PLACES: The Winter Palace & Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia

If there ever was a time when richness and splendor was truly lived to the fullest extent, it would be the 1760s, the time when the Winter Palace served as the main residence of Russian Tsars, including a majority of the Romanovs. Built between 1754 to 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great who unfortunately passed before its completion, the palace became the home of Catherine the Great and her successors.

There cannot possibly never a thing as “too many” photos of chandeliers as you will find plenty dazzling examples as you click/swipe through to learn more about the Winter Palace, its housing of the Hermitage Museum, and many other photos of baroque interiors.

Photo: Michael Creasy

The Imperial Chapel at the Winter Palace is a window into Russia’s past. Known as the “Grand Church,” it was built in Rococo style and designed by Italian maestro Francesco Rastrelli. The church is located in the eastern wing of the Winter Palace, and is the larger, and principal, of two churches within the Palace.

Photos: Ryan Hunter

Photo: @dametraveler

Photo: @gretawillkillit

Photos of the halls alone are sensational and gives visitors a true sense of the times when emperors lived in the Winter Palace. The State Gala Staircase, adorned with a red velvet carpet, will leave a wanderer feeling like a guest of a ball being surrounded by sculptures, large mirrors, ceiling paintings, marble and gilded wood carvings.

Top Photo: @tingjungchen, Bottom Photo: @miss_raion

A lovely case of the blues running along ceilings.

Top Photo: @aprilvind, Middle Photo: @alvaohlsson, Bottom Photo: @my_one_love_saint_petersburg

Top Photo: @foxiedaria, Bottom Photo: @tenteclz

Photo: @ochichoi

Photo: @somewherein

Photo: @my_one_love_saint_petersburg

Photo: @filinni

Top Photo: @kassandra_kess, Bottom Photo: @mila.toch

There are 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows and 1,057 rooms inside the green and white palace; many of which were State Halls with interiors that are preserved to this day. The Winter Palace is joined by four other buildings arranged side by side along a river embankment and also houses the Hermitage Museum, Russia’s greatest pride and largest art gallery. With extensive collections of West European art, the Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and most respected museums in the world ranked amongst the Louvre of Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of New York, National Gallery and British Museum in London and Prado in Madrid.

Top Photo: @anne.lys, Bottom Photo: @ixvilu

Lavish details.

Photo: @guiliacen

Photo: @hyun_zzii_

The Winter Palace during winter…

Photo: @minigaleeva_elena

Masterpieces of painters including Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh, and many others reside at the Hermitage and features more than 3 million exhibits spanning a variety of historic artifacts outside of art: antique sculptures, medieval applied art, cameos, ancient and 18-19th century gold and jewels, coins, archeological finds, collections of the Eastern countries – Egypt, Iran, China and Tibet, Japan.

It is rumored that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on display in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you’d seen them all!

Photo: @grbnkna