St. Petersburg was the capital of the great Russian Empire for nearly two centuries. During those years, nobles and people close to the imperial family have travelled to St. Petersburg and lived in this beautiful city. That is why, compared to other major Russian cities, St. Petersburg has a large number of magnificent palaces and mansions belonging to aristocratic and imperial families. Even if we leave aside the palaces and mansions explicitly built for the imperial family or those purchased by them, there are still many magnificent palaces and mansions in St. Petersburg that tourists can visit and admire during their tour to Russia. Another reason why these palaces have become an essential part of the Russia tour today is the complete renovation of many of them in recent years. Most of them also house St. Petersburg museums. One of the main attractions of St. Petersburg on tour to Russia is a visit to these magnificent palaces and mansions in St. Petersburg, which today have become museums with unique collections. We have already talked about the imperial palaces and the famous museums of St. Petersburg in our blog that you can read if you're interested. However, now, we're going to introduce the most famous St. Petersburg Aristocratic Mansions and Palaces.
Menshikov Palace
Menshikov Palace was one of the first stone palaces and mansions of St. Petersburg, built in 1710 and belonging to the General Commander of St. Petersburg and one of Peter the Great's close friends and advisers, Alexander Menshikov. This magnificent mansion was designed by Giovanni Maria Fontana and further modified by the German Gottfried Johann Schädel. Menshikov Palace is located on Vasilevsky Island, on University Embankment, and has a magnificent view of the Winter Palace. Menshikov Palace now functions as one of the branches of the Hermitage Museum and displays some of the museum's most important exhibits. The Hermitage Museum is one of St. Petersburg's attractions that no tourist should miss during a tour to Russia.
Sheremetev Palace
Following the introduction of the aristocratic palaces and mansions of St. Petersburg is the Sheremetev Palace, which in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was introduced as one of the most popular and important cultural centers of St. Petersburg. This magnificent palace, which was initially large enough to house a hospital and a private theater, is also known as the Fountain House. This magnificent mansion and its surroundings belonged to the Sheremetev aristocratic family and Boris Sheremetev himself. Of course, the descendants of Boris were responsible for the development and improvement of this magnificent mansion, and at that time, this mansion reached its peak of glory. Although the main mansion and Sheremetev Palace were built in 1712, many famous architects such as Savva Chevakinsky and Ivan Starov have worked on reconstructing the mansion and the surrounding grounds through history. Today, this magnificent palace is home to several different museums, including a branch of the Museum of Theater and Music and the Anna Akhmatova Memorial Museum, which you can visit during your tour to St. Petersburg.
Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace
Another aristocratic palace and mansion in St. Petersburg, built in 1747 with a small palace and a private garden, is the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace. The palace belonged to the family of Prince Mikhail Andreevich Beloselsky. Today, of course, the palace known by this name is much larger than what was initially built at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt and the Fontanka River. Today this beautiful palace is part of the assets of the city of St. Petersburg, and special concerts and ceremonies are held there. Of course, visiting its interior is also one of the attractions of the St. Petersburg tour.
Stroganov Palace
Stroganov Palace is one of the most famous palaces and mansions of St. Petersburg, built in 1754 by Bartolomeo Rastrelli for Baron Sergei Grigoriyevich at the intersection of Nevsky Prospect and Moika River. The palace was rebuilt with late Baroque architecture in the early 19th century by Andrei Voronikhin. Since 1988, the palace has been given to the State Russian Museum to continue its activities as a museum branch and display part of the museum's exhibition works. In addition, Stroganov Palace is significant in architecture and displays artworks from the State Russian Museum on tour to St. Petersburg.
Anichkov Palace
Anichkov Palace is one of the other aristocratic palaces and mansions of St. Petersburg, which is not accessible to most tourists on Russia tour. This beautiful palace is located at the intersection of Nevsky Prospect and the Fontanka River. There is now a small museum on the palace's history and several works of art inside the Anichkov Palace. The theater of this complex is also one of the famous theaters in the St. Petersburg tour. You can visit our blog to get acquainted with other famous and essential theaters on St. Petersburg tour.
Marble Palace
The Marble Palace is another of St. Petersburg's aristocratic palaces and mansions on tour to Russia that many tourists visit during their St. Petersburg tour program. This neoclassical palace is located near the Field of Mars and the Summer Garden and is one of the main tourist attractions of the Russia tour. The palace was initially built by order of Catherine the Great for Count Grigory Orlov, but after his exile was purchased by the imperial court and given to various figures throughout history. Grand Duke Constantine Nikolayevich was one of the nobles who owned the palace, and today part of the Marble Palace Museum is dedicated to him and his artwork. This palace also functions today as a branch of the State Russian Museum.
Moika (Yusupov) Palace
One of the essential urban palaces in St. Petersburg belonged to the great Yusupov family, whose name has been repeated several times in Russian history. Moika's Yusupov Palace was the site of the assassination of Grigory Rasputin, who was one of the most famous figures of the late Russian Empire, and part of the Yusupov Palace Museum is dedicated to the evidence about his murder. The Yusupov Palace Museum is one of the most important museums in St. Petersburg, which many tourists visit during their tour to Russia.
Shuvalov Palace
Shuvalov Palace is another aristocratic palace and mansion in St. Petersburg that has become an essential part of Russia tour today. Once home to the noble Shuvalov family, this beautiful palace has now been transformed into a Faberge Museum, which is of great importance on tour to Russia, after many renovations and preparations to host a modern museum. In addition to having one of the most important museums in St. Petersburg, this palace has attractive architecture and is visited by many tourists. You can visit our blog to get acquainted with the Faberge Museum.
Kschessinska Mansion
The Kschessinska Mansion is the last name on our list of aristocratic palaces and mansions in St. Petersburg. The last owner of which before the October Revolution was the famous St. Petersburg ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska. Today, the mansion is home to the Museum of Political History, one of the most important museums tourists should not miss visiting during their travel to Russia. Of course, part of this museum is also dedicated to the history of its owners, including Mathilde Kschessinska. Do not forget that you can find complete information with more details about each of the St. Petersburg aristocratic mansions and palaces in this list on our blog.
