The palace and park ensemble at Strelna was founded in 1715. Peter the Great thought to make this imperial residence a "Russian Versailles". But construction of the palace, begun in 1720 to the design of the architect Nicolo Michetti, remained incomplete. In 1797 Emperor Paul I presented Strelna to his son, Grand Duke Konstantin.

The modern history of the palace is associated with Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich (1778-1831). The younger brother of Alexander I devoted a great deal of attention to his residence. The palace picture gallery contained canvases by Western European artists from the collection of the Imperial Hermitage. Following the death of Konstantin Pavlovich, Emperor Nicholas I gave the Strelna estate to his own son, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, who undertook another reconstruction of the palace and park ensemble. In accordance with a project drawn up by the architect Andrei Ivanovich Stakenschneider, the central rooms of the palace were redecorated and were given the names Marble and Blue Halls.

The well-known poet and translator Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, who signed his verses with the pen name K.R., was born in the palace. He frequently spent his summers on his father's Strelna estate.

After the death of Konstantin Nikolayevich, ownership of the palace passed to another son, Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich. Under him work on decorating the rooms continued, as did restoration of the sculptures in the garden and on the terrace.

During the Soviet period the entire ensemble fell into disrepair. The interior decor was largely lost, the greater part of the palace furniture stolen and the sculpture smashed.

The palace building was destroyed during the Second World War with only its foundations remaining. In the postwar period up to 1991 the Leningrad College of the Artic was located here.

In 1990 the Strelna Palace and Park ensemble was listed as a World Heritage site

In 2000 the Konstantinovsky Palace and Park Ensemble in Strelna International Charitable Foundation (Konstantinovsky Foundation) was created to promote its rebirth and reconstruction. More than 300 companies and organizations took part in the restoration of the palace. In 2001, by order of President Vladimir Putin, the palace was given the status of a state Palace of Congresses complex.

The first exhibition of works from the State Hermitage collection, State Symbols of Russia, opened in May 2003 at the same time as the restoration work on the palace was being completed. Over the course of 2004 the Hermitage oversaw the interior decoration of the halls and reception rooms of the Konstantinovsky Palace.

In June 2004 exhibitions of the State Hermitage called the Museum of Heraldry and the Museum of Awards and Decorations opened in the palace. These feature the best works from the museum's stocks in these special fields and shed light on topics important for Russian history and culture.

Konstantinovsky Palace
Larger view

Inside the Konstantinovsky Palace
Larger view

In the rooms of the Konstantinovsky Palace

Exhibits decorating the Konstantinovsky Palace interiors

Uniforms and banners on display

At the exhibition