The Palaces of Nevsky Prospekt

On the other side of the Fontanka and separated by Quarenghi's Stalls, is the Anichkov Palace at No.39 Nevsky Prospekt. In the 18th century this was a suburban area and the broad Fontanka river was lined with palaces for the elite that were usually accessed by boat. Which explains why the main entrance to this great building faces the river rather than Nevsky. The palace was named for Colonel Mikhail Anichkov who set up his camp on this site at the time of the founding of the city and whose regiment built the original wooden bridge over the Fontanka, now known as the Anichkov Most.

This palace was commissioned by Tsarina Elizabeth as a gift for her lover, Alexei Razumovsky, between the years 1741 and 1750. In continuing with this tradition after Razumovsky's death, Catherine the Great gave this palace to her paramour, Prince Grigory Potemkin. As an able statesman and military officer Potemkin is famous in his own right for his attempts to deceive Catherine about the squalid conditions of the Russian south. He had fake villages built for Catherine's area tour of 1787. The term "Potemkin village" has come to mean any impressive façade that hides an ugly impoverished interior. Not so the Anichkov Palace, which was originally designed by Mikhail Zemtsov and completed by Rastrelli. Little remains of those early Baroque designs as the building has undergone a number of changes and in the early 19th century, Neoclassical details were added by Carlo Rossi.

After Rossi's alterations the palace became the winter residence of the heir to the throne. However when Alexander III became tsar in 1881, he continued to live there, rather than the customary Winter Palace. After his death, his widow Maria Fyodorovna remained there until the revolution.

Many young princes grew up in this palace and in 1935 the premises were returned to children and it was known as the Leningrad Palace of Pioneers. Today is is still occupied by a children's organization and the Anichkov Lyceum. Exhibitions of their works are regularly held in the palace or grounds, where there is a modern theater and concert hall.

The elegant colonnaded (Quarenghi's Stalls) building overlooking the Fontanka to the east had been another addition to the palace, by Giancomo Quarenghi in 1803-05. Initially this was built as a trading arcade where imperial goods destined for the palaces were stored prior to their delivery. This extension was later converted into government offices and was known as the Cabinet.

This pink and white palace replaced an earlier Stroganov palace, which had previously existed on the site and was built for the Stroganov family in 1752-54 by the Royal Architect Francesco-Bartholomeo Rastrelli, who also built the Smolny Cathedral (1748) and the Winter Palace (1754-62). Originally the coloring was orange and white, but for most living memory it has been a two tone green until the present color scheme appeared after recent major restoration work. The first floor held majestic state rooms and that is why the size of the windows are much larger than those on the second floor. Whilst the building has retained most of the original baroque features, there have been some changes. The raising of the street level and the construction of a granite embankment for the Moika in the 1790's reduced the window height considerably and made the palace seem smaller.

In the early 19th century the palace was remodeled for Alexander Stroganov by Andrei Voronikhin (the builder of the imposing Kazan Cathedral). Voronikhin was born of a serf of the Stroganov family and generally believed to have been Alexander's son.

The Stroganoff's fortune was mainly based on the Siberian fur trade. They were a very prominent noble family from which many were important political figures. It was at this palace in St. Petersburg where several generations of Stroganoffs socialized with the most notable artists, writers and composers and they kept an extensive art collection. Sergei was the last known family member to enjoy Beef Stroganoff at the table for which it was created by the family's French chef. He spent most of his life in Italy and France where he died in 1921. The Soviet Government later dispersed the family art collection and minerals across various museums and some vanished without trace. However all that could be recovered was later obtained by the Russian Museum and since 1989 this has gradually been reintroduced on display on the ground floor, whilst the rest of the building is undergoing full restoration. The palace also houses a wax figures exhibition dedicated to the Romanov Dynasty and is open to the paying public every day except Tuesdays.

Behind the Stroganov Palace and hidden away from the eyes of most tourists is the former palace of Count Kyrylo Razumovsky (1728-1803). The classic arched front gate for this elegant ensemble is at #48 Moika Embankment and the rear faces towards the Kazan Cathedral.