Mariinsky Palace

Why go

Mariinsky Palace rewards attention to scale, orientation, and setting. Mariinsky Palace, also known as Marie Palace (Мариинcкий дворец), was the last Neoclassical imperial palace to be constructed in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Before leaving, compare one close detail of Mariinsky Palace with its broadest public view.

What to look for

• Mariinsky Palace: Let the approach reveal the monument gradually.
• Mariinsky Palace: Pause where materials and decoration are easiest to distinguish.
• Mariinsky Palace: Look back after passing it for a second, often clearer profile.

The full story

Mariinsky Palace, also known as Marie Palace (Мариинcкий дворец), was the last Neoclassical imperial palace to be constructed in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was built between 1839 and 1844 to a design by the court architect Andrei Stackensneider. The palace stands on the south side of St Isaac's Square, just across the 99-metre-wide Blue Bridge from Saint Isaac's Cathedral. The reddish-brown facade is elaborately rusticated and features Corinthian columns arranged in a traditional Neoclassical mode, the whole design was inspired by the 17th-century French Baroque messuages. Other eclectic influences are apparent in the Renaissance details of exterior ornamentation and in the interior decoration, with each main room designed in a different historic style. The Mariinsky Palace returned to imperial hands in 1884 and remained imperial property until 1917, housing the State Council of Imperial Russia, State Chancellory, and Soviet of Ministers. The Provisional Government took full possession of the palace in March 1917 and gave it over to the Council of the Russian Republic, also known as the pre-parliament.

Useful to know

• Plan Mariinsky Palace mainly as an exterior stop unless current visitor access is confirmed.

Your next visit

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