Vladimir Palace: A Royal Gift to His Son
In the very center of the city, on Palace Embankment opposite St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, stands the Vladimir Palace with its arched windows. It previously belonged to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the son of Alex…
Ivan Skalkin's Restaurant: A Place of Revelry at the Turn of the Century
In the second half of the 19th century, Moscow gradually transformed into a city of merchants, while the nobility rapidly lost their fortunes, making way for enterprising people from the common folk. Against the backdrop…
Mertens House: Furs, Marketing, and Nationwide Fame
Once, Mertens House transformed from a small two-story building into a luxurious mansion, standing out among the historical architecture of St. Petersburg with its unusual design. The architects managed to combine two di…
The Jesuit Order House, a Center of Latin Enlightenment in St. Petersburg
The Jesuit Order House, recognized as an architectural monument, is located in the center of St. Petersburg at the intersection of the Griboedov Canal embankment and Italian Street. Built in the early 19th century, the b…
Dr. Pel's Pharmacy, the Oldest Establishment in St. Petersburg
Dr. Pel's Pharmacy is one of the most famous pharmaceutical shops in St. Petersburg. Although the Pel family acquired the building in the mid-19th century, a pharmacy had existed at this location since the early 18th cen…
Buttenhoff Merchant House in Vyborg
The ancient city of Vyborg has long been under strong cultural influence from Germany, which continued even after these lands became part of the Russian Empire and lasted until the formation of independent Finland. Among…
Delvig House, a Witness of the Pushkin Era
Delvig House, a famous mansion in the center of St. Petersburg, was the residence and workplace of Anton Antonovich Delvig, a well-known poet and publisher, friend of Pushkin, in the 1820s and 30s. This classic mansion f…
How Chicherin's House Became the Eliseevs' Palace
An expert on St. Petersburg will surely draw a tourist's attention to the majestic building with white columns located at the corner of Nevsky Prospect and the Moika River embankment. This is the house of General Police …
Toplovsky Monastery of the Crimea Peninsula
Among the many Armenian and Greek temples of Crimea, the Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity-Paraskeva Toplovsky Convent, founded in 1864, has survived. It was built near a spring named after Saint Paraskeva of Rome, which is …
Income Houses of Merchant Rafael Bernstein
Contrary to widespread Soviet myths about the oppression of Russian Jews in the Russian Empire, entrepreneur and first guild merchant Rafael Bernstein successfully engaged in ready-made clothing trade at the end of the 1…
