The Engelhardt House is a building in St. Petersburg on Nevsky Prospekt.
The building is a monument of history and culture, and is known as the center of the musical life of St. Petersburg.
The Engelhardt House is located in the center of St. Petersburg, on the corner of the Griboyedov Canal and Nevsky Prospekt - one of the most visited streets in the city.
The Istria of the house dates back to the mid-18th century. When in 1759-1761 a 3-storey mansion was built for General Alexander Vilboa.
In 1766, the building was owned by Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn. At the end of the 18th century, the widow of Alexander Mikhailovich rented the house to the French emigrant entrepreneur Joseph Lyon, who arranged masquerades and concerts in the halls of the mansion.
In 1799, the building was bought by an eccentric millionaire merchant Kusovnikov.
Kusovnikov gave the house to his daughter, Olga Mikhailovna. The building hosted concerts of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society. In 1823-1828, the first floor housed the bookshop of the publisher Ivan Slenin, which was visited by Alexander Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Ivan Krylov, Anton Delvig, Peter Vyazemsky, and others.
In 1828, Olga Mikhailovna married the millionaire baron Vasily Vasilyevich Engelhardt, the grandnephew of Prince G. A. Potemkin.
For the newlyweds in 1829-1832, the house was rebuilt by the architect Paul Jacot in the style of late classicism. At the same time, the building became a four-story building and received new interior spaces.
The Engelhardts themselves did not live in the house. They rented out the first floor for shops and restaurants. The next floors were occupied by apartments, and the upper two floors of the front building were occupied by a hotel.
The Engelhardt house also hosted masquerades and concerts, some of which were attended by Emperor Nicholas I.
In 1835, the right to conduct masquerades passed to the directorate of the imperial theaters. Since then, the Engelhardt House has continued to exist as the center of the musical life of St. Petersburg. The best pianists of Russia and Europe, including Richard Wagner and Johann Strauss, performed here. Alexander Pushkin was also a frequent visitor.
Subsequently, the building changed owners and at various times it housed: A Merchant's Club, bookstores and an Accounting-Loan Bank, for which a number of alterations were made and a storage facility was built in the courtyard of the house.
After 1917, the building began to house Soviet state institutions, as well as the small hall of the Philharmonic and the Gipronikel Institute.
The building was damaged during the Great Patriotic War, after which it was restored. In 1949, the Small Concert Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic opened in the house.
The building began to acquire its current purpose in the second half of the 20th century, when in 1966-1968, the lobby of the Nevsky Prospekt metro station was built in the western corner of the house, facing the Griboyedov Canal.
Today, the building houses various commercial premises, cafes and restaurants, as well as the Small Hall of the Philharmonic Hall and the Nevsky Prospekt metro station.
The former mansion attracts attention with its size, blue and white flowers and discreet details in the design of the window openings and the central part of the main facade facing Nevsky Prospekt.
The first floor of the building has an arched design. At the level of the third and fourth floors, the central part of the main facade is decorated with a row of semi-columns with capitals. Completes the structure of the attic.
Memorial and information board on the facade of the Engelhardt house
Opposite the Engelhardt house, across the Griboyedov Canal, is an impressive historical building-the Singer House, built in 1902-1904 by architect Pavel Suzor for the "Singer Joint Stock Company in Russia".
Today, the Singer house is the "House of the Book" with a cafe, and some of the premises are rented out. From the windows of the building you can enjoy a beautiful view of Nevsky Prospekt and the surrounding attractions. More about the Singer House…
Across the street (Nevsky Prospekt) from the Engelhardt house stands an outstanding monument of Russian history, architecture and art - Kazan Cathedral (Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God) is one of the largest churches and a landmark of St. Petersburg.
The cathedral is a cathedral and its external outline resembles the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome. Learn more about Kazan Cathedral…
Practical information
Address of the Engelhardt house: Nevsky Prospekt, 30.
The nearest metrostations are Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor.
Buses: №№ 7, 22, 24, 27, 191. Trolleybuses: №№ 1, 5, 7, 10, 11, 22. Stop "Nevsky Prospekt metro station".
Philharmonic Society website: philharmonia.spb.
All accommodation facilities in St. Petersburg, including in the city center and on Nevsky Prospekt, can be viewed and booked here
