#peterhof

[wgm-beautiful-world]

PETERHOF PALACE

[worldoftheromanovs]

Alexandra on the balcony of the farm palace in Peterhof, 1896.

GARF f.601 op.1 d.236 ll.84,211a,211b

[roses-of-the-romanovs]

Olga fussing with her shoe, Peterhof, 1907.

[thestarik]

The Romanovs with George Battenberg at Peterhof, c. 1908.

[picsfromsiberiangirl]

Liminal Gardens.

[foreverinthepagesofhistoryy]

Two photos of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia with her third daughter Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Peterhof 1900

“When the Empress came to see the children on the first evening after the illness had been pronounced typhoid fever, she happened to be wearing a miniature of the Emperor set as a brooch. In the midst of her sobs and tears little Marie caught sight of this; she climbed on the Empress's knee, and covered the pictured face with kisses, and on no evening all through his illness would she go to bed without kissing this miniature.” - Margaretta Eagar

“Grand Duchess Marie remained well for a few days longer. She was constantly with her mother, acting as her "legs" as she said, running messages the electric current for the lift had been cut off on the 13th - and trying to persuade her to rest. These days, in which she was her mother's sole support, turned her from a child into a woman.” - Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden

(Second photo credit to Ilya aka LastRomanovs on Flickr and Sledstvie on Instagram)

[historyofromanovs]

do you know where the first few of the romanovs resided before all of the palaces were built and if so, are any of them remaining? do we know what they look like?

I'm afraid very little from the earliest days of the Romanov dynasty had survived the ravages of time. By the time of Nicholas II, many early residences had already been either destroyed or replaced by the modern and elegant palaces we see today. Here's a few that survived.

The Cabin of Peter the Great May 1703

Built during the founding of the city of Saint Petersburg, the log cabin was the first St. Petersburg "palace" of Tsar Peter the Great. The small wooden house was constructed in just three days, by soldiers of the Semyonovskiy Regiment. 

At that time, the new St. Petersburg was described as "a heap of villages linked together, like some plantation in the West Indies".

The Cabin was boarded up and camouflaged during the Second World War. It was the first St. Petersburg museum to reopen in September 1944, after the end of the Siege of Leningrad. 

This cabin must have appeared as a huge downgrade after the wooden palace of Tsar Alexei!

The Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei Romanov 1667

The recreation of an authentic mid-17th century Romanov residence was built recently in 2010. The Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, also known as the Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei, is a large wooden palace in Kolomenskoye, near Moscow, Russia.

The original was built in 1667 without using any fasten materials, nails or hooks. The wooden palace, famed for its fanciful, fairytale roofs, was a summer residence for Russian tsars before St. Petersburg was constructed. 

The palace was divided into male and female halves, with the Tsar and Tsarevitches towers and chambers in the male half and the Tsarina's towers in the female half. 

The palace's interior featured rich decorations, including carving, painting, gilding, and ceramic tiles, as well as rectangular and round stoves, weathercocks, and windows and porches. 

Foreigners referred to this huge maze of intricate corridors and 250 rooms, as 'an Eighth Wonder of the World'. Although basically only a summer palace, it was the favorite residence of Tsar Alexei I.

The future Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was born in the palace in 1709, and Tsar Peter the Great spent part of his youth here.

Upon the departure of the court for the swamps of St. Petersburg, the palace fell into disrepair, so that Catherine the Great refused to make it her Moscow residence. On her orders the wooden palace was demolished in 1768, but thankfully, the detailed plans of the palace had survived.

Summer Palace of Peter the Great

1714

One of the earliest imperial residences I can think of that still exists today is the modest Summer Palace of Peter the Great, which is located on an island near the Peter and Paul Fortress, the burial place of the Romanovs.

The palace was built between 1710 and 1714, a few years before the proclamation of the Russian Empire. By the time of Tsar Nicholas II's reign at the end of the 19th century, it became vacant.

During the Second World War, both the Summer Palace and Summer Gardens were badly damaged by a German bombing raid. The building was repaired, however, and the layout remains unchanged from the original.

Above: The palace as depicted in 1809. Below: The residence today.

Monplaisir Palace in Peterhof 1714-1716

There is another residence owned by Peter the Great that is still standing today. And that is the Monplaisir Palace in Peterhof.

The following painting depicts the formidable Tsar and his son and heir Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, who has been accused of preparing to seize power, in the interior of the Monplaisir Palace. Before pronouncing sentence, Peter I gazes into his son's eyes, still hoping to discern signs of remorse.

Above: The Parade Hall of Monplaisir Palace today.

[lascitasdelashoras]

Michael Kenna - Ten Trees - Peterhof, Rusia

[kootyl]

Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia Romanov sitting with Victoria Battenberg, Elisabeth Feodorovna, Dimitri Pavlovich in Peterhof, 1909.

[krasivaa]

A rare photo of Tsarevich Alexei, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna in Peterhof, summer of 1913.

[otmaaromanovas]

New photos of Misha, Olga, and Xenia

Original photo below - edited as quite tricky to see originally

Found and shared by LastRomanovs on Flickr!

[wgm-beautiful-world]

PETERHOF PALACE - ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

[worldoftheromanovs]

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna holding Prince Lennart of Sweden with Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna in the background at Peterhof, summer 1909

Photo from Olga’s 1908-1910 Album

[roses-of-the-romanovs]

The Romanov sisters at the window. Peterhof, 1913.

[thestarik]

Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia at Peterhof, 1908. In the second photo, Maria is reaching for some grass Anastasia put in her mouth.

[foreverinthepagesofhistory]

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia proudly holding up his second-eldest daughter Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna while little Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich hangs back, Peterhof 1908 🥹✨🤍