34, Naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki
Subway: Nevsky Prospekt/Gostiny Dvor
Tel. +7 (812) 272-4441
Open: Wed- Sun 12- 7pm
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays
Sheremetev Palace is a Baroque palace on the bank of Fontanka River. Its location gives this beautiful building its alternative name of the "Fountain House". The land where Sheremetev Palace stands today was donated to Count Boris Sheremetev by emperor Peter the Great himself for his service. Count loved music and theater and he quickly turned his mansion into a private theater with a troupe of serf actors. During different periods Sheremetev Palace was visited by A.S. Pushkin, V.Zhukovsky, M. Glinka, A. Turgenev and many other famous Russian who made a significant addition to Russian and World culture.
While the external appearance of Sheremetev Palace hasn't changed much since the 18th century, its internal layout and various furniture did not survive to our day. Contemporaries state the estate of Sheremetev family boasted richness of beautiful paintings, textiles, silverware and other artifacts brought from all over Europe. Most of these items were stolen during Russian Revolution of 1917 (started in Saint Petersburg) when revolutionaries stormed Sheremetev Palace and confiscated it from its last rightful owner Sergei Sheremetev. Sailors, soldiers and regular residents of Saint Petersburg carried away most of the things they could take with them. In the early 1990's Sheremetev Palace was turned into a Museum of Theatre and Music. Its collection of musical instruments number over 300 artifacts including harps, violins, viols, harpsichord and many others. Sheremetev Palace also houses a literary Memorial Museum of Anna Akhmatova, famous Russian poetess that lived here between 1942 and 1952