The Winter Palace

The Winter Palace is the principal ceremonial residence of the Russian emperors and the heart of the Hermitage. This vast building in lavish Elizabethan Baroque faces Palace Square and the Neva embankment and defines the look of central Saint Petersburg.

Architecture and appearance

The present palace is the fifth on the site. It was built for Empress Elizabeth by the architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli in 1754–1762. It is exuberantly Baroque, with a two-tier colonnade, abundant stucco, ornate window surrounds and a parade of statues and vases along the roofline. Each façade is drawn differently, and the columns gather into clusters and part again, creating a rich play of light and shadow. The green-and-white front with its gilding remains one of the city’s symbols.

• About 1,500 rooms and a total area of around 60,000 m².
• Three main façades face the Neva, the Admiralty and Palace Square; a fourth faces the courtyard.
• Its height long set the “ceiling” for building in the historic centre.

Inside, Rastrelli’s Baroque sweep sits beside later Neoclassical interiors: the grand Jordan Staircase was conceived as a triumphal “entrance to the empire”, and after the fire the halls were redecorated by leading 19th-century architects.

Why it was built

The palace was designed as the winter residence of the court — hence the name. Rastrelli created not a mere dwelling but a stage for the ceremonies of empire: state rooms, throne halls, a palace church. After Elizabeth, the building was completed under Catherine the Great, who began the museum collection next door in the Small Hermitage.

What is inside

Today the Winter Palace holds the state interiors and the most important paintings of the Hermitage:

• the Jordan (Ambassadors’) Staircase — the ceremonial entrance (Room 1);
• the Great Enfilade: the Field Marshals’ Hall (193), the 1812 War Gallery (197), the St George (Great Throne) Hall (198);
• the Malachite Room (189) and the Pavilion Hall with the Peacock Clock (204, Small Hermitage);
• the Leonardo da Vinci room (214) and the Rembrandt room (254).

Find your way by room number with the floor plan.

The palace in history

The Winter Palace witnessed key events. The devastating fire of 1837 gutted the interiors in a few days, leaving only the structural walls; they were restored within a few years under the architect Vasily Stasov. In 1917 the Provisional Government sat here, and in October the palace was taken by the uprising — an event that became a symbol of the revolution; soon afterwards it passed to the museum. During the Siege of Leningrad the buildings were damaged by shelling, but the collection was saved. For how a private collection grew into a museum, see the history of the Hermitage.

Why it matters

The Winter Palace is not only a museum building but a symbol of imperial Russia itself: for more than a century and a half it was the official residence of the tsars, the stage for court ceremonies, receptions and the great events of the empire. To walk its state rooms is to move through Russian history — from Rastrelli’s Baroque and the Neoclassical halls rebuilt after the fire, to the rooms where the monarchy ended in 1917. Today the palace and the art it holds are inseparable: the building is itself the Hermitage’s largest exhibit.

FAQ

Who built the Winter Palace and when? The architect Rastrelli, for Empress Elizabeth, in 1754–1762, in the Baroque style.

How many rooms does it have? About 1,500; a large part of the state and museum rooms is open to visitors.

Are the Winter Palace and the Hermitage the same thing? The Winter Palace is the main building of the Hermitage complex; the complex also includes the Small, Large and New Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre.

What happened to the palace in 1837? A major fire destroyed the interiors; the building was restored within a few years, keeping its former appearance.

This is an unofficial, informational website. The availability of rooms changes — confirm details on the official museum website.