CHÂTEAU DES INGÉNIEURS OR CHÂTEAU SAINT-MICHEL

Rising behind the Russian Museum, on which it has depended since 1991, the "Château de Saint-Michel" was built between 1797 and 1800 for Tsar Paul I by the Russian architect Vassili Bajenov and the Swiss-Italian architect Vincenzo Brenna. It is difficult to doubt their authorship, the latter having been represented, with the plans of the palace, on the fresco of a ceiling! With its story of Shakespearean tragedy, the Mikhailovsky Palace is perhaps one of the most romantic sites in St. Petersburg. Paul I spent most of his very short reign in the palace, where he fell into a not entirely unjustified paranoia; the high walls of the imperial residence, however, did not prevent his assassination by conspirators on March 12, 1801. Haunted by the memory of the mad tsar, the palace then changed owners many times.

In particular, it is home to the Institute of Engineers, where Dostoyevsky studied. Then he began working for the Russian Museum, which was in need of expansion. However, the Russian Museum only exhibits models and portraits of the Romanovs. There are also a few temporary exhibitions. Nothing very exciting. However, for an additional fee, you can visit some of the rooms of the palace that are still intact, such as the room (now a chapel) where Paul I was murdered.

The palace is especially admirable from the outside, where you can see its facade with marble pilasters and bas-reliefs that evoke Roman military art. You will especially notice its massive architecture with an inner courtyard, which is much more reminiscent of a castle than a palace. Paul I's fear was such that he refused to live in the Hermitage, preferring this real bastion surrounded by a moat, decorated with false windows and multiple secret passages. Everything was put in place to foil a possible plot, but without success!

Since 2018, the Russian Museum has been restoring the majestic reception rooms of the castle, which had housed the Central Naval Library since 1957 and were inaccessible to the general public. The library having been transferred, the restoration has allowed them to return to their original appearance. The inauguration took place in April 2020, on the occasion of the triple anniversary celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the Russian Museum, the 220th anniversary of the castle and the 175th anniversary of the birth of Alexander II.