TOUR P - RASPUTIN & YUSUPOV PALACE
Excursions
- £40 - £50
- approx. 3 hours
- Limited capacity
- Considerable amount of walking
Rasputin, labelled ‘Mad Monk’ by historians, was born in 1869 in Siberia and arrived in St Petersburg in 1911. Within a few years he had become one of the most influential men in government circles. His rise to prominence was due to his close relationship with Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. The heir to the throne, Alexis, suffered from haemophilia and only Rasputin could stop the boy’s bleeding. Because of this Nicholas II and Alexandra believed he was a holy man sent to protect the boy.
We first drive past the house on Gorohovaya Street where Rasputin lived. Then we continue to one of the most beautiful palaces in St Petersburg – the Yusupov Palace, where his life ended. Rasputin is as famous in death as he was in life. At the end of 1916, a group of aristocrats in league with the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich (a cousin of Nicholas II) and Prince Felix Yusupov (married to Nicholas’s niece) decided that Rasputin’s influence was too great, and that he had to be killed to save Russia. They lured him into the Yusupov Palace where he was assassinated.
The Yusupov Palace, located on the Moika Embankment, is an impressive historic and architectural monument. It is a fine example of the Russian classicism and preserves the memory of its noble owners, the Yusupov Princes, whose wealth could only be compared to that of the Romanovs. The Yusupovs were great collectors of art, and while most of their collection was moved to the Hermitage after the Revolution, traces of the incredible wealth still remain: sitting rooms decorated in various architectural styles, intricate chandeliers and candelabras, sculptures and paintings. The Palace was always one of the centres of aristocratic social life of imperial St Petersburg.
Our guide will then escort us to the cellar, where waxwork style figures recreate Rasputin’s assassination. From here we re-board our tour coach for the return journey to our awaiting ship.
TOUR NOTES: This tour requires a considerable amount of walking and standing (approximately one hour) and approximately 40 steps. There are no seats and no lifts available at the Yusupov Palace – therefore it is unsuitable for passengers with limited mobility or wheelchair users. There are also steps to the toilet facilities at the Palace. Large coats and bags are not permitted inside the Palace – they should be left on the coach or be checked in to the cloakroom.
DESCRIPTION CORRECT FOR 2011 SCANDINAVIA & BALTIC CRUISES
Snack or meal provided
Refreshments available
Free time
Shopping opportunity
Wheelchair access
Swimming opportunity
All prices are based on operating costs, tariffs and rates of exchange and are subject to change without notice.
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