Marble Palace

Why go

Marble Palace rewards attention to scale, orientation, and setting. Marble Palace or Mramornyi Dvorets was one of the first Neoclassical palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Before leaving, compare one close detail of Marble Palace with its broadest public view. At Marble Palace, a slower circuit makes Marble Palace's neighborhood relationship easier to read.

What to look for

• Marble Palace: Look for the feature that controls the first sightline.
• Marble Palace: Inspect the transition from the lower level to the roofline.
• Marble Palace: Circle the site to see how its proportions shift.

The full story

Marble Palace or Mramornyi Dvorets was one of the first Neoclassical palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is situated between the Field of Mars and Palace Quay, slightly to the east from Winter Palace. The palace was built by Count Grigory Orlov. Construction started in 1768 to designs by Antonio Rinaldi. The palace takes its name from its opulent decoration in a wide variety of polychrome marbles. A rough-grained Finnish granite on the ground floor is in subtle contrast to polished pink Karelian marble of the pilasters and white Urals marble of capitals and festoons. Panels of veined bluish gray Urals marble separate the floors, while Tallinn dolomite was employed for ornamental urns. In all, 32 disparate shades of marble were used to decorate the palace. The plan of the edifice is trapezoidal: each of its four facades, though strictly symmetrical, has a different design.

Useful to know

• Check the current admission calendar for Marble Palace before building an interior visit around it.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.