3: The Guards Room

The Guardroom, adjoining the Grand Vestibule, accommodated the guard of honour of the governor general and was also used as a reception-room for visitors of military rank and messengers. The hall, of a type known in Russian architecture as a two-piered chamber, retains the appearance of the first third of the 18th century. Particularly impressive from an artistic point of view is the massive arch. The guardroom is furnished in a simple manner, but quite grandly for part of the service premises. The clock (made in Holland in the early 18th century) above the table of the officer on duty is an invariable part of such an interior. The tiled stove has been restored in its original place. The display in the guardroom is devoted to the military reforms of Peter the Great in which Alexander Menshikov played an active role. On view are the standard of an infantry regiment and decorative “trophy” compositions dating from the early 18th century, as well as paintings by Dutch artists of the 17th century.