MARBLE PALACE

A branch of the Russian Museum
5/1 Millionnaya ulitsa 191065 St. Petersburg
Open: 10am - 6pm, Mondays 10am - 5pm
Closed: Tuesdays
Tel. 210-4173
Nearest metro stations: Nevsky prospekt and Gostiny Dvor

The Marble Palace is a remarkable monument of early Neoclassicism (1768-85, architect Antonio Rinaldi). It is one of St. Petersburg's few buildings characterized by the use of natural stone, including many different varieties of finely-hued marble, as opposed to the traditional covering of stucco.

The palace was built by Catherine II for her favourite Grigory Orlov, but the count died before it was completed. At a later date, the palace became the residence of Stanislas Augustus Poniatowski, the last King of Poland. It then passed to Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich and, after him, to Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich. The last private owner of the palace was Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, a famous poet who wrote under the pseudonym K.R.

From 1937 the palace accommodated the Lenin Museum. After the latter closed in 1992, the building was made over to the Russian Museum. Today it houses the permanent exhibition "Foreign Artists in Russia" (featuring works by German, French, Italian and English masters of the 18th and 19th centuries who were active in Russia) and the "Peter Ludwig Gallery" (a collection of 33 works by 20th-century artists, presented to the museum by the German collector). The Russian Museum's Contemporary Art Department arranges displays of modern art here.

In Soviet times, an armoured car, "The Enemy of Capital" stood in front of the east facade. Lenin addressed a crowd from the vehicle in 1917, after his return from emigration. Its place has since been taken by a monument to Alexander III, the founder of the Russian Museum, which was created in 1908 by the sculptor Pavel Trubetskoi.