (later Kseninsky Institute) was built according to the design of A.I. Stackenschneider in 1853-1861. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr.(1831-1891) was the third son Nicholas I. He had a brilliant military career. Here are some of its touches - In 1846, Nikolai Nikolaevich entered the Life Guards Horse Regiment with the rank of non-commissioned officer, from 1852 he already commanded a brigade, and from 1856 - a division of the Guards cavalry with the rank of major general. From 1852 he also served as Inspector General of Engineering. Subsequently, he commanded all cavalry forces of the Russian Empire. The pinnacle of Nikolai Nikolaevich’s military career was the war with Turkey of 1877-1878. Then he headed the European Front. On March 3, 1878, Nikolai Nikolaevich signed preliminary peace terms with Sultan Abdul Hamid. After the death of Alexander II in 1881, his son Alexander became Emperor. He led a determined campaign to remove his uncles from power. So Nikolai Nikolaevich headed the Committee to Combat Army Nihilism, the Commission on Supply Issues in Conditions new war etc. One of the reasons for Nikolai Nikolaevich's removal was his lifestyle.
Use of site materials only with the consent of the author.
"Nicholas Palace" Lithograph by J. Jacottet and C. C. Bachelier from fig. I. I. Charlemagne. Mid-19th century
Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich
Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna
The Nikolaevsky Palace was equipped with water supply, sewerage, and telegraph communication with the General Staff. The heating system, well thought out, consisted of 70 fireplaces, 15 pneumatic ones, and many colorful Russian and Dutch (tile) stoves. Lightning rods, grounded in the garden, rose above the 92 chimneys. On May 21, 1853, the ceremonial foundation stone of the residence took place. Stackenschneider's plan included the construction of a palace, an arena, stables and an outbuilding for servants. But with the beginning of the Crimean War, construction was interrupted. It resumed only in 1856, when the Department of Estates allocated more than three million rubles for the construction of the palace. In December 1861, the opening ceremony of the palace and its illumination took place.
Palace of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, 1850-60s, print on albumen paper. Gouy (edition by A. Felten),
There is a flowerbed in front of the main entrance. The entrance is decorated with openwork cast iron lanterns
Portico with columns made of Serdobol granite.
Right rhizolite of the palace
The magnificent Grand Staircase is one of Stackenschneider's finest creations. One flight to the second floor, two flights to the third. Columns of gray marble, statues in niches, beautiful cast-iron railings. This was the first Imperial Palace that Ira saw. We wandered for a long time, amazed by the magnificence, and then returned here again... By the way, I can say interesting thing for Odessa residents - the owner of the palace, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich the Elder, lived for a long time in our beloved city, having fallen ill here, he lived for a long time in the palace of the Commander-in-Chief of the military district, now known as the Palace of Sailors on Primorsky (Nikolaevsky) Boulevard. It is to this man that Odessa owes the name of the boulevard - Nikolaevsky... Perhaps after this palace in Odessa began to be called the Imperial - at least that is what it is called on the map of Odessa in 1917, published by the Trud bookstore.
Here it is - Imperial splendor - you can look at the ceiling for hours, a magnificent third floor gallery with gray marble columns (picture below)
House Church in the name of the Mother of God of joy of all who mourn. It can be accessed directly from the main staircase. The church is now operational, but the interior has been badly damaged
This is why the present time is better than then - I’m sure - then the palaces were not illuminated like that
On the left are the monograms of Alexandra Petrovna, wife of the Grand Duke
The interiors of the beautiful palace, thank God, have been preserved. The photo was taken in the wing of the building overlooking Konnogvardeisky Boulevard. There is some company there, whose employees kindly allowed me to photograph the beautiful ceiling
The openwork cast-iron staircase and elevator in the right wing of the building (along Konnogvardeisky Boulevard) have a tragic history. (Photos above and below). Somewhere here there was a door to the billiard room... The tragic story is as follows: “There was also a hydraulic lifting machine with a mahogany cradle. A tragic episode in the life of a frequent guest of the palace is associated with this lifting machine.” Tatiana Borisovna Potemkina, known for its educational and charitable activities. On the day of the engagement (November 22, 1868) of Nikolai’s niece, Duchess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg (who lived with him during her mother’s stay in Italy) with Prince Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg, guests climbed the marble stairs directly to the church for a prayer service. The lifting machine (still a rarity in St. Petersburg at that time) broke off almost from the very height and fell onto the stone floor so that it cracked. The presence of T. B. Potemkina in the elevator was guessed only by her ermine mantilla, peeking out from under the rubble. Bruises, concussion, and general concussion forced the princess to stay in the palace for two months before the opportunity arose to transport her to own house on Millionnaya Street, where the princess died in 1869."
