YELAGIN PALACE

1 Yelagin ostrov 197110 St. Petersburg
Open: 10am - 6pm
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays
Tel. 430-11310
Nearest metro stations: Petrogradskaya and Chornaya rechka

The ensemble of palaces and parks on Yelagin Island is a monument to Russian architecture and landscape gardening of the early 19th century. The suburban palace of Catherine the Great's dignitary, Ivan Perfil'evich Yelagin, was reconstructed between 1818 and 1822 by the architect Carlo Rossi for Empress Maria Fedorovna, widow of Alexander I. At the same time, a magnificent landscape park was laid out. Prior to 1917, the palace complex served as a summer residence for the imperial family.

On the ground floor is the sot state rooms, decorated by renowned painters and sculptors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries such as Antonio Vighi, Barnaba Medici, Pietro Scotti, Vasily Demuth-Malinovsky and Stepan Pimenov. Of particular interest are the Oval Hall, the Crimson Room and the Blue Room, which contain examples of the palace's decor from the first half of the 19th century.

On the first floor, visitors can enjoy a splendid exhibition of decorative items made from Karelian birchwood, and displays of porcelain, glass, embroidery, fabrics, wood- and metal-work from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries.

Twice a week, musical events are held in the palace.