To some extent, a farewell gift from his father and brother to Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich. First, Pavel the First began to collect money for it. Then, when he was killed, Alexander the First took care of the construction of the palace, and when the Grand Duke turned 21, in 1817 the construction of the palace began according to the project of the architect Rossi. It remained in the possession of the Romanov House until the very end of the 19th century. It was here, to his sister, that Alexander II visited on the day of his death from a terrorist bomb.
Arts Square
Before, according to the project of the architect Rinaldi, they began to build a palace here for the favorite of Catherine II, Grigory Orlov, there was first a postal yard, then an animal yard, where the first St. Petersburg elephant lived for a short time, after the building burned down, and then they cleared a place for the square.
The count did not wait for the queen's gift, but she bought the palace from the descendants of Orlov and gave it to her grandson Konstantin Pavlovich. After that, until 1918, it remained the residence for members of the Romanov House. Then there was the Russian Academy of the History of Material Culture, then a branch of the Lenin Museum was opened, and since 1992 the Marble Palace has become a branch of the Russian Museum, where mainly exhibitions of contemporary art are held (Warhol, Ludwig Museum, etc.).
Millionnaya street, 5/1
The Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace was built for Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich in 1885-1895, and the decoration of the premises was delayed until 1900. For those times, this is a long time, but you need to keep in mind that the building was equipped with the latest technology, and the interiors were made with chic elegance. The building was never used as a palace - there were various organizations here. Little has survived to this day, but you can get an idea of the beautiful decoration from the wonderful elevator shaft in combination with carved oak doors.
Admiralteyskaya embankment, 8
Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich became an anti-hero in the history of the Russian fleet. Despite the fact that it was under him that the structures of most Russian naval bases were built and fortified, there was a gradual modernization of the ships, it is Alexei Alexandrovich who is considered responsible for the defeat of Russia in the war with Japan, and especially for Port Arthur. Actually, after him, he left the naval ministry and was dismissed from all naval posts. Then the prince settled in his small palace at the crossroads of English Avenue and the Moika Embankment. It was built from 1882 to 1885 by the architect Messmacher, the author of the building of the famous school of Baron Stieglitz (in Soviet times it was named after the sculptor Mukhina). Of all the possible options provided by the architect, the Grand Duke settled on the style of a French chateau. In addition, Messmacher laid out a garden near the palace and attached a greenhouse to it.
Embankment of the Moika River, 122
The former Leningrad Executive Committee and the current Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg is the place next to which the largest rallies of the early nineties and the end of the 2000s were held. It was built by Nicholas I for his daughter Maria, who, being a girl with character, flatly refused to leave St. Petersburg after the wedding. The building was designed by Stackenschneider (Rossi was already too old and ill). It was built according to the latest technology of the time. For example, inside the building was made partly of sandstone, so warmth and comfort reigned here. Maria Nikolaevna lived in the palace until her death in 1872. Her children subsequently sold the building to the state due to debts, after which the State Council was placed here.
St. Isaac's Square, 6
This palace was built by three architects at once. First Stackenschneider, then Charlemagne. And when he was also removed from work, Bosse took over the house for the youngest son of Nicholas I, who built a modest but cozy building in a classical style. For his work, the architect received the Order of St. Anne. The palace is now in disrepair, it is waiting for a big restoration.
Peterhof, Mikhailovka estate
After the construction of the Mariinsky Palace, Stackenschneider continued to build buildings for members of the imperial family. One of them is the palace of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. This is an excellent example of late imperial neoclassicism. A square was laid out around the building and surrounded by an elegant lattice. After the death of the Grand Duke, the building was transferred to the Women's Institute. In Soviet times, it was given to trade unions and was called the "Palace of Labor". Now it is leased to commercial organizations.
Labor Square
The third palace built by Stackenschneider for the children of Nicholas I. Its design began after the wedding of Mikhail Nikolayevich. To erect the building, several older buildings in the neighborhood were demolished. The palace itself is an excellent example of early eclecticism and combines in its appearance the features of a variety of architectural styles: baroque, rococo, classicism.