The former Banquet dining room (?), its windows overlook the Gallernaya). Today, as can be seen from the photo, it is used in the same way as under the Grand Duke...)
Sorry for the blurry pictures - I'll go and retake them. But general idea about what wonderful handles on the doors and the doors themselves you have)
Nikolai Nikolaevich at the maneuvers. The Emperor is on the left Alexander III, far left - the future Nicholas II
In the northwestern corner of the palace there were two double-height halls: Dance and Banquet (one of the double-height halls is shown in the photo from Soviet times). The Ballroom was entered from the main staircase and the reception area. The columns and pilasters of this room were decorated with artificial marble. Each tier had several windows, and the entire hall, 17 meters high, on all three floors, was flooded with light. Cupids and satyrs, forest deities pursuing timid nymphs and dancing in circles with them, are used in the subjects of the stucco molding. The interior stucco molding was mainly done by the Danish master David Jensen.
Fun reigned at the balls, they danced enthusiastically, the best military bands played, and most importantly, the ladies did not get bored, which was monitored by the adjutants. The owner himself, tireless and inventive in dancing, and if brother Mikhail always danced with married young ladies, then Nikolai was exclusively a gentleman of girls and called them “his flying squadron.”Unfortunately, this probably magnificent hall was closed.
In the center of the western façade was the Main Reception Room (pictured above, photo from Soviet times), decorated with mirrors in stucco frames, a carved fireplace made of white marble and inlaid parquet flooring made of colored wood.
Part of the trim above the doors in the Main Reception Room.
One of the pearls of the palace was the Moorish Room.
frame from the TV channel "Culture"
Facade along Konnogvardeisky Boulevard about a hundred years ago. The dome of the house church is visible, which is no longer there.
The facade along Konnogvardeisky Boulevard - with windows to the garden and the boulevard, there were His Highness’s personal apartments: Standard, Reception, Study, Billiard room near the study, room of the adjutant on duty. They could be accessed through the Own Entrance, the lobby of which is decorated with unique pilasters. The personal apartments were elegant, with stucco decorations on the walls and ceiling, with oak and walnut paneling, parquet flooring with a frieze of colored wood. Judging by this description, in the photo in the row slightly above this one is exactly the ceiling of the Own Chambers... On the second floor, at the end, three balconies of the Own Office are visible. In front of him, along the boulevard, are the premises of Alexandra Petrovna’s Office. Behind it was the Winter Garden, decorated with white marble panels with a marble fountain in the shape of a bowl.
On the openwork cast-iron grille of Alexandra Petrovna’s balcony her monogram “AP” is visible.
The gate from Konnogvardeisky Boulevard, through which you get to your own entrance; on the second floor there are three balconies of the Own Office.
The palace was connected to the Manege, decorated in Arabic style. Together with the stables, it occupied a significant part of the service yard, and these buildings have been preserved. At the Manege there were two servants' rooms and an auditorium. These premises were often used for exhibitions, because no one better organized exhibitions of purebred dogs and horses or breeding livestock than Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, a great expert on animal husbandry, an honorary member of various agricultural and sports societies. A passionate hunter and fisherman, he loved to travel to Ropsha to fish for trout and organize picnics. Being an experienced rural owner, Nikolai Nikolaevich made sure that his subordinates, who were managing the farm on their estates, did not neglect it, and when spring came, he commanded: “Agronomists, to their places” and fired them on leave on their estates.
