Winter Palace. People and Walls. The History of the Imperial Residence. 1762—1917

The Winter Palace was not only the main ceremonial residence of the Russian monarchs but also a repository of invaluable national treasures that Catherine II began to collect.

It served a multitude of functions: representational, residential, cultural, and administrative-economic, which is also given special attention in the book.

Throughout its existence, the Winter Palace saw much: human happiness and sorrow, deaths, the rise and fall of statesmen, storms, changes of interiors to please the new authorities, and survived the blockade of Leningrad... The spirit of this place was woven from the events that took place within it, the people who lived in it, and the secrets that surrounded it.

A huge number of legends are associated with it, and it itself is a legend. In this book, the author has tried to open the doors of the Winter Palace for the reader and show the old walls in which the lives of people unfolded, largely determining the fate of the country: from risalits to facades, encompassing all three floors.

The narrative is accompanied by paintings, photographs, and documents