CITY LEGENDS

Legends about founding of Winter palace

All of the legends about foundation of the Winter palace go back to the city beginning. The Palace was reconstructed by five times, and the today's shape it has got only by 1762, at Catherine II reigning.

The bright sample of fashionable baroque was completely not similar to that "a small small house of the Dutch architecture" which was built specially for a ship master Peter Alekseevich as the tsar liked to name.

In 1711, specially to Peter I and Ekaterina Alekseevna's wedding, "the small small house" has been considerably altered and transformed into a palace.

In 12 years, having learnt about change of the spouse, Peter has resulted her in this hall, has brought to one of mirrors and has told: "You see this Venetian mirror? It is made by simple materials, but thanks to art became a palace ornament. I can return it into a former pettiness ". And, having swung, has broken the mirror.

The former laundress, the trophy maid Martha Skavronskaja who has thoroughly studied unpredictable character of the spouse and as anybody another able to talk with him, has only silently answered: "But whether from it your palace became more beautiful?" But a hint has understood.

Source: N.A. Sindalovsky "Legends of St. Petersburg"