The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, the emperors of Russia, from 1732 to 1917; the palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. Situated between Palace Embankment and Palace Square, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and altered almost continuously between the late 1730s and 1837, when it was severely damaged by fire and immediately rebuilt, and the storming of the palace in 1917 became a symbol of the October Revolution.
Facts
Year CreatedThe present, fourth Winter Palace was nearing completion by 1759 and substantially finished by Empress Elizabeth's death in 1762; the exterior was left unchanged after a fire in 1837 that required rebuilding much of the interior. LocationSaint Petersburg, Russia 1 Architectural Style Structural SystemIron-girder ceiling spans and a metal roof framework, from the 1837-38 rebuilding 1 Building TypeImperial palace, now an art museum 1 Commissioned ByEmpress Elizabeth of Russia (present, fourth Winter Palace, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli) 1 Floor Area (sqm) Height (metres) Current UseHouses the State Hermitage Museum 1 Visitor AccessOpen to the public as part of the Hermitage Museum; about 3.5 million visitors annually 1 Connections
In Form
Former imperial residence in Saint Petersburg, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
In Movement
Rastrelli's Elizabethan Baroque design.
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Russia, located there.
Sources
1. Winter Palace (Wikipedia)
WikipediaElizabeth (1741-1762)
By 1759, shortly before Elizabeth's death, a Winter Palace truly worthy of the name was nearing completion.
Introduction (location)
The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, the emperors of Russia, from 1732 to 1917.
Introduction (building-type)
The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum.
Introduction (current-use)
The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum.
Elizabeth (1741-1762) (year-created)
By 1759, shortly before Elizabeth's death, a Winter Palace truly worthy of the name was nearing completion.
Introduction (architectural-style)
Several architects participated in designing the Winter Palace, most notably the Italian Bartolomeo Rastrelli (1700-1771), in what became known as the Elizabethan Baroque style.
Elizabeth (1741-1762) (commissioned-by)
During the reign of Elizabeth, Rastrelli, still working to his original plan, devised an entirely new scheme in 1753, on a colossal scale-the present Winter Palace.
Fire of 1837 (structural-system)
The roof was supported by a metal framework, while the spans of ceilings in the great halls were supported by iron girders.
Introduction (floor-area-sqm)
The floor area is 233,345 square metres
Introduction (height-metres)
its principal façade is 215 metres (705 ft) long and 30 m (98 ft) high
Soviet and Modern periods (visitor-access)
Today, as part of one of the world's best known museums, the palace attracts an annual 3.5 million visitors.
Genre reference
The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, the emperors of Russia, from 1732 to 1917; the palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum.
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