Yelagin Palace

Yelagin Palace was built in 1785-1790 by the design of the architect G. Quarenghi for the statesman Ivan Yelagin, who was the first owner of the palace. Its name was preserved through the years despite the fact, that the palace had a lot of owners. The palace, built by G. Qarenghi, wasn’t conserved, because it was reconstructed by the decree of Alexander I for his mother Empress Maria Feodorovna. This time architect C. Rossi was in charge of the construction. He created a three-storey palace topped with the dome, as well as three pavilions and two additional buildings: Kitchen and Stable. The inner decoration amazes with its beauty, it was made by such masters as S. Pimenov, V. Demut-Malinovsky, D. Scotty, A. Vigi and B. Medichi. Marble walls, decorated with painted flowers, ornaments and scenes from ancient mythology, outstanding doors, faced with valuable kind of trees with gilded carving – the Empress loved it very much. After the death of Maria Feodorovna the palace wasn’t remained the favorite residence of the Royal family members, but in different times it was visited by P. Stolypin, S. Witte, I. Goremykin.

During the Great Patriotic War the palace was hardly damaged. Right after the war the restoration works began under the leadership of the architect M. Plotnikov, as a result the palace was opened as a museum, where the collections of porcelain and precious glassware are represented.

Nowadays the Yelagin Palace is the Museum of Decorative and Applied Art and Interior of the XVIII-XIX centuries, where a lot of different exhibitions are held as well.

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