Mikhail Nikolayevich, having only moved into the house in 1862, left St. Petersburg as a governor for the Caucasus. Returning in 1881, he again settled in the palace. After the death of Mikhail Nikolaevich, the building passed into the hands of his son Nikolai. And now there is a library of oriental manuscripts.
Palace embankment, 18
At first, Peter wanted to arrange an imperial residence in Strelna, but nothing came of it. And it was impossible to install fountains here because of the too small height difference. Then the palace began to build Rastrelli, but did not finish the job. Finally, in 1797, Paul the First gave these places into the possession of his son Konstantin. The palace was subsequently rebuilt by Voronikhin (1803) and Stackenschneider (for the son of Nicholas I, Constantine).
In Soviet times, this palace had a school-colony and an Arctic school, after the closure of which Konstantinovsky began to slowly collapse. These places have become a haven for gopniks, ravers and drug addicts. In 2000, they were transferred to the Office of the President, and by 2003 the building was completely restored and became the official residence of the head of state.
Strelna
Palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich
In 1830 the house was bought by His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov. He entrusted the restructuring of his residence to the architect Glinka, who placed a marble office, a library, blue and green living rooms, a round hall, a dining room decorated with columns on the mezzanine floor, and the chambers of the wife of Prince Ekaterina Sergeevna on the ground floor.
His Serene Highness Prince Menshikov lived for many years in a luxurious palace on the embankment, and after his death the house was inherited by his son, military general Vladimir Alexandrovich, whose heirs sold the palace to the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty in 1896. So the building entered a new phase - turning from a princely into a grand ducal residence.
After Vladimir Alexandrovich, the palace passed to the younger brother of Emperor Nicholas II, Mikhail Alexandrovich, who immediately set about rebuilding his possessions and invited the architect Karl Rakhau for this purpose, who remade the building in an eclectic style, creating inside the palace a grandiose marble curved staircase - a real masterpiece, decorated according to the second floor with Atlantes and gilded molding.
In 1922, the palace was nationalized and transferred to the All-Russian Society of the Deaf, which is located there to this day. Now here, in addition to the Society, there are private offices and offices.
The mansion occupies its special place in the cinema: in 1988, based on Alexander Grin's story "The Gray Car", the film "Mr. Decorator" was filmed in the palace - the building acted as the home of the main character Platon Andreevich.
English embankment, 54; Galernaya st., 55
House of scientists. Vladimir Palace
In 1862, the site on the Palace Embankment turns into a grand construction of the palace for the Grand Dukes - Alexander and Vladimir. Architect Alexander Rezanov, while developing a project for the future palace, plans to build a building in the style of Italian Renaissance palazzos.
But if the facades of the building were made in the same style, then the rooms amazed the imagination and transferred the guests of the palace to different historical eras. Thus, the Front Reception Room (Crimson Living Room), which was the largest room on the second floor, was decorated in the style of the Italian Renaissance. Behind it was the Living Room, decorated in the style of the times of Louis XVI. After the Living Room, the Small Dining Room in the style of English Gothic followed, the Buffet and the Dance Hall were located here.
All rooms of the palace were decorated with the rarest collections of paintings, sculptures, weapons and the best examples of arts and crafts. With its chic location and the splendor of the interiors, the building immediately won the glory of the new center of St. Petersburg's social life. Balls, receptions, charity, musical and literary evenings were held here.
After the event of October 1917, the board of the Union of International Trade Associations was placed in the palace, and from October 1918 the Theater Department of the People's Commissariat of Education was placed in the building. Since 1919, the World Literature publishing house has moved here: it was during this period in the history of the palace that a dark time began, when the richest property was exported, sold, plundered and partially given to museums. However, already in January 1920, the building received a new status and the title of "House of Scientists". Only because of this, the interiors of the palace did not suffer as much as other similar creations in St. Petersburg, where theft was rampant, taking great works of art to private collections.
