In addition to being movers and shakers, the Yusupovs were great collectors of art, and their collection was known well beyond Russia. After the Revolution, most of the collection was moved to the Hermitage, making this place just another palace, though traces of the incredible wealth that once kept this place pulsating with life still remain: the various sitting rooms, the intricate chandeliers and candelabras that adorn every room and corridor, and the beautiful private theatre that looks like a cosy version of the Mariinsky.
As a matter of fact, the Yusupov Palace is on the United Nations list of the best preserved family homes in Europe. Queen Elizabeth II of England made a special request to visit the Palace during her visit to St.Petersburg in October 1994.
It was here in 1916 where the notorious Grigory Rasputin was assassinated. He was lured to Yussupov's palace by several influential figures of the time, given poison cakes, which for some reason had no effect on him, and then shot several times and thrown into the river.
In 1918, after the October Revolution, the Yusupov Palace was expropriated, and the art objects from the palace were sold or transmitted to the State Hermitage. Since 1925 the Teachers' House was housed in Bedroom in the Yusupov Palace he palace. In 1958 the interiors of the palace were badly damaged by fire. It took several years to restore the rooms and the halls of the Yusupov palace. In 1987 the theater of the palace was opened to the public: it became the place for music concerts and literature evening arrangements. Nowadays the visitors can admire the splendor interiors of one of the most beautiful palaces in Saint Petersburg .
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