Anyone strolling along Liteyny Prospect in St. Petersburg has likely noticed the remarkable two-story building at the intersection of the avenue and Belinsky Street — Zinaida Yusupova's palace. Today, I invite you to take a look at the interiors of this old princely mansion.
How to Visit
The Yusupov Palace on Liteyny Prospect is not a museum, so unfortunately, you can’t simply buy an entrance ticket at the door. However, several St. Petersburg tour agencies offer visits to the mansion.
I found an easier option. Periodically, jewelry exhibitions are held in some of the historic buildings in the Northern capital, and invitation tickets are distributed directly on the street. I couldn’t resist this offer and happily wandered through the halls of this ancient house.
The address of the palace is Liteyny Prospect, 42. The closest metro stations are "Chernyshevskaya" and "Mayakovskaya."
A Bit of History
For many St. Petersburg residents, the most famous member of the Yusupov family was Prince Felix Felixovich, one of the organizers of Rasputin's murder, who emigrated to France in 1919. Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova (née Naryshkina), under whom the palace on Liteyny was built, was Felix’s great-grandmother.
The construction of the two-story stone mansion took place from 1852 to 1858. The initial project was developed by Harold Bosse. Later, the supervision of the design and construction was taken over by architect Ludwig Ludwigovich Bonstedt, who is known for building many mansions and public buildings in St. Petersburg. In the 1860s, Bonstedt moved to Germany.
Under its first owner, Zinaida Ivanovna, the building was often left vacant — Princess Yusupova had left Russia and lived abroad for a long time. Later, the building became the property of her granddaughter, Zinaida Nikolaevna, the mother of Felix Felixovich. In the early 20th century, the house was rented to the St. Petersburg Artistic Club. The "Crooked Mirror" theater was also located here. During World War I, the palace hosted a hospital.
From 1949, the mansion housed the Central Lecturing Bureau of the "Knowledge" society. This organization still occupies many rooms of the house today. It is also home to the St. Petersburg Institute of Foreign Economic Relations, Economics, and Law, established by the same society.
One of the St. Petersburg legends is particularly interesting. According to it, the palace on Liteyny Prospect was the prototype for the house of the "Queen of Spades" from Pushkin's famous short story. In reality, however, the Yusupov mansion was built 21 years after the poet's death.
I should mention that the format of my free tour did not include visiting some of the palace’s grand halls, so I definitely plan to return. Since we touched on the topic of the Yusupov family’s involvement in Rasputin's murder, I would like to suggest continuing your exploration of this story by visiting the "elder's" apartment on Gorokhovaya Street or taking a walk through the grand Yusupov Palace on Moika.
In summary:
- A beautiful historic building;
- Free admission is available;
- Many other interesting attractions nearby.