In the 1920s and 30s, scientific reports were regularly read at the House of Scientists on Saturdays, public lectures on Thursdays, and debates and concerts were also held. Also in the palace there was a hostel for 20 people, in which a library, an outpatient clinic, a bathhouse, a laundry, a hairdresser and a club functioned. By the way, Osip Mandelstam lived in the hostel for some time.
Palace Embankment, 26
Manor Aleksandrovka. Lviv Palace
During the life of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, the second son of Emperor Paul I, who until the death of his elder brother Alexander was considered the heir to the Russian throne, military parades were held on the territory of the current Aleksandrovka estate. However, in 1804, the lands where the palace would soon appear were granted to the English merchant Jones, then moved to the collegiate councilor Zeland, who built a wooden house here. Finally, in 1838, the leapfrog of owners and owners ceased for a long time, as the estate was acquired by Adjutant General Pavel Alexandrov, the illegitimate son of Konstantin Pavlovich. By the name of Pavel, the estate receives the name "Alexandrovka".
The wooden house was demolished in the same year, and the fashionable architect Kolman erected a neo-Gothic stone palace in its place: the western part is crowned by a battlement tower characteristic of this style, and a covered gallery connects the two buildings.
The last owner of the estate was Pavel's grandson - Alexander Lvov, who forever remained in the history of St. Petersburg under the nickname "fiery prince". At the age of 17, in 1880, he created in Strelna the first team of "extinguishers" in Russia, consisting of volunteers, and three years later he built a fire department building and a giant tower on the territory of his estate, which he liked to climb and look around the surroundings in the observation room. pipe. At the beginning of the 20th century, the prince was even elected chairman of the Fire Society, which lasted until 1919, when the organization was dissolved due to contradictions related to the disagreement shown by Lvov regarding the actions of the Soviet government. In addition, he gained fame as a fighter for sobriety, was zealously interested in sports and even contributed to the construction of a tram line, which is still in operation. In memory of the deeds of this glorious man, a monument was erected in front of the entrance to the Aleksandrovka estate.
After the revolution, the estate was empty. And during the Great Patriotic War, it was completely plundered and destroyed by fascist troops. Currently, the estate has been restored, the facade of the palace shines with fresh paint, and inside it are the Administration and the Municipal Council of Strelna, as well as a music school.
Strelna, Portovaya st., 19, building 1
The palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov, grandson of Emperor Nicholas I, is located on the Admiralteyskaya embankment. It was built in 1885 - 1891 according to the design of the architect Maximilian Messmacher, and was supposed to become the Grand Duke's residence. But after Alexander III did not recognize the marriage of the prince with Sophia Merenberg, Mikhail Mikhailovich left for England, never having lived in the new palace for a single day. After that, various administrative institutions were located in the building, and in 1911 the palace was bought by the Russian Lloyd insurance company. After the October Revolution and the change of power, the palace housed state institutions.
Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov was born on October 4 (17), 1861 in St. Petersburg. From 1881, he began serving in the Life Guards of the Jaeger Regiment and soon received the rank of colonel from the sovereign. A year later, he was appointed adjutant wing to the Person of His Imperial Majesty. In 1891, without the permission of Emperor Alexander III, known for his strict attachment to the duty of an equal Christian marriage in the family, Mikhail Mikhailovich married Countess Sophia Merenberg. As a result, the Grand Duke was immediately dismissed from public service and deprived of all rights. He was also banned from entering Russia.
Subsequently, Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov lived with his wife in France and England, meeting with his August relatives only abroad. Interestingly, in 1908, the prince wrote an autobiographical novel in English called "Cheer Up". In his work, he condemned the rules in force in Russia for the marriage of high-ranking persons, which actually excluded the possibility of marriage for love. The sale of this novel in Russia was banned.
The architect Maximilian Yegorovich Messmacher, according to whose project the palace on the Admiralteyskaya embankment was built, had not only an unsurpassed talent for designing and constructing buildings, but also a great artistic talent. Mesmacher made sketches of lanterns, lattices, furniture, created ornaments for church utensils and even fabrics.
The palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich was in a deplorable state for a long time. Currently, the palace is undergoing large-scale restoration work. Restoration of the interiors of the prince's oak cabinet, front rooms on the first and second floors, and the main facade of the building has already been carried out.
The palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov, grandson of Emperor Nicholas I, is located on the Admiralteyskaya embankment. It was built in 1885 - 1891 according to the design of the architect Maximilian Messmacher, and was supposed to become the Grand Duke's residence. But after Alexander III did not recognize the marriage of the prince with Sophia Merenberg, Mikhail Mikhailovich left for England, never having lived in the new palace for a single day. After that, various administrative institutions were located in the building, and in 1911 the palace was bought by the Russian Lloyd insurance company. After the October Revolution and the change of power, the palace housed state institutions.
Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov was born on October 4 (17), 1861 in St. Petersburg. From 1881, he began serving in the Life Guards of the Jaeger Regiment and soon received the rank of colonel from the sovereign. A year later, he was appointed adjutant wing to the Person of His Imperial Majesty. In 1891, without the permission of Emperor Alexander III, known for his strict attachment to the duty of an equal Christian marriage in the family, Mikhail Mikhailovich married Countess Sophia Merenberg. As a result, the Grand Duke was immediately dismissed from public service and deprived of all rights. He was also banned from entering Russia.
Subsequently, Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov lived with his wife in France and England, meeting with his August relatives only abroad. Interestingly, in 1908, the prince wrote an autobiographical novel in English called "Cheer Up". In his work, he condemned the rules in force in Russia for the marriage of high-ranking persons, which actually excluded the possibility of marriage for love. The sale of this novel in Russia was banned.
The architect Maximilian Yegorovich Messmacher, according to whose project the palace on the Admiralteyskaya embankment was built, had not only an unsurpassed talent for designing and constructing buildings, but also a great artistic talent. Mesmacher made sketches of lanterns, lattices, furniture, created ornaments for church utensils and even fabrics.
The palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich was in a deplorable state for a long time. Currently, the palace is undergoing large-scale restoration work. Restoration of the interiors of the prince's oak cabinet, front rooms on the first and second floors, and the main facade of the building has already been carried out.
Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich was born on October 4/16, 1861 in Peterhof in the family of the son of Emperor Nicholas I, Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich and his wife, Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna. Like all Members of the Imperial House, Mikhail Mikhailovich received an excellent education at home.
In 1881, the Grand Duke entered the service of the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. According to the memoirs of his brother, Grand Duke Alexander: “He adored military service and felt excellent in the ranks of the Life Guards of the Jaeger Regiment ... Unfortunately, his propensity for family life woke up too early ... He still did not know who he was on. marries, but he was going to marry someone and as soon as possible by all means. In constant search for the "queen of his dreams," he made several attempts to marry girls of unequal origin. This created severe complications between him and our parents and led nowhere.” Having received the right to dispose of his funds by adulthood, Mikhail Mikhailovich began the construction of a luxurious Palace, in which he never had to live.
Having fallen in love with the daughter of Count N. P. Ignatiev Ekaterina Nikolaevna, Mikhail Mikhailovich asked the Sovereign Alexander III to allow him to marry her. The answer of the Sovereign, as the General of Infantry N. A. Yepanchin told us, was very delicate: “He invited Mikhail Mikhailovich to his place, had a cordial conversation with him, and when Mikhail Mikhailovich told the Sovereign that he really would like to marry Countess Ekaterina Nikolaevna , then the Sovereign told him that on his part, as the Head of the Royal House, there would be no obstacles to this marriage, but that the Grand Duke, due to inexperience, could very well be mistaken in his feelings. Therefore, the Sovereign decided that the Grand Duke would leave Petersburg for about a year, and if in a year he did not change his mind, then the Sovereign would bless him for marriage with Countess Ignatieva. The Grand Duke left, and after a few months 
married abroad Countess Thorby, granddaughter of A. S. Pushkin, without the permission of the Sovereign and the commander of the Life Guards of the Chasseurs Regiment, in which he served. But without the permission of the commander, he had no right to marry. (In parentheses, we note that Sophia Merenberg is the eldest daughter of Prince Nicholas Wilhelm of Nassau and his morganatic wife Countess Natalya Alexandrovna Merenberg, daughter of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.) The marriage was not recognized as valid and by the Highest Will the Grand Duke was dismissed from service, deprived of all rights with prohibition of entry into Russia for permanent residence.
