In 1703, Peter was founded St. Petersburg. In just nine years, it becomes the capital of the state. The main city of the country, with the direct participation of its patron, begins to actively settle and improve. One of the first relatives of the tsar, Count Field Marshal Boris Petrovich Sheremetyev, moved to the banks of the Neva . He was allocated a plot number 34 for the construction of the estate along the Fontanka embankment.
The first stone buildings in the estate
The site on the one hand was limited by the Fontanka River, on the other - Liteiny Prospect. At the time of the construction of the family estate, the Count and his family were placed on Millionnaya Street. A wooden house and service outbuildings appeared on the site over time. The new estate was destined to become the family nest of the Sheremetyevs. In place of a wooden house in the 1730s, a one-story stone palace was erected. In 1750-1755, the second floor of the building was built, the design of which was engaged by S. I. Chevakinsky and F. S. Argunov.
Manor under Peter Borisovich
The descendant of Boris Petrovich who owned the estate, in connection with the sudden death of his wife and daughter in 1768, decides to move to Moscow. While there, he begins the development of the estate. It was inherited from his wife. Subsequently, already with his son, the Sheremetyevsky Palace in Ostankino was completely completed. He, like the North, is one of the family estates and in the absence of the owner is repeatedly leased and continues to be rebuilt.
The heyday of theatrical art in the estate
The next owner of the estate in St. Petersburg is the son of Peter Borisovich Nikolai. At first, the new owner preferred to live in Moscow, rarely visiting his Northern estate. However, already in 1796 he moved to St. Petersburg. Under the guidance of architect I.E. Starov, a significant renovation of the interior of the house on the Fontanka begins. Nikolai Petrovich was a big fan of stage art. In the palace he organized a theater, the actors of which were serfs. He even gave free and in 1801 he married one of his actresses, Kovaleva Praskovya Ivanovna. During his tenure, the estate was rebuilt by Quarenghi and Voronikhin. On the territory of the estate, the Garden Pavilion and the Summer House, as well as the Carriage Sheds, appeared at them.
"Living at the expense of Sheremetyevo"
After the death of Nikolai Petrovich in 1809, the estate passes to his son Dmitry, who at that time was only six years old. A board of trustees is being created, headed by chief trustee M. I. Donaurov. Active restructuring continues: in the 1810s and 20s, the Office, Fontanny, Sick, and Singing outhouses appeared. The authors of the projects are H. Meyer and D. Quardi. Under Dmitry Nikolaevich, who served in the Kavalergard regiment, the owner’s colleagues are regular visitors to the palace, the expression “live at the Sheremetyevsk expense” appears. The artist Kiprensky and Pushkin are also often here. In 1837, the count tied the knot with the maid of honor of the Empress Anna Sergeyevna. From this marriage in 1844, a son Sergei is born. In 1838, a cast-iron fence with gates appeared on the estate, decorated with the coat of arms of the Counts Sheremetyevs. The architect I. D. Corsini, who worked for twenty years in the estate, radically rebuilt all the palace premises. In the 1840s, the Garden wing appeared on its territory. The estate itself is becoming one of the most visited places in the capital. It hosts musical evenings that adorn Glinka, Berlioz, Liszt, Schubert with their performances. The first wife of Dmitry Nikolaevich dies of poisoning in 1849. Ten years later, in 1859, he marries a second time. The son of Alexander is born. In 1867, the Northern Wing is attached to the Sheremetyevo Palace. The author of the project is N. L. Benoit.
Sergey Dmitrievich and his view of the estate
In 1871, Count Dmitry Nikolaevich dies. As a result of the division of property, the Sheremetyevo Palace inherited Sergey Dmitrievich. In 1874, new five-story buildings appeared on the estate (architect A.K. Serebryakov). From Liteiny Prospect, tenement houses are being built, the front part on Fontanka - 34 is left unchanged. The beginning of the twentieth century is marked by destruction. The Grotto, the Hermitage, the Garden Gate, the Orangery, the Chinese arbor are being destroyed. Manege and Stables rebuild into the Theater Hall - now it is the Drama Theater on Liteiny. Two-story trading pavilions appeared in 1914 (architect M.V. Krasovsky).
Estate after the revolution
In the post-revolutionary period, the Sheremetyevo Palace was transferred by Sergey Dmitrievich to the disposal of the new government. In one of his outbuildings from mid-1924 to 1952, A. A. Akhmatova lived. The main parts of the building were redone. Until 1931, the museum was located here. The Sheremetyevo Palace in 1984 received a research institute for the Arctic and Antarctic. As a result of improper use and maintenance, the interiors of the halls lost their former grandeur and beauty, and some of the outbuildings became residential apartments. At the end of the 20th century, the attitude towards the estate gradually began to change. Sheremetyevo Palace has undergone restoration. The main purpose of this event was to recreate the atmosphere of the XVIII century. The first exhibition at the Sheremetyevo Palace was presented by exhibits belonging to the family of the owners of the estate. Among them are completely unique designs. Here are collections of paintings and art objects, musical instruments. The house on Fontanka 34 traditionally hosts concerts and art exhibitions. Since 1989, the Literary and Memorial Museum of A. A. Akhmatova has been operating. The work room of the poetess was recreated in it. The general public presented her books, photographs and personal items. In 2006, a monument to A. A. Akhmatova appeared on the site near the Sheremetyevo Palace. His discovery was timed to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of the death of the poetess.
What does the Sheremetyevsky Palace offer guests?
The Music Museum, located in the estate building, has in its stores a huge collection of ancient instruments. She is rightfully considered one of the best in the world. The collection includes unique tools created by Russian and European masters in the 16th - 18th centuries, belonging to the royal Romanov dynasty, as well as unique samples from around the world that have no analogues. The museum also has Russian bells and recreated copies of various ancient instruments. You can visit the museum as part of daily excursions there. Their topics are very diverse. For example, in the framework of the excursion "Counts of the Sheremetyevs" you can learn a lot about the creators of the estate, their life and fate. There are other programs. For example, "Fountain House. Palace and Manor". This tour is dedicated to the architectural monument-estate and its creation. Within its framework, one can learn many fascinating details from the life of the palace, for example, one of the legends that the drawings of F. B. Rastrelli were used in the design of the house. But nevertheless, most of the excursions taking place in the Sheremetyevo Palace are devoted to music: “The evolution of keyboards”, “Winds - folk and professional”, “Distinguished names in the collection of musical instruments” and others.
Homestead today
The Sheremetyevo Palace was the pride of five generations of its owners, their ancestral nest. Over the course of several centuries, each of the owners maintained and expanded the property of the clan. Art objects, an art gallery, ancient sculptures, numismatic and weapons collections, a rich library - this is not a complete list of what the owners of the estate owned until 1917. The Sheremetyevo Palace, the photo of which is presented above, has been the meeting place of the intelligentsia for several centuries. Today he has not lost his former greatness and continues to attract millions of people.