Russian Palaces

[Vasillisos Markos]

Originally Posted by Grandduchess24

The Alexander palace was the palace of Nicholas II and his family and located in tsarskoe selo right near the Catherine palace. It was the residence where Nicholas II and his family were able to get away from the city.

My dear Grandduchess,

Thank you for posting these photos. Wouldn't it be grand to go back in time for one day and observe court life in these wonderful buildings?

Originally Posted by Grandduchess24

The winter palace was a winter residence of Nicholas II and his family as well as other czars and their families but after a certain czar Alexander III? it ceased to become a royal residence and now is known as the hermitage museum where great pieces of art are housed throughout the past palace of the imperial family as well as Romanov belongings including gowns and military uniforms.

You are correct. I believe it was after the assassination of Alexander II that the royal family, headed then by Alexander III, moved to Gatchina which could be better protected against anarchists and terrorists. When Nicholas became Tsar, he made the Alexander Palace his home most of the time.

Using the Winter Palace as a museum reminds me of the similar use made of the Louvre in Paris. At least these great buildings are being put to some good public use.

[Cory]

Do the russian authorities have the intention to give back the Romanov palaces to the their rightful owner?

[Kasumi]

Originally Posted by Cory

Do the russian authorities have the intention to give back the Romanov palaces to the their rightful owner?

No, they do not.
The Russian people had built them. The Russian people own them.

[Cory]

The rightful owners are those who were the owners before1917.Only the bolshevics belived there was no private property and they confiscated the palaces from the Imperial Family and the nobility.

[Lenora]

Earlier this year,GD Maria Vladimirovna said she would not insist on the restitution of the royal palaces.
More here:
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Google

[Midwestern Mom]

Still even if the Russian people physically built them, someone financed the building of them ...I'd think whoever financed the building of them is the owner of them.


MM

[Cory]

All the private properties stolen/confiscated by the bolshevics should be given back.

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Hypothetically, if the Romanov's were reinstated as monarchs, which Palace would they live at? Aren't some of them being used for other purposes?

[nascarlucy]

Does anyone know who the original owners of these properties were. I'm assuming that it was the Russian Royal family who owns the properties. Those who originally owned it are long deceased or were killed back in 1917. They have many descendents who could claim ownership.

Because of the ongoing disputes within the family of who would be on the throne if the Russian monarchy was restored, I imagine then the dispute would be which family association owned the property or properties. Since none of these individuals has ever lived in these palaces, it would be quite an experience to live in one.

[Midwestern Mom]

I think only the closest heirs to the throne could claim ownership.


MM

[Vasillisos Markos]

I imagine that palaces such as the Winter Palace, Gatchina, the Catherine and Alexander Palaces at Tsarskoe Selo, etc., would all be considered "Crown Properties" and would belong to the Country of Russia, even though the under the Tsar the country was ruled by an autocracy. These would not be considered the private property of the Romanovs.

On the other hand, private estates such as Brasovo (owned by Grand Duke Michael) and other "private" properties would be property of the former owner's descendants. I may be wrong but I think this situation is analogous to that of the Greek royal family who would only be compensated for the loss of their private properties but not the royal palace in Athens, etc.

[AristoCat]

Originally Posted by Cory

All the private properties stolen/confiscated by the bolshevics should be given back.

Put frankly, they do not belong to Maria and too much time has passed to give them back. The Winter Palace is now the Hermitage and it's not like Russia has to move backward to huge steps to bend over for the Romanovs. IF the Romanovs do come back, the Imperial Family cannot just plunk down on a throne of their choosing and then proceed to start wielding power again. Those days are over a hundred years over and the property is too scattered. The Russian people should not be punished by being ordered to hand over property that was in the end, scattered.

Maria has no right to demand the restoration of things even her great-great grandfather Cyril didn't own. The Winter Palace was not Cyril's property and neither were the other palaces like Gatchina.

[Cory]

Grand Duchess Maria can claim only the Palaces that belong to Grand Duke Kirill.