In 1909 Sovereign Nikolai Alexandrovich forgave his cousin uncle and restored him to the ranks of adjutant wing and colonel, but he was rarely in his homeland. During a visit to the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, Emperor Nicholas restored the patronage of the Grand Duke over the 49th Brest Infantry Regiment, which remained until the spring of 1917.
September 14, 1927 Countess Sofya Nikolaevna Thorby died, and a year and a half later, on April 26, 1929, Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich died in London just like her.
In memory of this sad story, we were left with the palace of the Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov, or the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace, which stands on the Admiralteyskaya embankment. Opposite the palace stands the sculpture "Tsar-Carpenter", brought to St. Petersburg from Holland. Not far from it is a pier with lions at the Admiralty.
The palace was built in 1885 - 1891 according to the design of the architect Maximilian Messmacher in the style of the Italian Renaissance. The house is lined with sandstone slabs. The first floor is finished with red-brown granite slabs, which give the building solidity and imposing. The sharp contrast between the deliberately weighted lower part of the building and the light, completed balustrade on the roof, its upper part, does not create a feeling of fragmentation, the whole building looks in perfect unity. The design of the facade combines both lightness and power at the same time. Rounded corner of the palace, 
stucco molding over the cornice of the second floor, large semicircular windows of the second floor and narrow columns of the Ionic order between them, graceful balconies repeating the design of the balustrade on the roof - all together easily and accurately agree with each other and with the whole building as a whole. The ceremonial interiors of the palace, designed in various historical styles, have been preserved. Marble lower and upper vestibules, finished with different types of marble, a wide marble staircase leading to the vaulted upper vestibule, decorated with 12 marble columns, the rich decoration of the apartments make the palace one of the most attractive and interesting buildings in St. Petersburg.
The Grand Duke built it for himself and his future wife. But he did not have to live in it. The building went to the treasury, and various administrative institutions were located in it. In 1911, the Russian Lloyd insurance company bought the palace. After the revolution, the palace housed state institutions.
For a long time, the palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich was in a deplorable state. Now it is undergoing restoration work. The palace, like other palaces that are not too accessible to tourists, can be visited during the annual International Music Festival "Palaces of St. Petersburg".
After the withdrawal of industrial production from here, the vacant territory was divided into parts and sold to private owners.
On April 26, 1884, the plot of house No. 8 from Baron G. E. Ginzbtsrg was acquired by Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich - the grandson of Nicholas I, the son of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, often simply called "Mish-Mish" in the family. Senator A. A. Polovtsov dissuaded the Grand Duke from this purchase, arguing that he would get confused " in their accounts and will be in financial difficulty"[Quoted from: 1, p. 123]. But having reached the age of 20 and having received the right to dispose of his funds, Mikhail Mikhailovich decided to build his own house no matter what. "We must have an excellent house," he said to the architect. by the word "us" Mikhail meant himself and his wife, not yet chosen by him.
The architect of the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace was Maximilian Yegorovich Messmacher. The construction of the Grand Duke's residence was completed in 1888, after which the decoration of the premises began.
The facade of the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace is made in the spirit of the Italian Renaissance beloved by Messmacher. It is lined with Wiesbaden sandstone blocks. The high basement first floor is finished with Finnish granite.
The Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace was equipped with the latest technology. There were gas, electricity, telephone, water supply and sewerage. The sidewalk in front of the building was paved.
