150 NORTH EASTERN EUROPE
The Hall of
St George has
monolithic
columns and wall facings
of Italian Carrara marble.The Field
Marshals’ Hall
was the recep-
tion room where
the devas-
ta ting fire
broke out
in 1837.
. Malachite Room
Over 2 tonnes (2
tons) of orna mental
stone was used in
this room, which
is decorated
with malachite
columns and vases,
gilded doors and
ceiling, and rich
parquet flooring.
The existing Winter Palace, built between 1754 and 1762, is a
great example of Russian Baroque. Created for Tsarina Elizabeth,
this opulent winter residence was the finest achieve ment of
Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Though the exterior has changed little, the
interiors were largely restored after a fire gutted the palace in
- After the assassination of Alexander II in 1881, the
imperial family rarely lived here. During World War I a field
hospital was set up in the Nicholas Hall and other state rooms.
In July 1917, the provisional government took the palace as its
headquarters, which led to its storming by the Bolsheviks.
The Winter Palace
Зимний дворец
Zimniĭ dvorets
. Main Staircase
This vast, sweeping staircase
was Rastrelli’s masterpiece. It
was from here that the imperial
family watched the Epiphany
ceremony of baptism in the
Neva river, which celebrated
Christ’s baptism in the Jordan.
. Small Throne Room
Dedicated in 1833 to the
memory of Peter the Great,
this room houses a silver-
gilt English throne, made
in 1731.
The 1812 Gallery has
portraits of Russian
military heroes of the
Napoleonic Wars, most
by English artist
George Dawe.The Armorial Hall,
with its vast gilded
columns, covers
over 800 sq m
(8,600 sq ft). Hospital
beds were set up in
this cavernous room
during World War I.The Nicholas Hall, the largest
room in the palace, was always
used for the first ball of the season. North façade
overlooking
the Neva riverFor hotels and restaurants in this region see pp160–61 and pp162–3