The Mikhailovsky (or the Engineer’s) castle became infamous immediately after the death of Emperor Paul I, who was strangled in his bedroom in the castle. And no wonder the palce gained bad reputation, since Palace coups and the Emperor’s murder were not a common thing for Russian Empire after all. Read more
The Grand Palace along with the large fountain cascade in front of it is the main attraction of Peterhof and architectural dominant of the whole Palace and Park complex. This monumentally looking building has about 30 rooms inside. Read more
There are few evidences of how Peter lived in the first years of construction of the future capital, while legends galore. However, history has preserved the first building of St. Petersburg to our days – a wooden cabin of Peter I. Read more
One of the most strange and terrible murders of the early XX century happened in the cellars of the mansion. 17 Dec 1916 Grigory Rasputin, an extraordinary and mysterious person, met his end there. A simple Siberian peasant, rude and uncouth, he not only managed to become a favorite and indispensable advisor of the Royall family, but also actively interfered in the political decisions of the sovereign.Read more
Pavlovsk Palace was laid in 1782. For ten years the famous architect Charles Cameron worked on the creation of the Pavlovsk ensemble. His ideas formed the basis not only for the Palace but also for the entire layout and composition of the estate with a park, bridges, walkways and garden buildings. Read more