The Beloselskiy Belozerskiy Palace
An attractive Neo-Baroque Building you won't miss!
The Beloselskikh Belozerskikh Palace is one of the most beautiful private residential palaces in the city of St. Petersburg.
Across from the famous Anichkov Bridge on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and the Fontanka River Embankment, lies the attractive Beloselskikh Belozerskikh Palace. A masterful Baroque architecture, which is marked by a series of atlantes sculptures on the exterior, make this palace clearly distinguishable from other royal estates of the Imperial era.
Originally a modest Parisian-style home, it was passed on to Mikhail's son, Prince Alexander Mikhailovitch Belosselsky, a close friend to Emperor Paul I, who revived the ancient title of Prince of Belozersk for his friend, thus naming the family Belosselsky Belozersky permanently.
Subsequent marriages to two heiresses of the affluent Urals Mining Company increased the family's ancestral wealth, with heiress Princess Elena Pavlovna Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya gaining permission from Tsar Nicholas I to hire his court architect Andrey Stackensneider to build this grand estate.
By 1848, the Beloselskikh Belozerskikh Palace was known as one of the most lavish residences of its time and Elena Pavlovna's reputation as the best hostess in the city made it one of the most popular places for elaborate balls and musical concerts.
By 1884, the family was burdened by palace expenses and sold it to Emperor Alexander III, who gave it to his brother, Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich and his bride-to-be, Elizabeth Feodorovna as a wedding gift.
Today, the Beloselskikh Belozerskikh Palace hosts chamber music concerts for small audiences and guided tours in Russian three or four times a month by appointment. Those who can't speak Russian say the magnificent staircase alone speaks to the palace's historical splendor.
a look inside the Beloselskiy Belozerskiy Palace
Interested to visit the Palace? If so, click on the links below or scroll down the page to learn more.
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more about the palace
The Beloselskikh Belozerskikh Palace host the Museum of the Formation of Democracy in Modern Russia, a tribute to St. Petersburg's first elected Mayor, Anatoly Sobchak. A guided tour inside the Palace will walk you through decorated rooms and enjoy the amazing history and historical architecture and art work visible as soon as you step it.
The Grand Palace is made of the following decorative state rooms:
- Concert Hall;
- Oak Room;
- Main Dining Room;
- Theater;
- Van Loo Paintings;
- Palace Church;
- Library;
- Wax Works;
interesting facts
From its beginnings the Beloselskiy Belozerskiy Palace has been gifted, inherited, bought and sold in a long line of lineage, starting in 1747 with Prince Mikhail Andreevitch Belosselsky during the time of Empress Elizabeth.
Then governor of Moscow, Sergey's conservative ideas clashed with leftist revolutionaries and he was assassinated in February 1905. Elizabeth joined the nunnery and willed the palace to Grand Duke Dimitri, who sold it to the soviets on the eve of the October Revolution. It soon became the headquarters for the Regional Committee of the Communist Party in the Center for Leningrad. While suffering damage during WWII, the interiors survived intact and were restored to their original beauty in 1954.
where to buy tickets
The Beloselskiy Belozerskiy Palace has been just recently opened to the public and is possible to visit only on a guided tour. Usually the tour last one hour and is held in Russian. Tickets are not available online!
how to get there
The palace is easily accessible by different metro stations providing service in the city center.
practical information
Address: 41, Nevsky Prospekt
Metro: Gostiny Dvor or Dostoevskaya or Vladimirskaya
Telephone: +7 (812) 315-5236
Website: www.beloselskiy-palace.ru/
Admission: Tours of the palace are given only by prior arrangement. Scheduled times for Russian-language tours are published on the palace's website. Cost of a tour is usually 200 Rubles.
Photo and video: Photography is allowed in some rooms and is free of charge.
Accessibility note: Sorry, this museum is not wheelchair accessible.
tips & recommendations
- Tours are provided only by prior arrangement and are given in Russian language only. The tour takes 1 to 1 ½ hours. Cost is 200Rubles. The museum is not wheelchair accessible.
- Photography is allowed, with the exception of one room that has a lot of gold.
- Please note that if you position yourself correctly on the opposite bank of the river, you can take photo of both the palace and the famous Anichkov Bridge and the landmark horse tamer sculptures in the same picture.
accommodation nearby
Our picking list of Hotels near the Beloselskiy Belozerskiy Palace
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From Beloselskiy Belozerskiy Palace return to St Petersburg Palaces or go to the Homepage
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