Nicholas II and the 1837 Winter Palace Fire

In 1837, a devastating fire ripped through the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, destroying the heart of the Romanov dynasty just two years after Nicholas I's coronation. This episode explores the blaze that started in a chimney flue, the frantic efforts to save the Hermitage art collection, the 15-month reconstruction that transformed the palace into a modern marvel with iron beams and ventilation, and how the fire reshaped court life and imperial architecture. We delve into the heroism of palace servants, the role of architect Vasily Stasov, and the fire's symbolic weight as an omen of the dynasty's fragility. What does a burning palace say about an empire on the edge of change? #WinterPalaceFire #NicholasI #RomanovDynasty #1837Fire #StPetersburg #Hermitage #VasilyStasov #PalaceArchitecture #ImperialRussia #RussianHistory #19thCentury #FireHistory #RomanovPalaces #StPetersburgHistory #CourtLife #ArchitectureHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo