Yusupov Palace, where Rasputin was assassinated

Saint Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and without a doubt it is from Russia. Moscow may be our gateway, but the city built by Peter the Great gets all the applause.

It is also known as the ccity ​​of canals or Venice of the North because it is a city crossed by arms of water and has dozens of bridges. The aristocratic palaces they are its most luxurious ornaments and luckily many have survived communism becoming in the end museums in which one can glimpse the opulence of old Russia. It is the case of Yusupov Palace What do you see in the photograph and what was it? witness to the death of the black monk, Rasputin.

The Yusupov Palace

As well It is known by the name of Palacio Moika and it was the residence of the family of that surname but it is known and visited because Here Rasputin was assassinated on December 17, 1916. For the less experienced in Russian history Rasputin was an obscure character from the last family of tsars, a mystic monk who gained much influence in the royal family and in the city. Intimate of the tsarina gained followers but also enemies and in the end he was assassinated.

The elegant yellow palace it was built in the second half of the XNUMXth century by a French architect and others over time so he combines different styles. When the Yusupovs bought the building in the 30s they completely renovated it and it is the look we see today. This family was immensely wealthy and its members were by then influential people who held important positions and had not only lots of land but factories and buildings everywhere. And even one of them conspired for the death of Rasputin.

The palace it is on the bank of the river Moika and you can get there by bus, trolleybus or bus. The closest metro stations are Nevsky Prospekt and Admiralteyskaya. The buses are number 3, 22 and 27, always getting off at Ploschad Truda, and trolleys are number 5 and 22 getting off at the same stop.

In the interior rooms of the palace there are hundreds of works of art between paintings, rugs, furniture and jewelry. The Yusupovs had large collections that were nationalized after the Russian Revolution so many of the pieces are now exhibited in other Russian museums. When you visit, they will tell you the story of the death of the black monk, while you walk through the reception and its rooms where it supposedly took place ...

The Moika Palace offers some variety of tours. You buy the tickets on the day of the visit or if you want to buy them before you can do so by visiting the palace website.

Daily tours

• or daily tours of the second-floor salons, the State Rooms, and the Art Gallery. They are at 11 am and 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 pm. They last an hour and a quarter.
• or visits to the princes' private rooms with its original well-preserved interiors. The suite, the Drawing Room, furniture, the Persian Dressing Room, the Porcelain Room, the prince's office, etc. Visits are at 1:45 and 3:30 pm. They last an hour and a half.

Thematic tours

• is visits to the daily halls where the daily life of the princes passed and includes the one where Rasputin died. You will see the private pool, the princess jewel vault, the butler's apartment, the dressing room. These visits are on Thursdays, Wednesdays and Tuesdays at 12:20 and 5:15. They last an hour and a half.
• el musical tour it walks you through the state rooms while you listen to the chords of an old mechanical organ made in Vienna. You will see it in the Music room and it is part of the private collection of the Yusupov family. You can see and learn how it works.
• another tour takes you to know and enjoy the Palace Theater with a backstage included. It includes a walk through the Banquet Hall and a demonstration of how the mechanism that moves the curtains and stages of this charming private theater works.

Tour without guide

• is rent an audio guide and undertake the walk alone through the second floor and the State Rooms, the Theater, the men's rooms, the Living Room of Henry II and others. The audio guide lasts an hour and a quarter and is available in eight languages. These visits are daily at 11 am and 5 pm. The rental of the audio guide costs 1000 rubles.
• you can also visit the Exhibition on the Assassination of Grigory Rasputin. Here you will see documents, photos and a video with different versions of what could have happened that night in 1916. This tour is on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 5 and 6:30 pm. It lasts an hour and a half.

Finally, How much does it cost to visit the Yusupov Palace? The visit to the State Rooms on the second floor and the rooms on the first floor with an audio guide costs 700 rubles per adult. The Rasputin Death Tour costs 350 rubles and the guided tours 450 rubles. If you visit the private rooms of the nobles you add 400 rubles and if you make a combo (private rooms and murder of Rapsutín), 400 rubles.

Fortunately, photos and videos are allowed inside, but no professional equipment or selfie sticks. You should leave out umbrellas, coats, large bags and backpacks. For that there is a room with lockers so, calm down. Obviously you cannot smoke, drink or eat and you always have to pay attention to the museum staff who will tell you where to go. It is also requested that the mobiles be silenced and / or used inside the palace.

Yusupov Palace is open every day between 11 am and 6 pm. The ticket office opens 10:45 and closes at 5 pm. You can attend a mass in the palace church, accessed from the palace itself, every Tuesday at 10 am. You can too visit the palace gardens, entering from Dekabristov Street, every day from 9 am to 9 pm. The entrance in this case is free.