If you have ever taken a trip to St. Petersburg, you have already known this, but if you’ve never been there, you should know that there are more than enough imperial and noble palaces in St. Petersburg and its suburban area. Everywhere you go, you’ll notice at least one imperial palace in the area that has probably turned to a museum; after all, St. Petersburg is the city of museums according to its citizens and locals. The reason behind this nickname is the number of museums and historical places of St. Petersburg; you cannot visit all of them on one short trip to St. Petersburg, and to visit them all, you need to spend more of your time on the tour to Russia in St. Petersburg.
There are lots of places that you must see on your travel to Russia, especially in St. Petersburg, which is one of the most interesting historical capitals (former) in the world. There you can find several art museums, historical buildings, beautiful gardens, educational museums, entertainment centers, and fun activities to try; one of the best ways to have fun and also learn about the history of this significant city is to visit its historical places, such as Sheremetev Palace on Fontanka River embankment, only a few steps away from Nevsky Prospect.
Sheremetev Palace is one of the largest imperial estates that had given to the Sheremetev family, who were one of the noble houses of St. Petersburg and one of the favorite families of the imperial family. Field-Marshal Boris Sheremetev was the one who took the estate on the bank of Fontanka River in 1712 from Peter I. Sheremetev Palace was one of the cultural centers of St. Petersburg in its great days in the 18th and 19th century. The Sheremetev Palace was one of the largest palaces in the urban area of St. Petersburg, which had a private hospital, church, theater, and garden; that’s why it later became one of the cultural centers of St. Petersburg.
The present two-story building of the Sheremetev Palace was constructed in the 1740s by the design of Savva Tchevakinsky, who was from one of the serf families of Sheremetev family; however, it’s also believed that some of the sketches of Francesco Rastrelli have been used in the design of Sheremetev Palace. Throughout the time, many illustrious people from Sheremetev family have lived in the palace, who have improved the building with the help of avant-garde architects of the day; for example, the iron fences that sets back the yellow and white palace from the Fontanka Embankment was the design of Geronimo Corsini and placed in 1838. Several elegant fountains decorated the gardens, which unfortunately have not survived, but it was the reason that people have nicknamed the palace the Fountain House.
From the 18th century, the palace became one of the cultural centers of St. Petersburg since Petr Borisovich and Nikolai Sheremetev, two of the palace owners, had created one of the best theaters in the 18th century. Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev had also married one of the leading stars of his opera Praskovia Zhemchugova. The Fountain House was also the host of many concerts and literary soirees.
Following the October Revolution, the palace and all of its belongings had turned into the Museum of Russian nobility, which started with the collection of paintings, sculptures, coins, applied art, arms, and a library full of rare and unique books. Until 1984, the mansion had been given to several organizations; most of the interior of the palace was destroyed, and the collections had been given to other museums in Leningrad.
In 1989, the Fountain House had turned to the Museum of Music as one of the largest branches of the State Museum of Theater and Music. Since 1894, a series of restoration works have been set in the palace to return the brilliant interior to its original form of the 19th century, and many of the exhibition halls have been restored to the original plans.
The Museum of Music has three main permanent exhibitions; the first one is about the history of the previous owners, the Sheremetev family, which dedicated to the Sheremetev family and the Russian nobility from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century; a collection of unique musical instruments, which you can visit on your trip to St. Petersburg; the Sheremetev family private collection. The collections inside this museum are a joint-collection of the Hermitage Museum, Pushkin House, the Kuskovo porcelain collection, and several other private galleries. The Sheremetev’s Museum of Music has more than three thousand exhibits, including several instruments created by Western and Russian artists and masters from the 16th to 20th centuries; a collection of instruments belonged to the Romanov family; a collection of instruments owned by famous composers of Russia; Mikhail Glinka’s violin, Alexander I’s collection of flutes, Nicholas II’s cello, and several more bizarre and valuable collectibles.
There’s also the Anna Akhmatova Memorial Museum, which locates at the southern extension of the Sheremetev Palace. Anna Akhmatova was one of the greatest poets of the 20th century of Russia, who had lived in the southern wing of the palace until her death in 1966. The museum contains the Akhmatova’s personal belongings and the house furniture as well as photographs, sculptures, paintings, original manuscripts, and artworks around the poet’s life. There are also separate parts of the museums dedicated to Akhtamova’s son, her friend Joseph Brodsky, and the well-known historian Lev Gumiliev.
Though the Sheremetev Palace is one of the branches of the State Museum of Theater and Music, it’s the largest branch, and one of the major attractions of St. Petersburg on the tour to Russia. We at the Star Travel Group recommend a visit to this palace on their travel to Russia if they’re interested in music, musical instruments, or Sheremetev family and nobility’s life in St. Petersburg. We also recommend the tourists who have decided to visit Russia read our weblog to learn more about the top Russia attractive places, best places to visit on the tour to Russia, the top shopping centers in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Best places to try Russian traditional cuisine, and our tips and advice on how to travel to Russia.
