Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died before the palace’s completion and only Catherine the Great and her successors were able to enjoy the sumptuous interiors of Elizabeth’s home. Many of the palace’s impressive interiors have been remodeled since then, particularly after 1837, when a huge fire destroyed most of the building. Today the Winter Palace, together with four more buildings arranged side by side along the river embankment, houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia and is among the largest and most respected art museums in the world.

The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art and artifacts from all over the world and from throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century Europe). The Hermitage’s collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a unique collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet and Pissarro, numerous canvasses by Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin and several sculptures by Rodin. The collection is both enormous and diverse and is an essential stop for all those interested in art and history.

References:

Saint-Petersburg.com

User Reviews

David Ashley (2 years ago)
My first thought when I entered the winter palace was Wow. My last thought as I left was Wow, wow.unbelievable opulence. The only negative for me was not enough time to take it all in. It is a must see attraction.

Jared Bowen (2 years ago)
The sheer size of the structure and amount of historical items to see here are seldom rivaled. This was a truly exceptional experience, both historically and culturally. From the grandiosity of the interior to the unique art exhibits, one can easily find any number of items of interest. An absolute must while in St. Petersburg. Pro tip: get in at the opening hour and beat the crowds. Also, kiosks just past the center gate allow you to purchase tickets and skip the line.

Anthony Hurford (3 years ago)
Grandiose with many many interesting exhibits and features. I would advise wearing comfortable footwear as you will be doing a lot of walking to see all you want. When we went, we bought our tickets at a booth near the main entrance with no queue and no trouble. At the same time, there were enormous queues to buy tickets inside. The tickets we bought allowed us to skip this queue and walk straight in. TL:DR Buy tickets from kiosk and walk straight in, don't queue.

D Castillo (3 years ago)
Just a warning, it's too huge to enjoy in one day! Be prepared select the areas you really want to know and enjoy, otherwise, get a guide. It's beautiful and it has so much history, and arts. It's worth the visit. Besides, if you're a student regardless country or age, you enter for free! So don't pay tickets in advance, however, bear in mind you need to wait a lot of time in line. It's always busy there.

Tejas Joshi (3 years ago)
Excellent place to visit. Historical place. Worth to see it. Colourful rooms, many historical stories are related to this palace. Place is neat and clean well decorated and maintained. Ticket is little high and must be reduced for foreign. Toilet facilities is available but drinking water facilities not available. Crowds is bigger problem for free roaming. It take more than 3 hrs for quick glance. Every one come to Russia must visit this historical palace.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Erik Christensen, Porkeri

Historic Site of the week

Kirkjubøargarður

Kirkjubøargarður ('Yard of Kirkjubøur', also known as King"s Farm) is one of the oldest still inhabited wooden houses of the world. The farm itself has always been the largest in the Faroe Islands. The old farmhouse dates back to the 11th century. It was the episcopal residence and seminary of the Diocese of the Faroe Islands, from about 1100. Sverre I of Norway (1151–1202), grew up here and went to the priest school. The legend says, that the wood for the block houses came as driftwood from Norway and was accurately bundled and numbered, just for being set up. Note, that there is no forest in the Faroes and wood is a very valuable material. Many such wood legends are thus to be found in Faroese history.

The oldest part is a so-called roykstova (reek parlour, or smoke room). Perhaps it was moved one day, because it does not fit to its foundation. Another ancient room is the loftstovan (loft room). It is supposed that Bishop Erlendur wrote the 'Sheep Letter' here in 1298. This is the earliest document of the Faroes we know today. It is the statute concerning sheep breeding on the Faroes. Today the room is the farm"s library. The stórastovan (large room) is from a much later date, being built in 1772.

Though the farmhouse is a museum, the 17th generation of the Patursson Family, which has occupied it since 1550, is still living here. Shortly after the Reformation in the Faroe Islands in 1538, all the real estate of the Catholic Church was seized by the King of Denmark. This was about half of the land in the Faroes, and since then called King"s Land (kongsjørð). The largest piece of King"s Land was the farm in Kirkjubøur due to the above-mentioned Episcopal residence. This land is today owned by the Faroese government, and the Paturssons are tenants from generation to generation. It is always the oldest son, who becomes King"s Farmer, and in contrast to the privately owned land, the King"s Land is never divided between the sons.

The farm holds sheep, cattle and some horses. It is possible to get a coffee here and buy fresh mutton and beef directly from the farmer. In the winter season there is also hare hunting for the locals. Groups can rent the roykstovan for festivities and will be served original Faroese cuisine.

Other famous buildings directly by the farmhouse are the Magnus Cathedral and the Saint Olav"s Church, which also date back to the mediaeval period. All three together represent the Faroe Island"s most interesting historical site.

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