Elizabeth's City - The City of Fantastical Splendor.

The new rise of the city. "The brillance of the Empire". Politics of Elizabeth. Peter III and his drama. 

Near fine buildings of Peter's time stood ugly huts, temporary storehouses, appeared when government and the court stayed in Moscow. After  20 years of Elizabeth's reign, huge baroque buildings decorated St. Petersburg and it became a magnificent European capital and could rival the most beautiful European cities.

The Imperial splendor of St. Petersburg was best reflected in the suburban royal residences. Peter the Great's estate Peterhof was remodelled as suburb residence by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the architect of the Winter Palace and the Smolny Cathedral. The Grand Palace and the Grand Cascade of Peterhof were decorated with extreme luxury. That was typical for Elizabeth's time, since her court was big and magnificent. The Ekaterininsky (Catherine's) Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), built for Peter the Great's wife Catherine, was now turned into a magnificent royal residence with a vast and elaborate Baroque gardens.

Elizabeth established the Smolnyi Woman Monastery where Bartolomeo Rastrelli constructed the grand Cathedral of Revival. Where there were Peter the Great's palace and elite houses now appeared the splendid Winter Palace (though Elizabeth died earlier than it had been finished). During Elizabeth's reign the area near the palace, which later became the Palace Square, was used as a grazing land for the royal cows. She tried to follow her father's steps but she preferred to appoint Russians and not foreigners to the highest positions in the country. Being a patron of national arts and sciences, Elizabeth established the Russian Academy of Arts.

Elizabeth was not only power-loving but also a very lively woman: she preferred to carry out and enjoy balls, receptions, masquerades, fireworks and other things which were a lot of fun.

Elizabeth's nephew Peter III did not rule for too long. Shortly after assuming power he was overthrown by his wife, a German princess, who soon became the famous Catherine the Great. Under her rule St. Petersburg turned into a "Grand City".