37. Ансамбль Дворцовой Площади – уникальный памятник архитектуры классицизма/The Palace Square Ensemble as the unique example of Classicism architecture, 1819-1834

Authors; architects-C.I.Rossi(1819 - 1829),A.R.Montferrand (1829 - 1834), K.K. Rakhau (1876), sculptoss - S.S. Pimenov and V.I. Demutft-Malinovskiy (1819 - 1829), В.I. Orlovskiy, I. Leppe, V.V. Svintsov (1829 - 1834)

Address:Dvortsovaya ploshchad’

The story of the ensemble is closely connected with the story of the city. In 1704 when Peter I ordered to found the Admiralty, a vast territory was left untouched. That piece of land gave a very good field of view that was highly important in terms of the Sweden War. In 1721 when the war was over ihe esplanade turned into a meadow that soon got the name the Admiralty meadow where the cows from ihe Imperial farm were grazed. The meadow was crossed by the Big Perspective Road (future Nevskiy prospekt) and two other streets called Srednyaya and Voznesenskayajoined at the Admiralty. Along the northern side of the Neva the Winter Palace and the mansions for the nobility were erected. In the mid. of IS¹'¹ cent., when F.-B. Rastrelli constructed the Winter Palace, both parts of the Admiralty meadow were cobbled and got their present names: the Palace Square and the Admiralty Square, F.-B. Rastrelli planned the construction of a round stale courtyard surrounded with colonnades with the Monument to Peter I created by his father B.-C. Rastrelli in the centre. But that plan was not realized. and only m 1800 the Monument to Peter I found its place in the courtyard of the Engineers' Castle.In 1766 a permanent amphitheatre for the first in Russia merry-go-round -horse military games, was built. In 1779 the Academy of Arts that directed the reconstruction of the Palace Square declared a contest which Yu. Vekcn won having suggested building up the Palace with the houses with identical facades and of the same height as the Palace itself. According to that project three houses werebuilt at the beginning of Ne\skiy prospekt. One of them belonged to Ya. Bryiis and two to Catherine I's favourite I. Lanskoy. In early 19'' eenl. the General Staff bought three houses that were situated parallel to the Palace. Further along the Square there were small private residences different in style, height, and sire and in a strong discord with the Winter Palace.After a glorious Russian victory over Napoleon in me Patriotic War of 1X12 the Government planned the creation of a state capital. The growth of the governmental apparatus demanded the erection of new buildings in the centre of the city. In 1819 C. Rossi was commissioned to lay out a stale square in front of the Winter Palace, accommodating there the General Staff, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. Three million roubles were spent on the purchase of all private buildings situated nearby. Most of the residences situated along the Moyka were destroyed.The work started in 1820 and continued for more than 10 years. The General Staff Building was erected in 1 K23, the buildings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance - in 1X24. F. Ruska, and N. Tkachyov worked on the construction of the ensemble (almost 600 m long) together with С Rossi.In 1827 C. Rossi suggested to decorate the arch that connected the buildings in order to commemorate the victory in the Patriotic War (at first they planned to decorate it with two female figures supporting the shield with the Rtissian coal of arms). Monumental sculptures were made by V. Demuth-Malinovskiy and S. Pimenov; the decorative painting was created by D.-B. Scotli A mighty sculpture group (two Roman warriors driving six horses harnessed to a triumphal chariot) 80 tonnes weight. 15 rn wide and 10 m high was too heavy, and engineer M. Clark suggested to strike the chariot of brazen sheets and tlx it on a cast-iron frame thu> lightening the chariot. The general height of the Triumphal Arch together with the chariot was 36 m, and the length of the bay - 17 m.In 1829 - 1834 the Triumphal (Alexander) Column to the design by A. Moniferrand was built in the centre of the Palace Square to commemorate Russia's victory over Napoleon in the War of 1812 - IS 14. The column that C. Rossi had planned to erect as early as 1819 became the tallest in ihc world (47,5 m high). \\ was hewed out of a dark-red granite monolith. Its top was crowned with the figure of angel (B. Orlovskiy) holding a cross in one hand (the angel's face had a likeness to Alexander I). The pedestal was ornamented with bron/c relieves representing allegorical armored figures cast by I. Leppe and P. Svintsov {to the design by D.-B. Scotli). A graniie pillar was kepi secure on the pedestal entirely by its own weighi. without any fixture. The Doric column was fixed in 100 minutes with ihe aid of ihe system of blocks and tackle.

At the time of the reconstruction of the Winter Palace C, Rossi also created the IH12 Gallery thus having connected ihe interior decoration of the Square ensemble with the exterior decor of ihe Palace.