In the garden, you can see the buildings of the Manege and in the center there is a round building - the Glacier.
After the death of Nikolai Nikolaevich, family life whose life, unfortunately, completely went wrong towards the end, the palace passed to his eldest son, also Nikolai Nikolaevich. However, the huge debts exceeded possible limits and the palace had to be sold to the treasury.
Former palace of V.K. Nikolai Nikolaevich since January of this year. comes under the jurisdiction of the Department of Appanages. New Palace of His Imperial Highness V.K. Nikolai Nikolaevich is located on B. Italianskaya Street...*
* Builder's Week, 1893, No. 11, page 47
Soon a decision was made to organize a special educational institution within the walls of the former grand ducal palace:
The Nikolaevsky Palace, which occupies an entire block near the Nikolaevsky Bridge, will be rebuilt and adapted to house an institute for orphans and semi-orphans. 700,000 silver rubles were allocated for the reconstruction; the work will be managed by a special construction commission. The Institute is named after Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna.*
* Builder's Week, 1894, No. 27
Works in the Nicholas Palace. In one of the wings of the acquired Ministry of Finance of the Nicholas Palace, work is being done to adapt the premises for the Department of Salaries of the Ministry of Finance, which will be transferred there by March 1, 1895.**
* Builder's Week, 1894, No. 46
The institute was opened in 1895. The girls lived in the wing of the building on the garden side, and further in the part of the building they had a dining room with high metal pillars. This dining room was preserved in Soviet years. Now there is a restaurant "Gymnasium".
Pupils of the Kseninsky Institute on the main staircase
Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna with her daughter Irina within the walls of the Kseninsky Institute.
Monument to the Commander-in-Chief of the Danube Army during the war of 1877-78, Field Marshal Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr.
Spouse, Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, née Alexandra Frederica Wilhelmina of Oldenburg, founded the Holy Protection Monastery in Kyiv. Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna was buried in the garden of the monastery next to the Intercession Church. On her grave, according to the will of the deceased, there is a modest wooden cross...
Pokrovsky Monastery, founded by V.Kn. Alexandra Petrovna.
Photo from the “Illustrated supplement to the newspaper Odessky Listok” for 04/30/1900
At the beginning of 1918, the building was transferred to trade union organizations, which entailed its redevelopment and the destruction of the outer bulbous end of the palace church. The building itself of the former Nikolaevsky Palace now houses the Palace of Labor and the Museum of Trade Unions.
some information taken from the site http://isakovan.narod.ru
P.S. And for some reason I was always drawn to this palace... Now I understand - its owner turns out to be born on the same day as me, only with a difference of 138 years))
This palace on Blagoveshchenskaya Square (today Truda Square) was built specifically for Prince Nicholas, the son of Emperor Nicholas I. The foundation of the building was laid in 1853, and construction continued for eight years.
Story
For his third son, Emperor Nicholas I personally chose the location for the palace. A. I. Stackenschneider was entrusted with developing the project. Famous Russian architects A. Lange and K. Ziegler became his assistants. The construction was supervised by K.A. Ton, R. A. Zhelyazevich A. P. Bryullov.
It was not by chance that the location on Blagoveshchenskaya Square was chosen for the palace. At this time, it began to develop very dynamically and soon turned into a beautiful and lively area of the city. The main decoration of the square was the Church of the Annunciation, designed by the architect Ton.
Start of construction
At the end of 1851 it was announced All-Russian competition for the best palace project for twenty-year-old Nikolai Nikolaevich. The option proposed by the architect Andrei Ivanovich Stackenschneider was considered the most successful.
