Baltic Sea - Saint Petersburg, Russia- Palaces, St. Petersburg, Russia

Empress Elizabeth Petrovena requested Rastrelli, the builder of Tsarskoye Selo (Summer Palace) to built the Winter Palace. Rastrelli began the palace in 1754, completing it the year of Elizabeth's death in 1762, consequently Elizabeth never moved in. Starting with Catherine the Great in 1762, all Russian rulers spent time living in the Winter Palace until 1917.

In 1764 Catherine the Great commissioned the Small Hermitage (for her growing art collection and her need for privacy) to be built next to the Winter Palace. The hermitage, from French word meaning "a hermit's abode," or "lonely place," was a place where Catherine would go to eat supper in seclusion without servants. She also arranged "small hermitages," or parties for her closest "A List" friends there.

As Catherine's art collection continued to grow an addition to the Small Hermitage was built between 1771-1787 and was called the Old Hermitage. Before this building was finished, Catherine developed an interest in theater and commissioned the Hermitage Theater to be built in 1783. Finally all of these "hermitage's" were linked together with passageways to the Winter Palace.

Then came the fire in 1837 under Nicholas I's watch. Though not all was lost there was still need for another building, and the New Hermitage was built between 1839-1842. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).