In addition to the palace itself, Messmacher built an office building on the other side of Chernomorsky Lane.
M. E. Messmacher worked on the interior decoration of the palace until 1891, when they learned in Russia about the unauthorized marriage of Mikhail Mikhailovich. By this time, he had left the country, married the granddaughter of the great Russian poet A. S. Pushkin, Countess Sofya Nikolaevna Merenberg. After that, he lost regular cash subsidies from the Department of Appanages and could not pay for the construction of the palace. And he could no longer return to Russia. Mikhail Mikhailovich did not have to live in his St. Petersburg house.
The Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace consisted of two halves - the owner and the mistress. Each half had its own entrance from the side of Azov lane. From the side of the Admiralteyskaya embankment in the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace, the Vestibule and the Main Staircase were created. The Lobby was later expanded to include the adjoining Grand Reception Room. To the left of the Vestibule were the Large and Small Reception Rooms. The Office was equipped in the northeast corner of the building.
The office is divided into two parts by a wooden partition. In one of these parts, the Grand Duke was supposed to receive guests, in the other to rest. The office is decorated with a sandstone fireplace. The tiles were made for him by students of the Central School of Technical Drawing of Baron Stieglitz, where Messmacher taught. The hipped part of the fireplace was completed by the coat of arms of the Grand Duke, which was destroyed after 1917. From him remained a shield with lion heads, the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the frame of the shield. Currently, the coat of arms has been recreated from plaster. Three doors led to the working part of the office: from the large and small reception rooms and from their own staircase. Later, a large reception room became part of the lobby and the door to it was sealed. Above the entrance to the private part of the Cabinet is a copy of Titian's painting "Love on Earth and Heaven".
The staircase leading to the half of the owner of the palace was called Own. Through it it was possible to get to the Library, then to the hostess's half and to the owner's private rooms: the Dressing Room, the Bathroom and the Bedroom.
On the second floor of the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace there were the Small Dining Room and the Serving Room. Two-thirds of the walls of the Small Dining Room are covered with carved oak panels with built-in sideboards and wardrobes. Just like in the Cabinet, a large tent stove is lined with tiles.
For his work on the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace, the architect M. E. Mesmacher was awarded the Order of Anna, 2nd degree.
The prefix "Little" was assigned to this building to distinguish it from other Mikhailovsky and Novo-Mikhailovsky palaces.
Living outside the country, the Grand Duke decided to sell the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace. There was no buyer for a long time, so the premises were rented out. In 1893, the building was leased for 10 years to the Southwestern Railway Administration. In 1904, at the request of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace was transferred to the Main Directorate of Merchant Shipping and Ports. After the liquidation of this institution, the Ministry of Industry and Trade worked in the building until September 1910. The German embassy wanted to acquire the mansion, but due to its proximity to the maritime department, the Germans were refused.
In March 1911, the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace was acquired by the insurance joint-stock company Russian Lloyd. Most of its shares belonged to the Eliveev merchant family. The chairman of the society at that time was Stepan Petrovich Eliseev. According to the project of P.K. Bergshtresser, the premises were largely rebuilt for the new owners. House No. 8 on Admiralteyskaya Embankment housed the main office of the society. In the outbuildings there were apartments for senior officials.
In February 1918, the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Commissariat of Municipal Economy. In 1919-1920, the Unified Petrograd Consumer Commune (Petrocommune) headed by A.E. Badaev worked here. Later, the palace housed the City Department of Trade and the Leningrad Regional Council of Consumer Societies, the State Bank, the Main Department of Trade of the Leningrad City Executive Committee.
At the beginning of 1992, the Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace was rented by the bank "Saint Petersburg". Many rooms have been renovated. In 1998, due to a sharp increase in rents, the bank moved. The Malo-Mikhailovsky Palace has been looking for a new tenant for a long time. In the early 2010s, there were disputes between its potential owners. Due to the unresolved issue of ownership, the palace is still closed to the general public.
