Alexander Palace

The Alexander Palace

The Alexander Palace was constructed in the Imperal retreat of Tsarskoe Selo. It was commissioned by Catherine the Great for her favorite grandson and future emperor Alexander I. The palace was originally planed for the capital, St. Petersburg so it was more ornate. When it was moved to Tsarskoe Selo, the ornamentation of the palace was downgraded. Many believe that this was due to tight funds in the Imperail Treasury. This did not bother Catherine as she saw it that it would give Alexander a chance to add his own detail when he came to power. An interesting story about construction is that when the crew was excavating to start the foundation, they ran into an underground river which today runs below the simicurcular hall. Alexander used the palace as a summer residence through the remainder of his grandmother's and his father's , Paul, reign. When he became emperor, however, he chose to reside in the nearby Catherine Palace. So, he gave the palace to his brother for summmer useage and from that time on, it was the summer residence of the heir to the throne. Some of the largest changes to the palace occured during the occupation of Nicholas I. He remodeled and modernized many of the rooms and added the famous Mountain Hall which had a large slide built in for his children with whom he spent much time. It is most famous though for the role it played in the reign of the last tsar, Nicholas II. He and his wife Alexandra chose always loved the palace and decided to make the palace their permanant residence after the uprisings of 1905. They remodeled the former two-story ballroom into the Maple Study and the New Study and added rooms for their children on the floor above. To the horror of the court, Alexandra had many pieces of furniture for her room catalogue ordered. One of these most famous rooms is Alexandra's Mauve Bodouir. The Imperail Family was under house arrest here before they were moved to Siberia. After their assasination, the palace was turned into a museum, then into a "resort" for government officials before it had to be evacuated because of the approaching Nazi forces. During the Nazi occupation, it was used as a hospital. As, the Nazi forces were leaving Russia, many of the suburban palaces were set ablaze. Fortunatley, Alexander palace was spared. The palace was used a depot for items coming back into the area but, it was later decided not to turn it back into a musuem and it was given to the Navy. It is currently being restored and Nicholas and Alexandra's private wing is now open to the public.