Messages

46

The Alexander Palace / Re: Maple Room

« on: September 04, 2008, 03:17:21 PM »

Have you all seen the pictures I have up of the pictures in place on the site?  Have you see the Schaeffer catalog that sold two of them?  I have an original.  Kaulbach had a fantastic printing done of the series as a boxed set.  There is also one of Nicholas that he did in that series.  I don't know where it went.

47

The Alexander Palace / Re: Alexandra's mezzanine nook...

« on: September 04, 2008, 03:12:13 PM »

Sarusha:  I have a huge 8 x 10 of that german picture of the fireplace.  I have 7 or so huge pictures of this room after the war.  You have all seen my Maple Room picture from after the war.  These refute the stories that the Imperial Rooms were destroyed during the war.  Wrecked yes, but certainly not destroyed.  Stalin and his henchmen destroyed the personal rooms of Nicholas and Alexandra after the war. 

48

The Alexander Palace / Re: Alexandra's mezzanine nook...

« on: September 04, 2008, 03:00:29 PM »

The marble columns are real.  They came from Austria and cost a fortune to move from there via the Baltic and St. Petersburg Harbor.  I have 60 pages of receipts for the work and everything bought for the entire remodeling project.  These columns went way over budget once they arrived 4,000 rubles had to be spent over budget to modify them and install them.  I have spent a lot of times up close with these columns, they are wonderful to feel.  Everybody thinks they are plaster until you touch them. They are very cold to the touch.  They are original and in excellent shape. Some if the bronze fittings are still in place around the bases.  I have close-up pictures.  Nicholas kept all his photo albums on the ledge up here, neatly lines up and stacked, all in order.  Metzler used a lot of Tiffany - yes real Tiffany - in Nicholas's and Alexandra's two formal rooms.  These were two incredible spaces.  Now that new management will be coming in we won't have to worry about Nicholas's New Study being ripped out.  That was one of Sautov's objectives in his proposal for the palace to be restored to the time of Nicholas I, hopefully now that he is gone the danger is gone as well.

49

The Alexander Palace / Re: high radon level in area

« on: September 04, 2008, 02:45:48 PM »

There are lots of things buried around the palace that shouldn't be there.  It is actually quite scary.  This is true in and around St. Petersburg from the time when it was a military/naval town and all sorts of things were built and disposed of there.  Ten years ago there were radioactive isotopes in the canal right by the Stroganov Palace.

50

The Alexander Palace / Re: External sun blinds

« on: September 04, 2008, 02:42:28 PM »

The sun shades were removed in Fall and Winter. The mechanism for them were still attached to the walls of the palace after the war, but I am sure they are all gone today.  The back side of the palace had metal awnings as well. There was a balcony beneath Maria Alexandrovna's rooms.  They put blooming citrus trees here and left the windows open.

I have to look this up for more information.

51

The Alexander Palace / Re: Alexander Palace restoration will begin next year - 2009

« on: August 19, 2008, 09:50:34 AM »

The palace is a mess inside and out.  It is a huge disappointment to visitors who come from all over the world to see Nicholas and Alexandra's palace and they get a horrible shock.  I am sorry to say this has been an issue of neglect, lack of funds and leadership.  Some ex-communists and products of the old cultural elite trained and educated in the Soviet system have had an abilivent attitude regarding the palace.  There were some high up people who wanted to destroy all of the remaining rooms of the Nicholas and Alexandra era and recreate the era of Nicholas I.  The late 19th early 20th century styles of the decoration of the Imperial rooms, expecially Art Nouveau called Style Moderne in Russia, were 'decadent' in the Soviet style book.

52

Tsarskoe Selo Palaces / Re: The English Palace

« on: August 19, 2008, 09:08:50 AM »

I made a page of pictures and plans of the English Palace in my Blog at:

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/blog.html

Bob

53

Tsarskoe Selo Palaces / Re: War Damage of Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof

« on: August 19, 2008, 09:07:02 AM »

I have an old friend who has an album of pictures including some of the interior of the palace during the war.  I have not seen the pictures for a long time. I hope I can find a couple on my own, too.

54

Tsarskoe Selo Palaces / Re: War Damage of Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof

« on: August 17, 2008, 04:35:13 PM »

I have around 100 original photographs of Gatchina, Peterhof, Livadia and Tsarskoe Selo during WWII and afterwards.  In Tsarskoe Selo I have many pictures of the pavilions and the great palace.  I only have 10-15 of the AP.  There are a few accounts in print of Germans in the palaces.

Susanne's book on Pavlosk is mavelous, but it does not tell the accurate story of what happened at the AP.  Suzanne must have misunderstood what Kuchumov said.  I have pictures that show the Imperial rooms on the lower floor on left side survived the war, they were a mess, but they were saved.

Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo suffered differently during the war.  The Great Palace in Tsarskoe was not destroyed by the Germans, it was destroyed by Soviet shelling.  It happened over time.  The Great Hall's roof went first, then later further shelling and fires destroyed more.  For some time after the Germans captured it Peterhof was preserved and even had some furniture in it.  Later, Peterhof was totally destroyed by shelling from Kronstadt.  This shelling destroyed the English Palace and the Lower Palace.  It heaviliy damaged the Peterhof Cathedral.  I have many pictures of this.  The palaces were used the the Germans or they were indifferent to them.  Is it surprizing that German soldiers seemed to have no appreciation for the palaces?  Well, Americans soldiers did severe damage to Babylon and the great minarets of Samara during the Irag war.

As to the Russian palaces, German and Spanish soldiers went in and out of them - except for the AP, which was occupied by the dreaded SS.  No average German soldier could go in there.  There were no 'tours'. There are few pictures when they were there and I don't have any.  I have lots showing what the Russians found when they recaptured Tsarskoe.

WWII was a terrible awful conflict, which brought on the worst in everyone.  The destruction was horrible.  Millions died.  The palaces were damaged because of the German invasion and they are responsible for what happened.  It is terrible what happened because of the Russian shelling, but perhaps the military reasons for it would make sense if I knew them.

55

Having Fun! / Re: Where were the clothes of the Imerial Family made?

« on: August 04, 2008, 08:10:10 PM »

The receipts of the Imperial Family are on the Alexander Palace website you can see what came from where.  They bought locally from long-established vendors and stores. Nicholas's clothes were almost all military and they came from his military tailors in Petersburg.  His underwear abd shirts came from the same place, I think.  It's all there - go look at the expenses.

Bob

56

Forum Announcements / Re: Death of SAUTOV - Ivan Petrovich

« on: August 01, 2008, 04:54:18 PM »

Many of you may not have known that Christine and David Martin were Ivan Petrovich's best friends abroad and were close to his family.

Thank you, Christine for bringing this news to us and please accept our condulances for your loss.  Would you please let Madame Sautova know that the members of the forum send their thoughts and prayers (along with yours).

Bob

57

Forum Announcements / Re: Death of SAUTOV - Ivan Petrovich

« on: August 01, 2008, 01:49:32 PM »

Ivan Petrovich led the Tsarskoe Selo Museums through many long and difficult years.  The city and the palaces will bear the imprint of his personality and the effect of his admistration for many years to come.

I have many good memories of him from the years when we were friends and were working together for a common purpose.  He fought for the Alexander Palace and for that we can all be eternally grateful.

Sautov was an amateur actor and appeared in most of the movies that were filmed in Tsarskoe Selo.  I remember him as Peter the Great and I thought at the time he was very much like that Tsar, certainly he had the physical bearing.  For me he was sort of a cross between Peter I, Nicholas I and Empress Elizabeth, passion, power and excess, a real Russian, if you like.  To be his friend was a great thing - endless blessings would shower upon you, if you were on his bad side you would experience the opposite - a true Siberian Gulag.

There are many stories about Ivan Petrovich incredible, Paul Bunyon-like stories that grew bigger and bigger in their retelling.  He was capable of great imagination and he could party like Potemkin.  Everyone who knew him has stories to tell.  Now he is gone and I will remember him for the good he did.

He will not easily be forgotten by anyone who knew him.

58

The Alexander Palace / Re: where did Alix keep her jewels?

« on: May 16, 2008, 09:35:21 AM »

The safe was in the right hand wall as you faced the bed - that was on Nicholas's side.

59

The Alexander Palace / Re: Which Study

« on: May 16, 2008, 09:33:52 AM »

Nicholas used his Working Study, it is said he didn't like the New Study and its true he hated Style Moderne - Jugendstil.  You can see the hand of his brother-in-law the Grand Duke and Meltzer here.  Nicholas went along with it.  It was too big and modern for him.  Imagine his size and how small he would have appeared in its vastness.  However, his office was too small for large meetings and there was no where to put maps, charts, diagrams, etc - these were especially important during the war.  The pool table was used frequently...

When the Music Room was demolished artificial marble from the walls and pilasters was installed in the corridor by order of the Tsar.  There were many paings - I have a list.  It was always dark.  Guards were posted here at night.  The elevator was there....

Let us hope all of this is recreated someday.

Bob

60

Forum Announcements / New Book - A Guide for Edwardian Servants - the Up to Date Waitress

« on: January 25, 2008, 02:33:07 PM »

I just put up a new book by Janet McKenzie Hill with loads of household servant tips focusing on serving at the table.  This book was issued several times over the years from around 1890 until 1926 - it is FULL of great things about life at the time.  You will love it!  Here's the link:

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/waitress/

Bob