Yusupov Palace is an outstanding architectural ensemble of the 18th-20th centuries.
It is considered to be
the "encyclopedia" of St. Petersburg aristocratic interior design.
The history of the Palace and its surroundings dates back to the era of
Tzar Peter the Great when the nothern capital of
Russia was born. Within two hundred years the whole complex was reconstructed
many times by famous architects.
In 1830 the Palace was bought by the Count Yusupov and this family owned the estate till 1917.
The Yusupov family was one of the wealthiest noble families in the Russian Empire
before the revolution of 1917.
The ancestor of this family was the khan (Tatar leader) Yusuf,
who lived in the middle of the 16th century on the territories between the rivers
Don and Volga. Yusuf was an ally of Tzar Ivan the Terrible in his military campaigns.
But when Ivan conquered the town of Kazan where Yusuf's
daughter was a ruler, they became enemies.
Yusuf's brother Izmail-Murza killed Yusuf and became the ruler of the Horde.
He concluded a new treaty with Tzar Ivan the Terrible.
Yusuf's both sons were sent to Moscow to serve and started a new noble family - the Yusupovs.
They changed the name and were converted into christianity.
Yusupov Palace itself also played an important role in the Russian history,
being a place where Gregory Rasputin was murdered in December of 1916.
Gregory Rasputin was a spiritual teacher and a friend of the Royal Family
of Nicholas II at the beginning of the 20th century.
Nowadays the Palace hosts a special exhibition devoted to Rasputin.
After 1917 revolution Yusupov Palace was nationalized by the Soviet government.
Today Yusupov Palace is one of the few aristocratic mansions of St. Petersburg
where one can observe undestroyed ceremonial apartments, picture gallery halls,
home theatre and fabulous living quarters of the Yusupovs.
Opening hours of Yusupov Palace: daily from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The museum ticket office is open 10:45-17:00.
Timetable is subject to change without prior notice.
You can find a tour to Yusupov Palace in our selection of St. Petersburg tours and St. Petersburg excursions.
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