35. The Winter Palace and the other Winter Palace
When someone uses the phrase "Winter Palace" in St. Petersburg, most people think of the main buildings of the Hermitage. That's the newer Winter Palace. The Winter Palace of Peter the Great is one of the older structures to bear the name. Confusingly, it's physically connected to the rest of the main Hermitage complex, and is itself one of the six Hermitage Museums. Almost all of the descriptions and reviews on the internet (TripAdvisor, Google reviews, etc.) of the Winter Palace of Peter the Great actually describe the main Winter Palace, so it seems that most tourists conflate the two, and have never actually been to this site. That's if you can even find it on a map - most searches point you toward the main Winter Palace rather than this smaller location nearby.
The Winter Palace of Peter the Great is a reconstruction of some of the rooms of Peter the Great's third palace that were uncovered during construction and excavation projects in the 1970s and 1980s. Several of the rooms have been decorated with period furnishings and some of Peter the Great's personal items. One of the more notable rooms contains a "Wax Person" that was made just after Peter died, and wears his clothing and a wig made of his own locks. This was the first wax figure ever produced in Russia and it still looks great almost three centuries later.
After a quick visit to the Winter Palace of Peter I, I returned to the better-known Winter Palace (a.k.a., the main Hermitage buildings) to spend some time in the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian galleries. I've visited some of these rooms before during my previous visits, but there were quite a few that I skipped in favor of spending more time in the European painting galleries. I tend to be less excited by the endless parade of Greek amphorae and krateres, but the Roman statuary (invariably, copies of the Greek originals) were outstanding. The Egyptian hall also included some spectacular artifacts. I did not see a single tour group in these galleries; I guess the one-hour highlights tours for cruise visitors get bogged down in the da Vincis and Rembrandts upstairs. It was a nice change of pace to be away from the teeming hordes on the second floor (which I couldn't resist swinging through for a quick visit, as well).
The Winter Palace of Peter the Great is a reconstruction of some of the rooms of Peter the Great's third palace that were uncovered during construction and excavation projects in the 1970s and 1980s. Several of the rooms have been decorated with period furnishings and some of Peter the Great's personal items. One of the more notable rooms contains a "Wax Person" that was made just after Peter died, and wears his clothing and a wig made of his own locks. This was the first wax figure ever produced in Russia and it still looks great almost three centuries later.
After a quick visit to the Winter Palace of Peter I, I returned to the better-known Winter Palace (a.k.a., the main Hermitage buildings) to spend some time in the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian galleries. I've visited some of these rooms before during my previous visits, but there were quite a few that I skipped in favor of spending more time in the European painting galleries. I tend to be less excited by the endless parade of Greek amphorae and krateres, but the Roman statuary (invariably, copies of the Greek originals) were outstanding. The Egyptian hall also included some spectacular artifacts. I did not see a single tour group in these galleries; I guess the one-hour highlights tours for cruise visitors get bogged down in the da Vincis and Rembrandts upstairs. It was a nice change of pace to be away from the teeming hordes on the second floor (which I couldn't resist swinging through for a quick visit, as well).
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