45. St. Michael's Castle
St. Michael's Castle (also referred to as Mikhailovsky Castle) was built at the very end of the 18th century, as yet another imperial palace. Emperor Paul I had it designed as a safer alternative than living in the Winter Palace. Unfortunately, he was assassinated in his bedroom 40 days after moving in, so it seems that his paranoia was justified.
The castle is situated in a beautiful location, overlooking the intersection of the Moyka and Fontanka Rivers to the north and east as well as the Mikhailovsky Garden to the west. The castle includes the familiar extravagantly decorated rooms that have been beautifully restored in the last several decades, as well as a few shabby rooms where the renovations strangely appear to be long overdue. Unlike the other palaces in the city center, this structure has a large internal courtyard.
St. Michael's Castle now houses a branch of the Russian State Museum (the main buildings of which are only a couple of blocks away, across Mikhailovsky Park). The artwork on display largely match the overall focus of the Russian State Museum's collections - numerous 18th and 19th century paintings (mostly portraits and some nice scenes of St. Petersburg), marble and bronze sculptures, several rooms with early religious art from the Russian Orthodox church, and a smattering of 20th century painting.
This was neither the biggest and most ornate palace, nor the most extensive museum in St. Petersburg; it makes a strong but not exceptional showing in both categories. The tour is limited to the 2nd floor, so the entire visit can be completed in just 60-90 minutes. However, it is still quite impressive and would be a top site in most other cities, I think.
The castle is situated in a beautiful location, overlooking the intersection of the Moyka and Fontanka Rivers to the north and east as well as the Mikhailovsky Garden to the west. The castle includes the familiar extravagantly decorated rooms that have been beautifully restored in the last several decades, as well as a few shabby rooms where the renovations strangely appear to be long overdue. Unlike the other palaces in the city center, this structure has a large internal courtyard.
St. Michael's Castle now houses a branch of the Russian State Museum (the main buildings of which are only a couple of blocks away, across Mikhailovsky Park). The artwork on display largely match the overall focus of the Russian State Museum's collections - numerous 18th and 19th century paintings (mostly portraits and some nice scenes of St. Petersburg), marble and bronze sculptures, several rooms with early religious art from the Russian Orthodox church, and a smattering of 20th century painting.
This was neither the biggest and most ornate palace, nor the most extensive museum in St. Petersburg; it makes a strong but not exceptional showing in both categories. The tour is limited to the 2nd floor, so the entire visit can be completed in just 60-90 minutes. However, it is still quite impressive and would be a top site in most other cities, I think.
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