Alexander Palace Restoration

[Douglas]

Greetings Venois:

What a delightful post.  As usual it is the intelligencia that have a more reasonable view of reality.  It's the same here in the USA. 

As for the roof of the palace, the left side appears in aerial photos to have been covered with a light blue material.  I am not sure if this is an actual new roof but it appears to keep out the rain. As of this writing I am not sure if the right side has been thusly covered also.  Maybe someone has more current information concerning the right side roof of the AP.

[ChristineM]

PS:

As well as every Tuesday, the palaces are closed the last Monday of each month.

tsaria

[strom]

Douglas, no disrespect but as has been said many times, we are a minority group (admittedly comparatively large).  Our interest is very much centred on the Russian monarchy - more specifically the last IF.  In my experience Russians are not hugely interested themselves and if Russia is to truly tap into the vast incomes tourism can bring, then it needs to have wider appeal than just Romanov addicts. 
The Catherine Palace will always be the significant draw at Tsarskoe because it is impressive in size and a beautiful spectacle which conjures up everything a tourist would like to associate with the Tsars - rich Rococo covered in gold and screaming opulence.  For the majority of us forum users a far more poignant and tangible link with the last IF is more appealing. 
The Alexander Palace is not really significant in terms of design/beauty/scale/historical context - as much as I and most of the forum would like to think it is.  It will never be a massive tourist draw.  It's charm and significance is almost entirely based around Nicohlas & Alexandra, OTMA & A, Rasputin etc.  I adore the place, I would go back every year if I could, but plainly speaking to the vast majority it's not Giza, The Colosseum, Versailles or even Peterhof.  I love it just the way it is, simple, without crowds or fuss and that makes the IF far more tangible than some recreation.  The only caveat being the desperate need to repair and maintain the fabric of the building as it stands.

Well, I have read that the A Palace was considered by architectural historians to be the masterpiece of Quarenghi --a man of many masterpieces.  Personally, I think it beauifully solves problems of lighting in large buildings before electricity while introducing an entirely new kind of footprint.  It may be that the Russians have not yet adjusted to the role of the former dynasty in their history and culture not to mention the culmination of that influence during the time of the last Emperor.   
As always I've waffled rather - so please excuse me that.  We should always remember that we have a very specific interest and that to the vast majority of people the IF are a complete unknown.  The Alexander Palace is not the answer in terms of creating a tourist hotbed - and I very much hope it never will be.

[strom]

Whatever any of us think, there are countless reminders of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna in Russia. If you visit the Armoury Museum of the Kremlin in Moscow you are reminded of them. It is fascinating to see clothes from Nicholas II and Alexandra on display there. They are part of a much wider picture. It is an incredible tragedy that Alexander III died so young. Nicholas might just have learned more if his father had lived longer. Certainly the country would have avoided many disaster if Alexander III had lived longer. He knew to keep Russia out of wars. That was her only hope for survival.

It is known that A III did not only ill prepare his son but ill prepared the nation for the horrors of the new century.  N II tried his best to not only rise to the occasion of his accession but correct the mistakes of his father.  Finally, it is mute.  There is destiny at play for both father and son --and grandfathers too.  The nation needs to remember and revere the dynasty.   

[Alixz]

This has taken us completely off topic, but Nicholas II did not "rise to the occasion" and try to "correct the mistakes of his father".  Rather he announced that he would "preserve the autocracy as did his unforgettable dead father."

I have never seen AIII as "unforgettable" but obviously Nicholas did.

As to the restoration of the Alexander Palace, I know that we here, although we seem like a large group, are not that large at all.  We want to walk where the last Imperial Family walked and lived and try to capture some of the essence of that time which just might still be floating there.  The Alexander Palace has more of that for us than does the Catherine.

I don't really care about the Amber Room restoration.   And, although, I would go to see it, I would much rather walk through the unrestored rooms of the Alexander.  I would be trying to catch history not gaze at material gaudiness.

