Derzhavin Palace, Biographical museum on Fontanka River Embankment, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Derzhavin Palace is a classicist mansion on the Fontanka Embankment in Saint Petersburg made up of several connected structures. The complex contains columns, stone galleries, decorated rooms with period furnishings, and a landscaped garden featuring water features in the rear area.
Russian poet Gavrila Derzhavin purchased the mansion in 1791 and had architect Nikolay Lvov expand it with additional wings. This renovation transformed it into one of the city's most important cultural spaces for literary activity.
The palace served as a meeting point for writers and poets who gathered in its halls to discuss their works and ideas. You can sense this literary atmosphere when walking through the rooms where these conversations once took place.
The museum is organized across sixteen rooms displaying manuscripts, rare books, furniture, artworks, and a reconstructed study of the period. Allow time to explore the smaller adjoining spaces, as they reveal details about everyday life in that era.
The mansion hosted the literary society Lovers of the Russian Word starting in 1811, holding meetings in its two-story hall. This gathering marked the space as a crucial place in the development of Russian literary culture.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.