Alexander Palace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexander Palace |
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Александровский дворец
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Panoramic view of the Alexander Palace in 2013
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| General information | |
| Type | Imperial residence |
| Country | Russia |
| Coordinates | 59°43′16″N 30°23′33″E / 59.721°N 30.3926°E |
| Construction started | 1792 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Giacomo Quarenghi |
The Alexander Palace (Russian: Александровский дворец, Alexandrovskiy dvorets) is a famous former home of the Russian emperors. It is located near the town of Tsarskoye Selo in Russia, about 30 kilometers south of Saint Petersburg. Empress Catherine the Great ordered the palace to be built in 1792.
The Alexander Palace was a favorite home for the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II, and his family. They liked its privacy and safety, especially compared to the Winter Palace in the city. Nicholas II's oldest daughter, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia, was born here.
In 1917, after the February Revolution during World War I, the palace became the family's first place of imprisonment. The Alexander Palace is in Alexander Park, close to Catherine Park and the larger Catherine Palace. After many years of repairs, the Alexander Palace opened in 2021 as a museum. It now shows items from the old imperial family.
Contents
- Building the Palace: Catherine the Great's Reign
- Home of Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich
- Under Emperor Nicholas I
- Under Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna
- Under Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
- The Romanovs Under House Arrest
- After the Romanovs Left
- German Occupation During World War II
- After the War
- Recent History and Restoration
- See also
Building the Palace: Catherine the Great's Reign
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Empress Catherine the Great (who ruled from 1762 to 1796) ordered the Alexander Palace to be built. It was meant for her favorite grandson, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich. He later became Emperor Alexander I of Russia. The palace was a wedding gift for his marriage in 1793 to Grand Duchess Elizaveta Alexeievna.
The palace was designed in a style called Neoclassicism by Giacomo Quarenghi. It was built between 1792 and 1796. People thought the architect did an amazing job creating a beautiful building.
Home of Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich
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Grand Duke Alexander used the palace as a summer home. This was during the reigns of his grandmother, Catherine the Great, and his father, Paul. However, when Alexander became emperor, he chose to live in the much bigger Catherine Palace nearby.
Under Emperor Nicholas I
Emperor Alexander I gave the palace to his brother, who would become Nicholas I. From then on, it became the summer home for the person next in line to the throne. Between 1830 and 1850, many rooms were redecorated to fit new styles.
One famous room built during this time was the Mountain Hall. It had a large slide inside for Nicholas I's children to play on! Nicholas I and his family lived in the palace from early spring until late autumn. In 1842, the imperial couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with big parties.
Under Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna
Alexander III and his wife, Maria Feodorovna, had their apartments in the western part of the palace. Their eldest child, who would become Nicholas II, was born at Alexander Palace.
After Alexander III passed away, Maria Feodorovna would still stay in their old rooms when she visited her son, Emperor Nicholas II.
Under Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
The Alexander Palace is most famous for being the main home of the last tsar, Nicholas II. He and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, loved the palace. They decided to live there permanently after the events of Bloody Sunday in 1905. This event made the Winter Palace feel unsafe.
They changed the old ballroom into new rooms, like the Maple Room and the New Study. They also added rooms for their children upstairs. Empress Alexandra chose a modern style called Art Nouveau for the decorations. One of the most famous rooms was Alexandra's Mauve Room, known for its purple color.
During Nicholas II's rule, the palace got electricity and a telephone system. In 1899, a special lift was installed to connect the Empress's rooms to the children's rooms upstairs. They even had a movie screening room in the Semicircular Hall!
Life at the Alexander Palace was less formal for the Imperial Family. They often ate meals together without many servants, unless relatives were visiting.
The Romanovs Under House Arrest
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Nicholas II gave up his throne on March 2, 1917. Thirteen days later, he returned to Alexander Palace. He was no longer Emperor, but simply "Colonel Romanov." The Imperial Family was now under house arrest. They were confined to a few rooms and watched by guards.
They were not allowed to contact the outside world easily. During their free time, the Empress and her daughters would sew, embroider, or weave. The family also did physical work in the park. They cleared snow, chopped ice, and cut dry branches for firewood. When the weather got warmer, they worked in a large kitchen garden.
Because the situation in Saint Petersburg was becoming dangerous, the government decided to move the Romanov family. On August 1, 1917, a train took the family away to Tobolsk in Siberia. They never returned to the Alexander Palace.
After the Romanovs Left
Soon after the Romanovs left, the Alexander Palace became a museum. It stayed open until the start of World War II. When the war began, many valuable items from the palace were moved to safer places. Other items were hidden in the basement.
German Occupation During World War II
During the Nazi German occupation, the palace was used as a headquarters for the German military. The area in front of the palace became a cemetery for SS soldiers. Many unique art and historical collections were damaged or destroyed. As the German forces left, many imperial palaces were burned. Luckily, the Alexander Palace was saved.
After the War
After the German forces were driven out, the palace was used to store artworks returning to the area. The nearby Catherine Palace had been looted and mostly destroyed. For a while, there were plans to restore the Alexander Palace's interiors. However, this decision was changed.
Interest in Nicholas II and his family was not encouraged by the Soviet government. So, interest in their former home also decreased. The new plan was to create a museum about the poet Pushkin. The private rooms of the imperial family were changed into plain exhibition halls. Many of the palace's collections were moved to other museums, like the Pavlovsk Palace.
Recent History and Restoration
In 1997, a permanent exhibition about the imperial family opened at the palace. Some parts of the Reception Room, Nicholas II's New Study, and Alexandra Feodorovna's Drawing Room were recreated. These rooms displayed historical costumes, weapons, and art objects.
In 2010, the three largest public rooms in the middle part of the palace reopened after some restoration. These were the Semi-Circular Hall, the Portrait Hall, and the Marble Drawing Room.
In 2014, the Russian government finally gave a lot of money for a more complete restoration of the imperial family's private rooms. This included the Art Nouveau Maple Room and Alexandra's famous Mauve Room. The palace closed to the public in September 2015 for this big project.
In August 2021, the east wing of the palace reopened to visitors. The private apartments of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna were restored. These rooms include the New Study, the Moorish Bathroom, the Maple Drawing Room, and the Mauve Boudoir. The first floor of this wing, which used to have the children's rooms, now shows items belonging to the children of different emperors.
Plans are now being made to renovate the west wing, which mostly contained guest apartments during Nicholas II's time. These renovations are expected to finish around 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Palacio de Alejandro para niños
- Chinese Village – a unique Chinese-style area in the Alexander Palace Park
- Catherine Palace – another grand palace in Tsarskoe Selo
- Gatchina Palace – summer home of Nicholas II's parents
- Pavlovsk – palace of Emperor Paul I and his wife Maria Feodorovna
- Peterhof – a summer home of Nicholas II
- Emperor railway station in Pushkin town
