The Stroganov family was the wealthiest family in Russia who were in merchant business since the 15th century. Though, the family joined the world of the noble families in the 18th century during Peter the Great’s monarchy. Throughout the Great Northern War between Russia and the Swedish Empire, the Stroganov house donated enormous funds to the Peter I’s army which made Tsar thank them himself. That was the first step for the Stroganov family to become one of the noble families of Russia, later, marriage arrangements between the Stroganov house and other noble families made the noble connection even stronger.
The Stroganov Palace which is an example of late Baroque architecture locates in the energetic street of St. Petersburg at the junction of the Nevsky Prospect and Moika River. This palace which faces the Nevsky prospect is one of the masterpieces of famous Italian architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754. However, the palace was not built at once and changed its interior several times to become the palace we know today.
At first, the Stroganov Palace was probably a one-story building in the 1720s which later the second floor constructed on it by Mikhail Zemtsov in the 1740s. Baron Stroganov requested the famous Bartolomeo Rastrelli to design the new palace for him in 1752. Since the Stroganov house was the wealthiest family in Russia and was linked to Empress Elizabeth by marriage, Rastrelli could not refuse the assignment. He designed the new palace following the late Baroque architecture style and used several marble sculptures to decorate the interior. Some years later, Empress Catherine II show some interest in neoclassical architecture and spread the interest between royal families too. The great son of Baron Stroganov, Alexander hired the famous Russian architect, Andrei Voronikhin to redesign and restore the interior following the neoclassical architecture.
Pavel was the son of Alexander and the last heir to the Stroganov family. Since Pavel's only son killed during the Battle of Craonne, he released an official statement dedicating that the palace should be passed to the oldest member of the house after he died. The law lasted until the October Revolution, then the palace nationalized, and the government declared ownership over it; and the remaining members of the Stroganov house left the country afterward. The Stroganov Palace turned into the museum of the lifestyle of the Russian aristocracy. The museum closed after ten years, and the palace gave to the government offices such as the botanical institute, and the branch of Shipbuilding study. The palace returned to the Russia State Museum in 1988, and it’s under their administration ever since.
One of the main attractions of this palace is its exterior and interior architecture. This palace has direct access to the urban area and with its late baroque exterior architecture design by Rastrelli, and the different interior neoclassical architecture design by Voronikhin is one of the wonders in Nevsky prospect. Also, there are several sculptures, painting, and profile installed on the palace walls which make it even more attractive for tourists.
Today, visiting this palace is like to take a trip into Russian architecture history. Each corner of this palace is a piece of magnificent Russian architecture from the 18th century to the 20th century. The palace was indeed filled with massive expensive art collections which were transferred to other museums around Russia or even sold abroad by the Soviet government, but the intense Russia State Museum collections made it possible to witness a few masterpieces in the palace such as sculptures, books, and paintings after all.
One of the permanent exhibitions of the museum is the Mineral Study which is started in 2005. The exhibition hall which was designed by Voronikhin and he followed the neoclassical architecture in his design for the room was meant to be the library for the lord Alexander, but shifted into the Mineral Study exhibition in modern time.
The other permanent exhibition in this museum is the Russian Empire Style, Applied Art of the Epoch of Alexander I which displays the artwork and sculpture works of famous artists in Russia from 1801 to 1825.
One of the valuable collections of the museum would be the sculpture collection of famous Russian artists such as Prokofiev, Konenkov, Orlovsky, and many others from the 18th century to the 20th century.
Besides all these collections and exhibitions, there are many paintings and artworks from the Russia State Museum which displays in the museum frequently.
Visiting this museum in your trip to St. Petersburg for the people who like to know more about the development of Russia architecture and also the artworks from the 18th century to the 20th century would be quite exciting and pleasant. These are all the reason why the Stroganov Palace is one of the main attractions in Nevsky prospect and on top of the Russia tours’ lists of destination.
