Malachite Room of the Winter Palace, Reception hall in Winter Palace, Russia
The Malachite Room is a reception hall within the Winter Palace featuring columns, fireplaces, and furnishings adorned with green malachite stone from the Ural Mountains. The surfaces throughout display this precious material in multiple decorative elements.
After the 1837 fire in the Winter Palace, architect Alexander Brullov created this formal reception space for Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna in the late 1830s. The reconstruction marked a period of palace renovation following the destruction.
The room functioned as a gathering place for the imperial family before official occasions and hosted traditional wedding preparations for Romanov brides. Visitors can observe the spatial arrangement that framed these ceremonial moments.
Visitors reach the Malachite Room via the Jordan Staircase, found on the right side of the Winter Palace main entrance. This location helps with navigation and is part of the typical visitor route through the palace.
The Russian Provisional Government held meetings in this room from June to October 1917, marking the transition between imperial and Soviet rule. This use made the space an important witness to a critical historical turning point.
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