[IloveCP]

I think next to the French,the Russian royals have the most breathtaking palaces.My favorites are,Winter Palace,Alexander Palace,and Catherine Palace.

[Princess Nadia]

There are 16 towns in Zolotoe Koltso-- Sergiyev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, Rostov Velikiy, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Gus-Khrustaln, Suzdal, Vladimir,Rybinsk, Uglich, Myshkin, Alexandrov.

All of them have monasteries, beautiful fortresses - normally Kremlin has very beautiful architecture and is standing on the bank of the river.

Myshkin comes from the word "Mouse", there is a museum of mice there.

And Gus Khrustalny is famous for production of chrystal glass.!

[Muhler]

Congratulations of your first posts

A museum of mice?!?
Porcelain mice or stuffed mice? Tell us.

[Princess Nadia]

Please see here about mice museum.

Myshkin town is very comfortable and homely.
Imagine: there is tea from SAMOVAR, cookies, and mice live in small one-story wooden houses,
of course...Scratching in the basement...

In the museum some of mice are stuffed and some are porcelain, yes.

I know, not all people see these small creatures as cute!

However, there are toy mice - presents of famous people, and there is the whole country of mice!

[Muhler]

Okay, a kind of mouse-world.

A funny idea.

[Princess Nadia]

The palace and park on Elagin island (1818-1822) is the first independent work by Carl Rossi in St. Petersburg. The architect not only transformed the house of Ivan Elagin into Emperor's palace, but created a wonderful park in the north of the city, with picturesque meadows, alleys, system of ponds and canals and pavilions.

Each owner of the island brought something new into the traditions and way of life. The hospitality of Count Elagin and his extravagance were well known. There was a wine cellar in the house and wonderful buffet was arranged for the guests. Walking in the park for all "decent people" was completed by boat promenades. The oarsmen were nicely dressed and sang Russian songs to entertain people. Fireworks were also popular. This tradition was set up by Peter the Great, "so that citizens would not be afraid of cannon firing".

One of two pavilions of the park on the Elagin Island is located on the eastern cape of the island. It is the ” Pavilion under the Flag” . The beautiful view can be seen from the cape, the pavilion itself is a small masterpiece, it looks like a classic temple. The Emperor’s Banner or St. Andrew’s Flag was hoisted over it when a member of tzar family visited the island. The proportions of building are perfect. The cape with the pavilion in the center, two arms of the river Neva – everything is in harmony here. There used to be beautiful painting on the ceiling and rotunda vault.

The granite wharf is decorated with tracery grille designed by Carl Rossi. There are also cast-iron park benches and arm-chairs. Since the pavilion was built in classic style, one can suggest that it was a Temple of Water. The cape is a meeting point of the four elements- Earth, Air, Water and Fire (the Sun).

History
The isle to the north of St Petersburg owes its name to its former proprietor, Ivan Yelagin (1725-94), a close ally of Catherine II from her early days as Grand Duchess. After the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna declared that she was too old to make daily trips to such distant residences as Pavlovsk Palace and Gatchina Castle, her son Alexander I bought the estate from Yelagin's heirs and asked Carlo Rossi to redesign the villa. It was completed in 1822 and used as a summer palace.

After Maria Feodorovna's death in 1828, the palace remained deserted for long periods of time. Nicholas II leased it to his prime ministers and the Bolsheviks turned the palace compound into "a museum to the old way of life". In the Siege of Leningrad it was damaged by a shell and burnt to the ground. It was rebuilt in the 1950s and is today a museum of objets d'art and precious glassware.

v Elagin (Yelagin) Palace, St Petersburg
Image courtesy Wikipedia, reproduced under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

[Al_bina]

Originally Posted by Princess Nadia

There are 16 towns in Zolotoe Koltso-- [U]Sergiyev Posad, ....

I have to say that Sergiyev Posad exudes an air of serenity and tranquility. If memory serves me right, it is the summer residence of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia