Author Topic: The rooms of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace  (Read 4283 times)

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Paul Brewer

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The rooms of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace
« on: May 08, 2011, 06:55:51 PM »
I wonder if someone would mind clarifying for me why some of the rooms of Nicholas II are in such good condition as opposed to the rooms on the other side of the hall normally associated with Alexandra Feodorovna?  I have seen post war photographs of Nicholas II's rooms which show them in a state of some disrepair.  I'm interested in knowing when they were restored, who made the decision and why? I know that the Empress's rooms were gutted after the war but I'm interested in knowing why this didn't appear to happen to Nicholas's rooms?  I assume his rooms were used by the navy along with all the other rooms?  By the way, I visited the Palace in September last year - it was very pleasing to see the restoration that has taken place since my previous visit.     Paul Brewer
« Last Edit: May 08, 2011, 07:06:19 PM by Paul Brewer »

Offline EmmyLee

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Re: The rooms of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2011, 11:33:05 AM »
I can't tell you about the Working Study, but I know that the New Study was recreated for the movie Romanovy-Ventsenosnaya semya.

Paul Brewer

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Re: The rooms of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2011, 07:25:11 PM »
Many thanks Emmy.  I had an idea that Nicholas II's suite of rooms weren't dismantled after the war (despite the war damage) in the same way as the rooms across the hall, and I was always intrigued to know why this was.  Assuming I am correct.   Paul

Offline EmmyLee

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Re: The rooms of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2011, 07:44:18 PM »
Oh, sorry Paul. I think I misunderstood you. You're asking about why Nicholas' rooms survived the war better than Alexandra's? I think we discussed this before, but I can't for the life of me find it. I have come across some post-WWII photos using the search engine, however.

Paul Brewer

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Re: The rooms of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2011, 06:15:15 PM »
Thanks again EmmyLee, I do appreciate the time you've taken to assist me.   I'm giving a talk here in Auckland shortly on the Alexander Palace and this was  something I wanted to cover off.  I'm interested too in your point about the film Romanovy-Ventsenosnaya assisting with the restoration of the New Study.   It seems to me that Nicholas II's rooms, by and large, were better maintained after the War than the other rooms in the private wing.  As I understand it, after the War when the Palace was handed over to the navy, a decision was made to strip away what remained of the features of the rooms associated with Alexandra but that this wasn't the case with the rooms of Nicholas II?  I've aways been intrigued by this.  Paul

Offline Vladimir_V.

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Re: The rooms of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2011, 02:16:40 PM »

Quote
As I understand it, after the War when the Palace was handed over to the navy, a decision was made to strip away what remained of the features of the rooms associated with Alexandra but that this wasn't the case with the rooms of Nicholas II?

It is not right. I do not think that Nicholas II was better than Alexandra for Navy in 1952.

It was made before, in 1949, when the palace was open as a museum of A. Pushkin, famous Russian poet. New museum could not use the rooms in Art Nouvo style. But not all rooms were used for the museum exhibitions and architect decided to save old NII interiors.

Look http://eng.tzar.ru/museums/palaces/alex_ander

At the end of the war conservation work was carried out in the palace and in 1946 it was handed over to the USSR Academy of Sciences for the storage of the collections of its Institute of Russian Literature and to house a display of the All-Union Pushkin Museum. As a consequence in 1947-51 refurbishment began in the palace, in the course of which it was intended to restore the surviving Quarenghi interiors and extant fragments of décor and also to recreate the interiors from the time of Nicholas I and Nicholas II. However, during the work many elements in the décor of Empress Alexandra Fiodorovna’s Maple and Palisander Drawing-Rooms, as well as Nicholas II’s (Moresque) Dressing-Room were actually destroyed. These rooms of the palace were recreated to a project by the architect L.M. Bezverkhny (1908–1963) “in accordance with the architectural norms of the time of Quarenghi and Pushkin”.


Paul Brewer

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Re: The rooms of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2011, 06:32:54 PM »
Dear Vladimir, many thanks for providing that information which is most interesting and helpful.  Paul