The Mariinsky Palace in St. Petersburg

The Mariinsky Palace is a palace in St. Petersburg on St. Isaac’s Square near St. Isaac’s Cathedral, named after the daughter of Emperor Nicholas I, Mary. The palace planned as a wedding gift on the occasion of her marriage to Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg. It was built in 1839-1844 according to the design of Andrey Stackenschneider and is considered the best work of the architect.

In the 1880s, the palace was sold to the treasury and began to serve as the seat of the State Council, in the 1890s it was renovated and partially rebuilt under the guidance of the architect Ludwig Peterson. In 1906, under the leadership of Leonty Benois, a separate building was added for the Great Conference Hall.

Since the end of the 19th century, along with the Winter palace and Tauride Palace, the Mariinsky has been one of the three “political” palaces in St. Petersburg. During the revolutionary events of 1917, for several times it passed from the Bolsheviks to the Provisional Committee, after the October Revolution it was given to the Supreme Council of the National Economy.

Since 1945, the Lensoviet has been sitting in the palace. During the August events of 1991, the Mariinsky became the center of resistance to the GKChP in Leningrad. In 1994, after the dissolution of the Leningrad City Council, the palace was occupied by the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg.

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