MENSHIKOV PALACE

Part of the Hermitage Department of the History of Russian Culture
15 Universitetskaya naberezhnaya 199034 St. Petersburg
Open: 10.30am - 4.30pm
Closed: Mondays Tel. 323-1112
Nearest metro station: Vasileostrovskaya

The palace of Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov is a veritable museum of Russian art from the first quarter of the 18th century. It was built for the Prince from 1710 to 1712 and from 1713 to 1727 (architects: Giovanni Mario Fontana and Gottfried Johann Schadel, assisted by Domenico Trezzini, Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli, Georg Johann Mattarnovy and Jean-Baptiste Le Blond). One of the largest and most splendid buildings of its time, the palace was surrounded by a regular garden with sculptures, fountains, grottoes and greenhouses. Moreover, a pier was built on the Neva side. The official residence belonging to Menshikov, governor general of the capital and president of the College of War, was used for diplomatic receptions and gala celebrations. Following Menshikov's downfall and exile in 1732, the palace was turned over to a military school called the "Land Nobility Corps" (later the First Cadet Corps) and, as a result, underwent certain modifications.

Among the pupils of the Cadet Corps were the future Russian commanders Peter Rumiantsev-Zadunaisky and Alexander Suvorov, the dramatist Alexander Sumarokov, the actor and founder of the Russian theatre Fedor Volkov, and the Decembrist poets Kondraty Ryleyev and Fedor Glinka.

After the 1917 revolution, the building was used by various educational establishments. In 1956 restoration work began and in the late 1970s the palace resumed its original form.

The museum opened its doors to the public in 1981, revealing the beautiful restored interiors of the entrance hall, main staircase, Walnut Study, reception room, bedchamber and dining-room. The rooms, that are lavishly decnated with white and blue Dutch tiles are especially striking. On view are objects of everyday life and works of art from the late 17th to the first quarter of the eighteenth century, as well as several personal effects that once belonged to Emperor Peter I and his closest associate, Prince Menshikov.