The Palace of Felix Youssoupov is located on the Moika River and is considered the most beautiful of all non-imperial palaces. The palace is listed as one of the European Private Mansions of Interest by the Weidenfeld and Nicholson Company in Britian.
The Youssoupovs were avid art collectors. Inside their palace you will see paintings by French, German, Flemmish and English Masters. The collection of furniture of various styles is breathtaking. There are tapestries that are not only pieces of art but also of great historic value.
A private theatre and miniature grand opera hall displays a marble Italian staircase, purchased in Italy and assembled in the palace. As the story goes, Youssoupov first saw the beautiful white marble staircase in a villa while visiting Italy. He made an outragous offer to buy just the staircase. When the owner refused, Yossoupov then bought the entire villa, but brought only the staircase back to St. Petersburg. It's not known what happened to the rest of the villa. It has been said that Youssoupov was as wealthy as the Tsar himself.
In the cellar where most of the events on that fateful night in 1916 took place, there are two wax figures at a table, one of Rasputin and one of Felis Youssoupov. Guided tours will take you to the scene of the crime. My other articles in this series about St. Petersburg recount this fascinating tale from the annals of history.
This article is part of the Historic Travel series on The St. Petersburg Traveler.
