Topics

1

The Tudors / Elizabeth I Imposter?

« on: June 13, 2013, 03:06:27 PM »

What does everyone think about this? I'm skeptical, especially since they're interviewing Steve Berry in the article. Simply trying to get publicity for his book?

Or do you think there's any truth to this?

"Is This Proof the Virgin Queen Was An Imposter in Drag?"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2337774/Is-proof-Virgin-Queen-imposter-drag-Shocking-new-theory-Elizabeth-I-unearthed-historic-manuscripts.html

2

Forum Announcements / + Alan

« on: April 08, 2013, 03:09:28 PM »

I received an email today from Alan's cousin to let all on his contact list know that he has passed away. I was given the approval to let forum members know. He "passed away at his home, very suddenly and unexpectedly, last Tuesday 2nd April from a heart attack.  It was a very peaceful departure for him but a great shock to all his friends."

I'm so saddened to hear of his passing. From my communications with him, he seemed like such a sweet man. He was also very generous to share his beautiful photos from his trips to Russia with us on the forum, as you can see at the links below.

http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=17227.0

http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=13842.msg459909#msg459909

I will miss seeing his name around the forum. He was such a good contributor. My prayers are with his family and friends.

3

The Alexander Palace / Alan's 2012 Photos of the AP, Feodorovski and Gorodok, etc.

« on: August 06, 2012, 07:30:57 PM »

Alan has been so kind as to share with us some photos he took during his visit to Tsarskoe Selo this year; I'm honored to be able to help him share them with everyone once again. I figured it would be easier to just put all of his photos in one topic, so that they all are likely to be seen. Here are his lovely shots of the Feodorovski Cathedral and Gorodok.

Alan says, "Part of [the Gorodok] has been restored and is in use as a Home for the elderly. Near there is a plaque on the wall confirming that Anastasia and Maria nursed there. It may say more but my Russian interpretation is not that good and it was way above eye level."

 

4

The Alexander Palace / Use of the Parade Halls and Right Wing

« on: July 29, 2011, 05:59:12 PM »

I'm curious how often the family used the parade halls. After perusing the APTM site, I've drawn up a list of some of the uses of the parade halls:

Mountain Hall: The children played on the slide there.
Portrait Hall: Hors d'oeurves were served there. Some formal photos were also taken there because of the good lighting.
Semi-Circular Hall: The main course at banquets was served there. Balls were also held in this room. The family used it for watching films.
Marble/Billiard Hall: Used for large receptions (not actually for billiards during Nicholas II's time).

So with this list, my question is: how often were banquets and balls hosted at the AP? Was the Mountain Hall used for anything other than sliding? We know that the family at least passed through these rooms frequently on their way to and from the chapel.

My other question is how often did they venture into the first floor of the right wing-- only when they had visitors staying with them?

5

The Alexander Palace / Greenhouses

« on: October 20, 2010, 03:12:56 PM »

I just read over Bob A's blog entry on the Romanov's "Passion for Flowers" for at least the third time, where he refutes the claim that Alexandra had flowers brought to the AP in the dead of winter by heated train. Instead, the AP had its own farm and greenhouses. It occurred to me that I don't know where the greenhouses were located.

I went onto Google Maps and took a screenshot of much of the AP's park, figuring that the greenhouses would have been closer to the AP rather than farther to assist with bringing in the flowers safely during the winter. Can anyone point out to me where the greenhouses once stood?



Bob A provided a couple of photos of the greenhouses. Alexandra had the second one constructed, but I don't know if they both existed at the same time or if the second one replaced the first.



I've found mention of greenhouses (orangeries) on this map of the grounds near the Chinese Village, but it's unclear if these greenhouses were just for the Catherine Palace or the AP too since they seem to be more within the Catherine Park. However, that location could provide close access to both palaces. What does everyone think? Looking between the Google Maps view and the image below, it looks like those greenhouses still exist. Does anyone have any photos of them?



Here is a close up of the possible greenhouses from Google Maps. It appears that they're in use, but I'm not convinced that these greenhouses are quite like the one Alexandra had built.

6

The Alexander Palace / Other Balconies?

« on: January 11, 2010, 10:06:19 PM »

I was looking at the plans of the AP and noticed that there are two other possible balconies on the left wing, coming off of the music/billiard hall and chapel. The other one is around the corner of the blue drawing room. I've never seen any photos of them (and for all I know they aren't balconies at all).