The Nikolaevsky Palace became not only housing for the prince, but also living quarters for servants. The construction occupied an area of two hectares. During the Crimean War, construction work was suspended. They continued in 1856. The Nikolaevsky Palace in St. Petersburg was consecrated in December 1861.
The Grand Duke died in 1890. For debts, the Nikolaev Palace in St. Petersburg was transferred to the disposal of the department of appanages. In other words, the building became the property of the state.
Nicholas Palace - description
In those days it was the most technically equipped palace. It already had sewerage, running water, and telegraph communications. Particularly noteworthy is the carefully thought-out heating system. It included 70 fireplaces, as well as a large number of Dutch (tiled) and Russian stoves. There were lightning rods above all (92) pipes, which were grounded in the garden. In the center of the garden there was a round glacier. It was made in the form of a grotto. The material for its manufacture was red Finnish granite.
The arena, made in the Arabic style, was adjacent to the palace. Two rooms for service personnel were built in it, as well as a room where exhibitions of purebred dogs, breeding cattle, and horses were held. It must be said that the Grand Duke was a member of many sports and agricultural societies.
The Nikolaevsky Palace in St. Petersburg has a rectangular shape. For the facade, Stackenschneider used architectural techniques in the style of the Italian Renaissance. During this period of time, eclecticism came into fashion. A. I. Stackenschneider became one of the pioneers who applied it in St. Petersburg.
The architect highlighted each floor of the residence with an original cornice. low, decorated with pilasters and rusticated. There are bas-reliefs above the windows, and heavy consoles below the windows. The mezzanine is decorated as a front floor - high windows in the Renaissance style and a large number of small wrought-iron balconies.
In front of the central entrance, behind an openwork fence, there was an open area. At the beginning there was no garden with flower beds and trees, so the fountain was clearly visible - a portico with columns made of granite. In the eastern part of the palace there is a house church.
Interior decoration
When decorating the lobby, Stackenschneider used marble that remained after the mezzanine began with a white living room.
The dance and banquet halls were located in the northern part of the building. These are very spacious rooms with a height of more than 17 meters. They are decorated with sculptural works.
The personal apartments of the Grand Duke and his wife, as planned by the architect, were located on the eastern side of the palace on the second floor. The windows of the chambers overlooked Konnogvardeisky Boulevard and the garden. They could be accessed through a separate entrance located on the garden side. Directly from the apartment one could go to the room of the adjutant on duty, the billiard room, the office, and the standard room.
The walls of almost all rooms were decorated with various images of the prince’s favorite horses. These animals were Nikolai Nikolaevich’s true passion. He commanded the cavalry forces of all Russia.
Three doors led from the office to the balcony.
The chambers of the prince's wife, Alexandra Petrovna, were adjacent to the rooms of Nikolai Nikolaevich. The princess's office had two windows overlooking the garden and a balcony overlooking the boulevard. From here Alexandra Petrovna could go out into the winter garden, bedchamber, and boudoir.
Children's rooms were located on the first floor of the palace. In the northwestern wing of the building there were rooms for teachers. Guest rooms were also arranged here.
As contemporaries note, Blagoveshchenskaya Square has become much more beautiful from the moment the Nikolaevsky Palace appeared on it. Walking around St. Petersburg many citizens moved to this developing area.
House Church
The history of this building is interesting. One day, Prince Nikolai was in Rostov and saw an unusually beautiful temple. The decision was made instantly - the same church had to be in his house. In 1863, a house church was erected in the Nicholas Palace. It was open to everyone. The temple was consecrated at the end of October 1863.
Women's Institute
According to sources, for some time the city government argued about how to use the palace. As a result, it was decided to open a women’s institute within its walls and name it Kseninsky in honor of the emperor’s daughter.
On the ground floor they organized an office, furnished an apartment for the director of the institute and living quarters for the teaching staff.
It was decided to place classrooms on the second floor. A dining room was made in the former stable, and the playpen was turned into bedrooms. The institute operated quite successfully until 1917.
