The Malachite Room is one of the key dress rooms of the Winter Palace that no Hermitage route misses. It served as the state drawing room of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, Nicholas I's wife, and was clad in 125 poods (about two tonnes) of malachite mined in the Urals, in work led by Alexander Brüllow in the 1830s.
💎 Inside
Eight malachite columns, eight pilasters and fireplaces — the work of the Peterhof Lapidary Factory. The technique is Russian mosaic: thin stone plates fitted so the pattern runs seamless. The malachite is a 2–3 mm veneer, not a monolith. The ceiling is gilt stucco with painted medallions.
🏛 Historical context
On 25 October (7 November) 1917 the Malachite Room hosted the last session of the Provisional Government; Kerensky fled a few hours before the Winter was stormed. The guide usually marks this as you approach.
🗺 Finding it
Second floor of the Winter, room 189 on the Hermitage plan. Between the Concert Hall and the Blackamoor Room, next to the Small Dining Room — another "dress" interior where the Provisional ministers were arrested.
🚕 Where next
From the Malachite Room it is natural to exit via the Concert Hall to the Jordan Staircase, or via the Blackamoor Room to the Field Marshals' Hall and the 1812 Military Gallery. If you continue into an evening at the Hermitage Theatre, a RideClu transfer back is simpler.
🛏 Where to stay
Apartments by Palace Square and on Millionnaya — walking distance. Bookable on Tutkakdoma.
If this is your first time in St Petersburg, bear two things in mind. Distances between the main sights are short, but autumn daylight is brief and rain arrives on no schedule. Plan your route around the lit half of the day, allow half an hour of buffer between stops, and bring a thermos and gloves for the evening. For palaces and museums keep a passport on you — some ticket desks ask for ID, especially at timed exhibitions.
On the ground, walking is easiest between adjacent blocks, with short taxi hops when it gets dark or wet. If you are travelling as a group or with children, arrange the evening transfer back to your flat ahead of time — late-night fares spike. Flats in the centre go fast at weekends: book a week ahead for Nevsky, the Petrograd Side or Vasilievsky.
St Petersburg rewards half-day visits rather than one long marathon. Pick a theme — a single museum, a district, a walk — and give it time. After the active part, a warm cafe, a bookshop or a swimming pool is as much part of the ritual as the sights themselves, especially in November.
Verified against hermitagemuseum.org on 22 October 2026.
Cover photo: Vitold Muratov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Викисклад
