The Nikolaevsky Palace is the grand ducal residence of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich the Elder, the son of Nicholas I. The palace is located in the center of Saint Petersburg, on Labor Square (formerly Annunciation Square). Throughout its history, spanning more than a century and a half, the building has undergone several transformations. Today, it houses the Leningrad Federation of Trade Unions.
Despite many of the palace's rooms being rented out, there is an excellent tour through the state rooms, which I’d like to tell you about.
How to Join the Tour
I took the tour with the agency "Unusual Petersburg." You can book a visit through their website, their group on VKontakte, or by phone at +7 812 509 66 42.
Getting to the palace is quite easy. The nearest metro station is "Admiralteyskaya," and it’s about a 20-minute walk from there. Along the way, you’ll pass one of the most famous landmarks in Saint Petersburg — St. Isaac’s Cathedral.
A Bit of History
The palace was founded in 1853. Interestingly, it wasn’t built on the site of an older palace, as was often the case with other residences, but on the grounds of old hemp warehouses (hemp was used to make naval ropes).
The architect of the building was the renowned St. Petersburg architect Andrei Ivanovich Stackenschneider, who also designed the Mariinsky and New Mikhailovsky Palaces, as well as the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace.
Shortly after the death of the grand duke, the palace became home to the Xenia Institute for Noble Maidens, where orphaned girls could be trained in various professions such as teaching, accounting, or mathematics.
After the revolution, the building housed the Leningrad Trade Union Organization. Today, locals know it as the Palace of Labor.
The State Rooms of the Palace
Where does every interior tour begin? Of course, with the grand staircase. In this palace, the staircase truly lives up to its name. It’s not particularly luxurious or ornate, but it’s impressively vast. Standing at the base, you can feel the grandeur with which the architects of imperial Russia worked.
On the second floor, you’ll find the palace church and several state rooms, including the former ballroom, where various events are still held. The last room on the tour is the grand dining room, which often hosts banquets and balls.
As always, I want to highlight the excellent work of the tour guide — the narrative about the palace was incredibly engaging. After the tour, we chatted for another thirty minutes, and the guide gave me some tips about a few interesting places in Saint Petersburg I hadn’t heard of before. Overall, you’re sure to leave with a fantastic impression of this tour.
After immersing yourself in the palace’s history, you can take a stroll around the area — there are plenty of interesting places within walking distance, such as New Holland Island and the Rumyantsev Mansion.
In summary:
- Stunning state interiors,
- Convenient location near other attractions,
- The grand staircase is a perfect spot for taking great photos.
