The Cottage Palace in Peterhof / Petrodvorets

The carefully preserved mid-nineteenth century Cottage Palace is one of the former residences of Emperor Nicholas I, Russian ruler between 1825 and 1855. For Nicholas and the royal family the cottage served as a safe haven and a refuge from tiring court life in the nearby sumptuous palaces and parks of Peterhof. Only the family's closest courtiers were invited here, and the Emperor spent his free time watching ships sailing by on the Baltic Sea and drinking tea on an open verandah.In a great public relations move Nicholas regularly invited peasants to watch him and his family during tea parties. Of course, the peasants were more than flattered and spread the word how human and family-oriented their monarch was. Yet, in reality Nicholas' reign was a time of political oppression and economic backwardness, resulting in Russia's humiliating defeat in the Crimean War.