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The Cabin of Peter I is a unique monument, the "Original Palace", which breaks stereotypes about royal luxury. Here time stopped in May 1703, when among the marshy banks of the Neva the history of one of the most beautiful cities in the world was just beginning. The tiny building with an area of only 60–65 square meters was the official residence of the sovereign, where he lived and worked on the creation of St. Petersburg.
The place will be interesting to anyone who wants to touch authentic history, lovers of architecture, historians and simply travelers seeking authenticity. The uniqueness of the cabin is that it is the oldest building in the city, preserved almost in its original form thanks to the care of the emperor himself and his descendants.
How the "Original Palace" appeared
The history of the cabin began on May 24, 1703, when Peter I chose a place on one of the islands at the mouth of the Neva. In just three days, soldier-carpenters, grenadiers of the Semyonovsky Regiment, erected this log frame from hewn pine logs. Already on May 26 the building was ready, and the next day the founding of the new city was celebrated.
Peter I lived here in the summer seasons from 1703 to 1708, while his more substantial residences were being built. From here he personally supervised the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress, which was perfectly visible from the windows of the cabin.
Architecture and interesting facts
Despite the simple construction of a Russian izba, the cabin reflects the tsar's fascination with Dutch architecture. To make the building look European, the logs were hewn and painted to resemble red brick. That is why in documents the house was called the "Red Chambers".
The high roof was covered with shingles – wooden planks imitating tiles. The windows with lead frames were glazed with "moon" glass, rare for that time.
On the right door jamb Peter's height is marked – 2 meters 4 centimeters. At the same time, the doors in the house are low, about 182 centimeters, which forced the sovereign to bend down. Interestingly, the doors were taken from Swedish ships.
The interior space is extremely ascetic. The house has only three rooms – a study, a dining room and a tiny bedroom, separated by an entrance hall. There are no stoves or chimneys here, as the dwelling was used only in summer.
The Cabin of Peter I today: the museum and its features
Today the Cabin of Peter the Great is a branch of the Russian Museum. To protect the wooden building from the St. Petersburg climate, in 1844 a stone protective casing, or shell, was erected over it, designed by the architect R. I. Kuzmin. Inside this casing you can see not only the house itself, but also the tsar's authentic belongings.
Among the exhibits are a pear-wood armchair that Peter made himself, a vareyka boat built by the emperor in 1718, a cane decorated with stingray leather, and a cast of the tsar's hand.
Atmosphere and surroundings
In the 19th century, a small cozy garden with beautiful old oaks and an openwork cast-iron grille was laid out around the house. On the descent to the Neva, unique mythological shi-tsza figures, lion-dogs, brought from Manchuria in 1907, are installed.
The rich terracotta color of the brick casing contrasts with the black background of the "herbal" ornament on the doors of the cabin, where bright roses, cornflowers, and carnations intertwine. Inside the museum there is a barely perceptible aroma of old wood and canvas with which the walls of the dining room are upholstered. Outside, the silence of the garden is broken only by the splash of the Neva and the sound of wind from the river, recalling the times when the shore was still closer to the threshold of the tsar's house. Visiting this place is an opportunity to see how modestly the greatness of St. Petersburg began.
Useful information for visiting
The Cabin of Peter the Great is located at Petrovskaya Embankment, 6. You can get here on foot from the Gorkovskaya metro station, walking about one kilometer through Trinity-Petrovsky Square to the embankment.
The museum operates on the following schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday–Sunday – from 10:00 to 18:00, Thursday – from 13:00 to 21:00. Tuesday is a day off.
Tours around Saint Petersburg
It is convenient to begin getting acquainted with St. Petersburg at the Cabin of Peter the Great. Here it is easy to feel the atmosphere of the city's first years and then see what it became over time – large, complex, and multifaceted.
Excursion to the Summer Cabin of Peter the Great
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