The wooden palace, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli under the order of the Empress Anna Ioannovna, was built in 1739. When Elizabeth Petrovna ascended the throne, the former owner of the palace Reinhold Gustaw von Loewenwolde, Anna’s favourite, was sent into exile, and the Razumovsky palace went to the treasury.
In 1749 Elizabeth presented the palace to Kirill Grigorievich Razumovsky, who was the President of the Academy of Science. In 1760 the wooden and partially destroyed palace was disassembled by peasants three days after the news in St Petersburg newspaper. Two years later a new stone palace was founded on the same site. It was designed by A.F. Kokorinov and Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe. By 1766 the palace of early classicism style with baroque features was completed. It was a classical city estate, separated by the embankment with a high stone fence. Nowadays, the building of Razumovsky palace is occupied by the Herzen University.
The facade of the building is outstanding. It has avant-corps with six columns, a staged attic, carved moldings, bas-relief and curly platbands. The parade gateway constructed in the 1760s has the same decorations.
On the contrary to its external beauty, the inner look of the palace does not have any special style. As the palace’s owners changed often, there’s a fusion of styles – from ancient to classical and modern. Currently, there are no original interiors in the palace.
Razumovsky Palace on the Moyka river had 260 staff members. It was a place of balls and masquerades. When the earl left Saint Petersburg in 1798, the building went to the treasury and later served as an Educational House for orphans. Since 1837, the Palace was occupied by the Female Orphan Institute. In 1903, the entity changed its name to the Imperial Female Pedagogical Institute and became the first Russian institute that specialized on pedagogy.
After 1918 there were the First, Second and Third Institutions, which were joined to establish Leningrad Herzen University. In front of the palace you can see the monument to founder of scientific pedagogy Konstantin Ushinsky, which was established in 1961. Nowadays, Razumovsky palace is a part of the cultural heritage of Russia.
The palace is located right in the heart of Saint Petersburg, close to Nevsky Prospekt, Kazan Cathedral, Singer House, Palace Square and other popular touristic sights of the city. The palace is open for eternal viewing all year round
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Information About the Excursion
Schedule
| Outside viewing | |
|---|---|
| All year round | |
| Inside excursion | |
| To be agreed in advance | |
Public Transport
| Address | |
|---|---|
| Moyka River Embankment 48-50-52 | |
| Metro / Subway | |
| Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor | |
| Buses | |
| Bolshaya Konuyshennaya St. | 3, 7, 22, 24, 27, 191 |
| Trolleys | |
| Bolshaya Konuyshennaya St. | 1, 5, 7 10, 11, 22 |
Tours
Razumovsky Palace is a part of my private tours:
Also, you can customize a tour or book an inside excursion to one of the close-by sights.
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