Аничков дворец / Anichkov Palace - 1874-1914

Россия на дореволюционных фотографиях Аничков дворец Невский проспект Санкт-Петербург 1874-1914 Russia in pre-revolutionary photographs Anichkov Palace Nevsky Prospekt St. Petersburg 1874-1914 Music: Waltz from “Life of the Tsar“ by M. Glinka One of the oldest building's on Nevsky Prospekt, Anichkov Palace stands next to the landmark Anichkov Bridge across the Fontanka River. When the building was commissioned by Empress Elizabeth in 1741, the site of the palace was on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, and Nevsky Prospekt was lined with trees. The original architect, Mikhail Zemtsov, gave the building its form and dimensions, while Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli completed the original baroque decorations. Elizabeth gave the completed palace to Aleksey Razumovsky, her favourite and unofficial spouse. After Razumovsky's death, Catherine the Great bought the palace from his brother and in turn gifted it to her favourite and lover, Grigoriy Potem