Winter Palace

The Russian architect B.F. Rastrelli built the palace in the style of magnificent Elizabethan Baroque with elements of French Rococo in the interior in the 1754-1762-ies. Since Soviet times, the main exposition of the State Hermitage Museum has been located within the walls of the palace. From 1762 to 1904, it served as the official winter residence of the Russian emperors. In 1904, Nicholas II moved his residence to the Alexandrian Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. From October 1915 to November 1917, the Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich Hospital operated in the palace. During the entire period from July to November 1917, the Provisional Government was located in the palace. The Museum of the Revolution was opened in 1920 in the palace. He shared the building with the Hermitage until 1941. The Palace Square and the Winter Palace are the main objects of domestic and international tourism.