Winter palace
It’s one of the most beautiful and well-known buildings that you can see during excursions in St. Petersburg.
It was residence of Russian emperors where they had live at the winter. At summer, they moved to Tsarskoe selo and Peterhof. However, Winter Palace was built not by the Peter I’s, but his daughter queen Elizabeth.
Since this, Winter palace — witness of the Russian history. His windows saw Decembrist revolt against tsar Nicholas I’s, Bloody Sunday and February Revolution of 1917 when the rebels captured palace. Then by the Bolsheviks.
If you begin your excursion from the central enter of the palace, you can see at the square in front of palace very high column with sculpture of angel on the top. That’s called Alexander Column. Was built because of directive Alexander I’st — emperor who defeated Napoleon’s army.
But now Winter Palace at first well known like Hermitage museum. There a lot famous art objects. From ancient Egypt till nowadays. Beautiful chambers, throne rooms, weapons and paintings. Most known of them — Madonna Benois by Leonardo da Vinci and The Return of the Prodigal Son by the Rembrandt.
It’s included in next tours in Sankt Petersburg:
