Marble Palace
Palace Neoclassical palace in Saint Petersburg with marble interiors
An 18th-century Neoclassical palace on the Neva in St. Petersburg, noted for polychrome marble interiors and its museum rooms; tourists visit for period decoration, sculpture and proximity to the city’s central palaces.
The Marble Palace is an 18th-century aristocratic mansion in central Saint Petersburg, Russia, notable for its extensive use of coloured marble and classical proportions.
Commissioned by Count Grigory Orlov and designed by the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi, the palace was completed in the 1780s as a private residence. Over the 19th and 20th centuries it passed through imperial and state ownership and was later incorporated into museum use.
The palace stands on the corner of Palace Embankment and Millionnaya Street facing the Neva River in central Saint Petersburg, within the city’s historic centre and near other major museums and palaces.
- Architect and date: designed by Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigory Orlov and completed in the 1780s
- Current use: now functions as a museum space within central St. Petersburg's historic palace ensemble on the Palace Embankment
What to See #
- Russian Museum branch: houses a public branch of the State Russian Museum with rotating exhibitions and a permanent collection of 18th- and 19th-century European and Russian art
- Marble interior halls: the palace interior contains principal halls faced with polychrome marble and stucco, reflecting the original 18th-century decorative programme
How to Get to Marble Palace #
Located on the Palace Embankment near the Hermitage and other central museums. Reachable by metro (Nevsky Prospekt or Admiralteyskaya stations) and most central buses; short walk from Palace Square.
Tips for Visiting Marble Palace #
- Visit on weekdays to avoid large tour groups - the palace's smaller rooms lose their solitude quickly when buses arrive.
- Look for the small portrait studies and decorative clocks; the furniture and porcelain display an eighteenth-nineteenth-century appetite for international luxury.
- Combine a visit with the nearby Palace Embankment for a fuller sense of St. Petersburg's imperial geography.
Best Time to Visit Marble Palace #
Best visited in late spring or early autumn for fewer crowds and comfortable weather; check extended Thursday hours for evening visits.
Weather & Climate near Marble Palace #
Marble Palace's climate is classified as Warm-Summer Continental - Warm-Summer Continental climate with mild summers (peaking in July) and freezing winters (coldest in January). Temperatures range from -9°C to 22°C. Moderate rainfall (658 mm/year).
January
January is the coldest month with highs of -4°C and lows of -9°C. Moderate rainfall (40 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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February
February is freezing with highs of -3°C and lows of -9°C. Moderate rainfall (31 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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March
March is freezing with highs of 2°C and lows of -4°C. Moderate rainfall (39 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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April
April is cold with highs of 8°C and lows of 1°C. Moderate rainfall (43 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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May
May is cool with highs of 16°C and lows of 6°C. Moderate rainfall (39 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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June
June is cool with highs of 20°C and lows of 12°C. Moderate rainfall (63 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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July
July is the warmest month with highs of 22°C and lows of 14°C. Moderate rainfall (78 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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August
August is cool with highs of 20°C and lows of 13°C. The wettest month with 79 mm of rain and partly cloudy skies.
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September
September is cool with highs of 14°C and lows of 8°C. Moderate rainfall (69 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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October
October is cold with highs of 8°C and lows of 3°C. Moderate rainfall (71 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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November
November is freezing with highs of 2°C and lows of -2°C. Moderate rainfall (57 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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December
December is freezing with highs of -2°C and lows of -6°C. Moderate rainfall (49 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
