Sheremetev Palace - Museum of Music

The former estate of the counts of Sheremetev is a unique historical and cultural monument and a rare example of building of the estate type for St. Petersburg.

The plot of land along the Fontanka River (Unnamed Yerik) was granted by Peter I to the field marshal, Count B.P. Sheremetev in 1712. The two-storey stone palace, existing today, was built in 1750 by the architect of the building - S. Chevakinsky. There is reason to believe that the drawings of F.-B. Rastrelli were used in the project. The development of the estate continued for two centuries. In the creation of the interiors of the palace and manor buildings at different times participated architects F.S. Argunov, I.D. Starov, A.N. Voronikhin, D. Quarenghi, H. Meyer, D. Quadri, I.D. Corsini, N.L. Benois, A.K. Serebryakov and others.

Until 1917, the Sheremetevsky Palace and the estate belonged to five generations of the senior (count) branch of the famous Russian Sheremetev family. After the revolution, the Sheremetev Palace was museumified, and as a Museum of noble life existed until 1931. The basis of his funds was formed over 200 years private collection Sheremetev, which was a complex complex of various layers. The collection is universal in nature and diverse in subjects included a picturesque art gallery, a collection of sculpture, weapons, numismatics, objects of decorative and applied art (including collections of bronze, porcelain, silver, furniture), a library (note and book collection, handwritten materials, postcards), a collection of church utensils and icons (from the Fountain House house church), etc.

Later and until 1984. Sheremetev Palace was adapted to the needs of a research institution. Its interiors were lost, and the collections were transferred to the leading museums of Leningrad and Moscow, with the exception of individual interior decoration items remaining in the building.

In 1990, the Sheremetevsky Palace was transferred to the Museum of Theatre and Musical Art for the creation of the Museum of Music of St. Petersburg and the placement of the state collection of musical instruments. Since the late 1980s, restoration work began in the Sheremetevsky Palace, associated with the reconstruction of the ceremonial and memorial interiors of the XIX century.

Currently, most of the halls of the Sheremetevsky Palace, transferred to the museum in a deplorable state, have been restored. The exposition of the palace is organized in three directions: (a) the history of the Sheremetev family and noble life of the XVIII-XX centuries; (b) open funds of a unique collection of musical instruments; (c) an exhibition of private collections.

The museum has a permanent exhibition "Sheremetevs and the musical life of St. Petersburg XVIII - early XX centuries", opened in 1995 and implemented jointly with the State Hermitage, the State Russian Museum, the Russian National Library, the Pushkin House, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Ostankino Palace Museum, the Museum of Russian Porcelain Kuskovo, owners of private collections.

The musical collection of Sheremetev Palace has more than three thousand instruments and is one of the five largest in the world and the best in Russia. It includes instruments created by famous Western European and Russian masters of the XVI-XX centuries; memorial instruments of composers of the Russian school of the XIX-XX centuries; collections belonging to the Romanov imperial family; a unique Russian horn orchestra; musical instruments of all continents of the world.

Among the exhibits: a violin owned by M.I. Glinka; a collection of flutes of Alexander I, a cello of Nicholas II by master A. Jaco, a quartet of cornets owned by Emperor Alexander III; a violin by Italian master Francesco Stradivari, oliphants donated by Empress Alexandra Fedorovna to Emperor Nicholas I; Russian Horn Orchestra.