Cognitive excursion in the Tauride Palace

St. Petersburg is famous for its magnificent buildings, many of which were built in the 18th century. One of them is the Tauride Palace (photo on the right). Its construction began in 1783 and lasted about six years. Its architect is I.E. Starov is one of the first representatives of the school of Russian classicism.

Tavrichesky Palace in St. Petersburg: the history of creation

The place for the construction of the palace was chosen extensive territory on the left bank of the Neva on Shpalernaya Street in St. Petersburg. Near this place was the Smolny Monastery. Initially, the building was not called a palace. In those days, structures of this type were called houses. This was given the name of the House of the Horse Guards, and it was intended for private use of the gracious prince Grigory Potemkin - favorite of the Empress Catherine the Great. However, the owner of all this magnificence because of constant campaigns almost did not live in the Tavrichesky palace.

House of the Horse Guards

The building of the palace is considered a vivid example of classicism, a style typical for Russia at the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. From the side of the facade, it differs in many respects from the magnificent palaces of the Rococo and Baroque periods. The Tauride Palace is U-shaped and consists of several buildings, the total area of which is about 66 thousand square meters. Meters. The facade of the building is 260 meters long and decorated with a six-column portico in the Doric style. Over the central building, whose height is 12 meters, there is a drum with a dome. From its sides are single-story galleries that connect it with outbuildings. Despite the fact that over three centuries the interior of the buildings has undergone many changes, in the Tauride Palace today you can see the magnificent interior decoration. About the original form of the internal premises can be learned from the descriptions of contemporaries. For example, the great poet Derzhavin, after he visited the palace, was shocked by his splendor and sang the seen in his poems. Great were the neighborhood of the palace. Directly in front of him was a quiet harbor of round shape with a pier. She had pleasure craft for the inhabitants and guests of the estate. The park area consisted of many picturesque hills, small ponds, canals, bridges, vast flower beds, greenhouses, greenhouses, etc.

Ekaterininsky hall and other internal premises

The central room in the Tauride Palace is the Catherine Hall. Its vestibule is a dome with a colonnade, in front of which are the Triumphal Gates with jasper and granite pillars. Ekaterininsky Hall was otherwise called Belokolonnym. In its basis, the author laid the architectural elements of the Hellenic era. During the holidays it was able to accommodate up to 5 thousand guests. At the end of the hall was a rotunda of a winter garden with eight columns. In the middle of it was placed a statue of Catherine the Great (author F. Shubin). Beautiful exotic plants grew in the garden. In the Tauride Palace, in addition to the Catherine Hall and the winter garden, the Chinese and Divan Hall, the Picture Gallery and the Tapestry Living Room are also worthy of attention. Ceilings and some walls of the premises are painted by skilled craftsmen. Here was a large collection of paintings and statues.

The future of the Tauride Palace

During the reign of the son of Catherine the Great, Paul the First, the Tauride Palace was given to the barracks. However, since 1801 the palace was restored and became one of the residences of the imperial house, and in the beginning of the 20th century - the building of the State Duma. After the first revolution, Kerensky's provisional government was located in its premises. Annual international economic forums are taking place here. The General Office of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) also houses the palace today.