We continue our walk through the beautiful interiors of the A. A. Polovtsov mansion. As a reminder, in the previous article, we explored the history of the building. Today, I invite you to take a stroll through the magnificent grand halls of the mansion.
The tour covers eight grand halls on the second floor of the house. The purpose of these rooms, as well as their design, is incredibly varied. The walk begins in the bay window, which once housed the winter garden. From there, the route continues through several living rooms and a couple of small rooms: the Small Music Library and the Fireplace Hall.
The largest and most elegant halls visitors will see during the tour of the House of the Architect are the Oak Library, the White (Ballroom) Hall, and the Bronze Hall. The latter was created by the renowned master Maximilian Yegorovich Mesmaher, the author of the design for the museum building at the Baron A. L. Stieglitz Technical Drawing School. The choice of this architect is quite obvious, as the mansion was a wedding gift from the baron to his adopted daughter.
If you decide to take this tour, the guide will share a wealth of fascinating facts about the building’s owners. For example, I learned that Alexander Ludwigovich Stieglitz adopted the illegitimate daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich. Later, the girl married the actual secret councilor Alexander Alexandrovich Polovtsov, whose name the mansion bears today.
When discussing the interiors of the mansion, it is also important to mention a tragic event that occurred here not long ago. In May 2018, a fire broke out in the rooms used as the kitchen for the restaurant located here. The fire destroyed the leather cordova paneling on the dining room walls on the first floor, and other interior details were partially damaged. The damage from the incident was estimated at over 100 million rubles. The effects of this disaster are still felt today: a persistent smell of smoke can still be detected in a small corridor leading to the wardrobe.
But let’s return to the walk through the grand halls. The final room guests visit is the magnificent Bronze Hall. Its main feature is the large skylight in the ceiling. The area of the hall is 165 square meters, with a height of 10 meters. This is where the tour concludes, and guests are given some time to take photos against the backdrop of the stunning interior.
As a reminder, the mansion can only be visited as part of a guided tour, which takes place on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets can be purchased on the kassir.ru website. The House of the Architect is located near St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Museum of the History of Religion, and the magnificent Yusupov Palace, so when planning your route, you can also add these fascinating landmarks to your list of must-see sites in our city.
In summary:
- Beautiful interiors;
- An interesting and informative guide’s narrative;
- Periodically, various events are held here, so you can combine your tour of the interiors with attending a concert.