[pastpalacelife]

I agree with Alixz, the Alexander Palace has much more appeal to me because it seems authentic and not a recreation.  I want to see the real walls of the playroom and the real railwork around the semi circle balcony, etc.  I'm glad that Russia has rebuilt and restored the buildings that they have, but when I look at the pictures of the damage after WWII, I realise that a lot of what we are not seeing today is not the original building at all or just parts of it are.  Until recently, I had no idea so many buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. 

[Alixz]

FA has a banner that says that the original Amber Room may have been found in a cave in Germany.

Take the link and read it!  It is very exciting to think that, after having been buried for over 60 years, that what the Nazis looted may have been brought to the surface.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that, because the Amber Room was originally created by a German, Hitler and his archaeologists would believe that it belonged to Germany and should be returned there.

[Vladimir_V.]

Another my photo of the official opening of the Family Wing

http://i050.radikal.ru/0802/e7/93acd0cc17fc.jpg

http://i029.radikal.ru/0802/68/c9cca8fc3949.jpg

[ChristineM]

Vladimir

I have no idea what I have done with my photographs - one day I'll find them.   Yes, we approached by Danini's gates, so we must have been somewhere behind the dignitaries, but out of shot in your photographs.

Its sad to see poor Nikolai Nagorsky.

ChristineM

[pastpalacelife]

Its nice to see a shot of the palace gates from that angle.  By the way, who is Nikolai Nagorsky?

[ChristineM]

Nikolai is the smaller, dark haired gentleman - camera right in Vladimir's photographs.   He was first deputy director of Tsarskoe Selo Museums at the time.   Unfortunately when the Family Wing was officially opened, Ivan Petrovich Sautov, Director of Tsarskoe Selo Museums was recovering from a heart attack and therefore was unable to be present.

A few years ago Mr Nagorsky left TSM to become Director of the historic churches of St Petersburg - St Isaacs, Kazan, Saviour of the Spilled Blood, St Nicholas, and etc.   About a month ago, Mr Nagorsky died very suddenly.   He was 62 years old.

ChristineM

[Joanna]

Restoration of the Alexander Palace will begin next year re July 29, 2008:
http://bia-news.ru/news/64801

The building has been transfered and is now in process of moving out from right wing, basement, mezzanine. The next year will include budget financing and the restoration of the roof.

Joanna

[halen]

That is terrific news.

Louise

[EmmyLee]

From what I understand in that article, they're planning on restoring the facades of the palace too? I'm so pleased- it would be great if the rest of the front of the palace matched the family's wing's newer paint.

[Douglas]

Translation of Article concerning the restoration of the AP.


Alexander Palace Restoration to start in 2009
 
Restoration of Alexander Palace, located in Tsarskoe Selo, will begin next year.

 Beginning in 2009, the subject-project will be included in the budget financing and engineers will start working on the restoration of the palace roof, BIA said. Beginning in  2010, specialists will begin restoring facades of buildings.

. Recall that the building was recently transferred to the museum and officials are now processing  the documents.

Earlier, the right wing, mezzanine and basements were in the maintenance and control of the Military Institute, Office of Maritime Engineering, so the museum could not begin the restoration work at the palace.

. Alexander, useful or New Palace was begun in 1792 by order of Empress Catherine II and presented as a gift for the marriage of her grand-favorite son, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich (the future emperor Alexander I), the great Princess Elizabeth.

In May 1796, the last year of Empress Catherine II, the palace building was finished, and 12 Jun, 1796 Grand Duke Alexander P. and his wife moved into  the New Palace.

. The design of the  Alexander Palace belongs to the famous Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi. In a subsequent restructuring of interior finishes and Alexander Palace attended by such famous architects as Vasily Stasov, Andrew Shtakenshneyder and others.

 The palace is a somber and elegant two-storey building with  wings on each the sides. At the center of the main northern facade -is  a magnificent and dramatic colonnade , consisting of two rows of columns.

   Quote of the forum Citation Forum