In this photo from either 1948 or 1949, you can see that there's nothing there, though it might look like there once was something around the foundation that was stripped off later.



Does anyone have any photos where these balconies are visible? When and why were they removed? Possibly around the same time as Alexandra's balcony was torn down?

7

The Imperial Family / Imperial Locations: Then and Now

« on: December 16, 2008, 11:37:02 PM »

After spending much time debating on which forum to stick this in, I figured I'd go ahead and put it here. I thought it would be fun to compare photos of different Imperial locations as they were while the IF was alive with how they look now, whether or not the buildings or whatever was there still exist. I'm thinking of photos taken at approximately the same place as the originals.

Here are a few I've collected:

8

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / St. Petersburg: Portrait of an Imperial City

« on: August 30, 2008, 07:58:56 PM »

A while back, I found a book in my university's library called St. Petersburg: Portrait of an Imperial City by Boris Ometev. Today I looked closely at it and found it highly interesting. I enjoyed the photos of St. Petersburg from the time of the Romanovs because they showed what life was like for regular Russians (along with a few of the IF). Most of the photos were quite clear, allowing one to see a lot of detail. As I looked through the book, I wished that more of the IF's photos were that clear.

If it's all right, I'd like to share some of the interesting photos from this book and see what everyone thinks. I've made them available here:

http://s386.photobucket.com/albums/oo302/visga87/

9

Having Fun! / Rare Pictures IV

« on: June 26, 2007, 07:02:51 PM »

Okay, so the third thread was getting way long, and I was starting to get confused at which page I had left off looking at the last time I checked it. I know that some people brought up that a lot of the pictures people post in these threads aren't actually rare, but sometimes someone posts a jewel. I think we should keep the Rare Pictures going, because new pictures are being found all the time!

Hopefully these are new to a few people:

10

The Alexander Palace / Opinion Editorial on the Restoration of the Alexander Palace

« on: January 10, 2007, 07:08:37 PM »

For my university writing class this semester, I'm supposed to write an opinion editorial. I've been considering doing it on the restoration of the AP, if I decide it would work. I was hoping that any of you could point me in the direction of some helpful information as to the efforts (as little as they are) being made to restore it. I'd also like some information about the restoration of the Catherine Palace to show that this palace is receiving much more attention than the AP, which I think deserves equal attention. I'd basically appreciate anything you can share with me. Thanks, everyone! I'm hoping this is posted in the right area, as others may find any information interesting as well.

11

Having Fun! / Rare Pictures III

« on: October 26, 2006, 09:35:54 PM »

New thread after the last one got to 27 pages. To start off, I resized this one so it's larger. Unfortunately, it also made took away from the quality:


I made screen captures of a video from Mogilev:

12

The Final Chapter / Did Nicholas have to abdicate?

« on: October 04, 2006, 12:23:04 PM »

I had always thought that Nicholas had not really had a choice on his abdication, that is, whether he had to do it or not. But I've been reading The Last Diary of Tsaritsa Alexandra with an introduction by Robert K. Massie, and he says this:

"At first, Nicholas, attempting to follow events in his newspapers, could not believe that Lenin and Trotsky posed any serious danger. They seemed to him to be a pair of blackguards, unsavory clowns, and--probably--traitors in the pay of Germany. When they suddenly vaulted to power, Nicholas was appalled. 'For the first time, I heard the tsar regret his abdication,' wrote Gilliard. 'It now gave him pain to see that his renunciation had been in vain and that by his departure in the interests of his country he had in reality done her an ill turn. This idea was to haunt him more and more.' "

With this quote in mind, did Nicholas actually have a choice in the matter? Could he have refused to abdicate? If so, what might have happened?

13

Having Fun! / Miniatures of the IF

« on: March 25, 2006, 02:36:34 PM »

I found this interesting. Someone has sculpted the IF and done a good job at it. I don't know if this has been posted before, and I'm sure some of you have seen it.

http://www.galinastudio.com/euroroyaltypage1.html

14

The Alexander Palace / Pictures of the Interiors as they were

« on: February 11, 2006, 06:52:26 PM »

I've used the search button and come up with virtually nothing, so I'm hoping that this doesn't anger anyone as I've seen it happen plenty of times here. Anyway, I'd like to get a thread started for posting all available pictures of rooms inside the Alexander Palace, with and without the IF during their lives.