Palace after the revolution
The revolution made significant changes to the history of this building (as, indeed, to many others). In 1917, a decision was made and the Nikolaevsky Labor Union was transferred to the Petrograd Council of Trade Unions - that is how this building began to be called from then on.
The house church was transferred in 1999 Orthodox Church, and services resumed there.
During the Second World War, the Nikolaevsky Palace in St. Petersburg was severely destroyed. A few years after Great Victory it has been completely restored.
Palace today
The Nikolaevsky Palace on Truda Square in St. Petersburg is under the jurisdiction of the Council of Trade Unions of the Northern Capital.
This magnificent historical and cultural monument attracts numerous tourists. True, many rooms of the palace are rented out for offices, banquets, folklore shows, etc. Despite this, you have the opportunity to get to the Nicholas Palace in St. Petersburg. Excursions and expositions of various exhibitions are held here regularly. Experienced guides will tell you about the history of the palace and its owners.
In addition, in luxurious living rooms and halls you can celebrate a wedding, celebrate a birthday, prom. IN concert hall business meetings and presentations are often held.
Nikolaevsky Palace is one of the most beautiful in St. Petersburg. Construction of the building began in 1853 and was completed in 1861. The first owner of the palace was Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, son of Emperor Nicholas I. During solemn ceremony When laying the foundation, a treasure was placed at the base of the mansion - a chest full of silver and gold coins.
In addition to the palace, the princely estate included a stable, houses for servants, an arena and a garden. Architectural ensemble became the main decoration of Blagoveshchenskaya Square, which was renamed Labor Square in Soviet times.
The architect A. Stackenschneider, who supervised the construction, decided to use the Italian eclecticism style, which was very popular at that time. The palace is very similar to Venetian or Florentine palazzos of the Renaissance.
The interior spaces amaze tourists with their size. Huge halls, bedrooms, dining rooms, offices and living rooms are lavishly decorated with gold stucco, statues, flowerpots, paintings and lampshades.
In the mid-19th century, a passion for sports spread among the European and Russian aristocracy. That is why the architect Stackenschneider equipped one of the first home sports grounds in St. Petersburg in the palace of Nikolai Nikolaevich.
The Nikolaevsky Palace has long been considered the most advanced building in the Northern capital - it had an elevator, telephone, water supply and heating systems.
Connected to the elevator tragic story. Princess Tatiana Potemkina was taking the elevator to the upper floors, the cable broke and, along with the cabin, the princess fell down. Potemkina was seriously injured, but fortunately survived.
The house church of the Nicholas Palace also has its own history. While traveling around southern regions empire, the Grand Duke saw an ancient dilapidated temple. The beauty of the church struck Nikolai Nikolaevich, and he asked the architect to reproduce the building on the territory of his estate in St. Petersburg.
The Grand Duke was a great lover of zoology. Exhibitions of horses, bulls and cows were held in the arena at the palace. Nikolai Nikolaevich's wife, Princess Alexandra Petrovna, was known throughout St. Petersburg for her charitable activities.
Balls and social events were constantly held in the palace. The prince, like many other members of the Romanov dynasty, was very loving, and Special attention he paid to the ballerinas. It is known that the windows of the apartment that Nikolai Nikolaevich rented for his mistress, dancer E. Chislova, looked directly onto the windows of the prince’s matrimonial bedroom. When Chislova wanted to meet her high-society lover, she placed two candles on the windowsill.
The secret life of Nikolai Nikolaevich was soon revealed. For Alexandra Petrovna this was the hardest blow. The woman left her husband, moved to Kyiv and took the vow of a nun there.
The prince's heirs were unable to hold the palace. Huge debts forced them to sell the building to the state. In 1895, a women's institute for teaching handicrafts to young ladies was located in the mansion. During Soviet times, the palace housed various government institutions, including a printing house and the city library. Nowadays, the Nikolaev Palace is given to the St. Petersburg Federation of Trade Unions.