Mariinsky Palace in St. Petersburg – photo and description, interesting facts, map, how to get there on your own
The history of Russia, the Russian Empire, and then the Russian Federation is filled with significant events and personalities who managed to flourish the passing centuries, move the world from another “dead” point, moving along with the world itself. Now all these Great Ones are immortalized: someone on acrylic and oil on canvas, someone in marble or stone, someone forever frozen in their own maps, books, mechanisms. But it also happens that it is not the person himself who freezes, but the event, the historical process, time itself. We are talking, for example, about the so-called political buildings, and in relation to St. Petersburg – about political palaces. Today, three buildings have this status: the Mariinsky, Winter and Tauride Palaces. As it is not difficult to guess, the events that took place within their walls led to obtaining such a title. So, the Mariinsky Palace,
History of creation
It is rather difficult to say with certainty exactly when the Mariinsky Palace appeared on the maps of St. Petersburg. Such uncertainty of dating is connected, first of all, with the fact that another building was previously located on the site of the modern palace ensemble – remarkable for its elegance and perfection of forms. Ultimately, Stackensteinider, who was responsible for the preparation and implementation of the project, decided not to destroy the former palace of Count Chernyshov to the ground – many walls remained in their original form, which also left a certain imprint on the appearance of the palace.
Actually, it was not immediately called the Mariinsky, although this name is completely true. The palace was supposed to be a wedding gift for the emperor's favorite daughter, Nicholas I. The situation was rather peculiar and, unfortunately or fortunately, not in favor of the groom – after the marriage itself, the Grand Duchess announced that she did not intend to leave St. Petersburg. They did not argue with the imperial daughter for a long time. Instead – also quite quickly – they took up the construction of the residence, in which the newlyweds were to settle.
Further history closely connected the Mariinsky Palace with the purely political side of the life of the country – in its halls there were numerous departments and ministries, on whose work the future prosperity of Russia depended.
Peculiarities
According to the original plan, the Mariinsky Palace was supposed to crown the southern side of St. Isaac's Square, completely complete its appearance, without violating the fragile architectural balance. It was from such considerations that it was customary to build the palace initially asymmetrical, which completely contradicted the laws of classicism. At the same time, one should not forget that the palace was built precisely as a residential, and not primarily a state building. This explains some of the features of the internal placement of premises.
So, the view of St. Isaac's Square does not decorate any living room. All of them face the garden so that the noise of the capital does not distract its inhabitants. Instead of ordinary stone, sandstone was used during construction for the same comfort – as you know, sandstone retains heat much better, which, however, did not prevent us from approaching decor issues with all possible creativity – rustication was used for facades, and pilasters and Corinthian stones were used as decorative elements. columns. Another greeting from antiquity are the numerous statues in the Greek style that adorn the main staircase.
Many guests of the Mariinsky Palace are interested in why it was necessary to arrange ramps inside, on both sides of which vegetation has grown rapidly. The answer is extremely simple – the emperor's daughter had problems with her legs. Sometimes the elementary rise from the bed was impossible for her. It was for this that a system was developed, thanks to which she could relatively independently move around her own house.
Another design element, which appeared thanks to the mistress of the palace, is a stylized stucco inscription, which was an interlacing of the letters of her name. This inscription was made right on the wall of the front hall.
Detailed information about other significant sights of St. Petersburg
How to get on your own
Getting to the Mariinsky Palace is more than easy. This can be done using the metro – just get off at one of the nearest stations, and these include Sadovaya and Admiralteyskaya. In addition, you can use some types of public transport. In this case, you will have to get off at one of the stops – St. Isaac's Square or Kazanskaya Street. Unfortunately, today the entrance to the interior of the Mariinsky Palace is not possible for tourists. It remains only to enjoy the aesthetic side of the external design while visiting the ensemble of St. Isaac's Square.