Excursion to the kelch mansion. Mansion of Baron Kelch (excursions are not available at the moment). step: book tickets for the excursion or tour

The mansion of the state councilor and businessman Alexander Kelkh is considered the property of Russian culture, one of the architectural gems of St. Petersburg and an excellent example of late eclecticism.

The building is a unique composition that combines the styles of the Gothic castle, Rococo, French Renaissance, Baroque and Art Deco. This applies to both the external appearance and interior solutions.

The history of the mansion

The original building changed owners and was reconstructed several times. In 1896 it was acquired by Varvara Petrovna Kelkh (nee Bazanova), the heir to a dynasty of gold miners who owned the Siberian and Lensko-Vitim shipping companies, and made an order for the reconstruction of the house. The owner did not like the urban manor built by the architects Vasily Shene and Vladimir Chagin in 1897, and she entrusted the development of a new project to Karl Schmidt, a famous architect, thanks to whom by 1903 the Kelch mansion received its extraordinary appearance and interior design, becoming a model of late eclecticism.

During the formation of the Soviet state, the world's first educational institution for the art of cinematography was established in the Kelkh mansion, which in 1922 acquired the status of an Institute, in which acting and directing were taught. One of the graduates of 1924 was Sergei Vasiliev - the creator of the wonderful motion picture "Chapaev".

In 1930, a nursing home was organized in the building, then the Committee of the CPPS of the Dzerzhinsky District of Leningrad worked here. During the years of the blockade, a high-explosive shell destroyed part of the building and the interior premises in the left wing, but by mid-1945 the restorers managed to repair the main damage, except for the bay window and some interior elements.

In 1991, the Kelch mansion housed the UNESCO Support Center and the Banking Congress Committee, which had long disputes over ownership of the beautiful building.

In 1998, the house passed into free ownership State University, the building houses the Faculty of Law. Since then, the Kelch mansion has been officially called the House of the Lawyer.

Architecture and interior

The high hipped roof, volumetric pylons, the front facade made of pink and beige sandstone give the building an unusual and attractive aura. The courtyard facade of the mansion surprises with the fabulousness of a medieval wing in the style of "flaming Gothic", and the interior design of the house simply stuns with the complexity, richness and whimsical "fantasy" of the decor.

Behind the old oak doors of the mansion, the visitor's eyes freeze from the splendor of the design, color and luxury of the interiors: white-pink, golden, brown marble, intricate carved ornaments on stone and wood, exquisite stucco decoration, old bronze, stained glass windows shining with thick colors, unique sculptural compositions, decorating niches, fireplaces, antique furniture. Each corridor, staircase, room is unique and has a variety of design styles.

The reliefs and patterns of stair railings, columns, window frames are incredibly complex, bizarre and abundant. The walls are decorated with picturesque canvases, frescoes, embossed wallpaper made of genuine leather. The work of master cabinetmakers and carvers, stained glass cassette ceilings, cornices with gilded elements, damask panels amazes.

Against the background of the integrity of the decoration of each room, the interior decoration is distinguished by a variety of materials and "jewelry" elaboration of details. Stunning beauty multi-tiered fireplaces made of marble and labradorite are full of multi-figured sculptural compositions and bas-reliefs.

The decor of the paneled ceilings is rich in expressive carvings on dark wood in the form of foliage, flowers, garlands, among which beautiful panels with arabesque paintings and landscapes delight the eye.

Particularly beautiful are the White Rococo Hall with huge mirrors between the windows, precious parquet flooring from different types of wood and a marvelous fireplace, a French Renaissance billiard room and a stunning Gothic dining room with a huge fireplace decorated with figures of a knight and heraldic shields. Here, under an arched ceiling of dark wood, among elongated window openings with small binding and multicolored stained-glass windows, the atmosphere of an exquisite mysterious Middle Ages reigns.

Kelch's mansion in the 21st century

In 2010, the building was closed for restoration, and a year later it was handed over to the Ministry of Justice. In 2017, private excursion companies organized "tours" around the Kelch mansion. Unfortunately, today it is possible to get into the building only with rare group excursions by appointment on certain days of visit to the KGIOP of St. Petersburg.

You can get to the wonderful house number 28 on Chaikovskogo Street in 5 minutes walk from the Chernyshevskaya metro station.

In St. Petersburg there are sights at every turn. One of the brightest pearls among architectural structures 19th century is the Kelch mansion. You can fall in love with only one yard at first sight. There are eccentric gnomes and sculptures entwined with century-old ivy. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get into the courtyard right now, but if you ever have the opportunity, be sure to take it.

Historical roots

Since the middle of the 18th century, Tchaikovsky Street has been sparsely populated. There were mostly empty plots of land that were handed out to prominent figures. One of these plots was donated to the merchant Brother, who at that time was burgomaster. He transferred the land to his daughter, but the house never appeared on this place, and this state of affairs remained until the end of the 18th century. In the late 1790s, the owners changed constantly, and the name of the first person who built a stone foundation with a wooden second floor has not survived in history.

In 1858, Grigory Kondoyanaki (consul of Greece) bought a house with land on Tchaikovsky Street. According to the project of A. Kolman, a beautiful mansion is being erected here in

Kelch family

At the end of the 19th century, the heiress of the Siberian industrialists, Varvara Petrovna Kelkh, moved to St. Petersburg. She was very rich thanks to the fortune that her father had amassed for her. In distant Siberia, Varvara Petrovna owned the Lena gold mines and part of the steamship facilities on the Lena River.

Having settled in St. Petersburg, V.P. Kelkh buys out the land of the former consul of Greece for 300 thousand rubles and orders the house to be demolished. In its place, it was initially planned to build a mansion in the style of the French Renaissance. The project was supervised by architects Chenet and Chagin. But Varvara Petrovna did not like the result, and by her order, another architect, K.K.Schmidt, began the redevelopment. He retained the overall picture without changing the façade, but creating a unique Gothic-style patio. For 2 years of construction, a courtyard building and stables were added.

The interior looked no less beautiful. The mansion of Baron Kelch was visited by the entire Petersburg nobility, never ceasing to be amazed at the decoration of the halls. That there was one white room in which the collection was located. It is known that Mrs. Kelch was a passionate lover of the French.

Divorce and maiden name

But the Kelch family did not have to enjoy the beauty of the newly built house for long. The construction was completed in 1903, and already in 1905, Varvara Petrovna divorced her husband Alexander Fedorovich and moved to Paris forever.

Alexander Fedorovich, unlike his ex-wife, did not possess untold wealth, therefore he needed money. In this regard, he sells the house, later known as the Kelch mansion, and marries a second time. But his plans were not destined to come true. In he falls out of favor, and he is sent to the camps. His further fate, alas, is unknown.

Since March 1917, Kelch's mansion has become the first School of Screen Art in the Soviet Union. Here they became actors and directors. In 1922 the school became an institute. Behind the scenes, the house on Tchaikovsky Street began to be called the "ice palace". There was no central heating here, and in winter, although the fireplaces were working, it was terribly cold.

During the Second World War, the mansion was damaged by a high-explosive bomb. As a result of the explosion, part of the building was lost. All interior decoration was removed and lost.

Until the end of its existence, the house housed the party leadership of the Dzerzhinsky district of the city of Leningrad. Meetings were held in the halls of the palace, and new members were solemnly received here.

Modern life of the Kelch mansion

From 1991 to 1998, the house was empty. It was passed into the hands of one or another organization, but no one could settle here. Since 1998, the building of the former Kelkh mansion has housed the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University. All of Peter began to call it simply "House of Lawyers".

Until 2010, it was possible to visit the restaurant, which was located on the basement floor. It was opened specifically to raise funds for the restoration of the palace. The restoration work actually began in 2011.

How to see the house?

An excursion to the Kelch mansion is an amazing journey through the halls of the palace. You can order a tour from many travel agencies in St. Petersburg. For example, you can find out more detailed information on the site "Walks in St. Petersburg". Cooperating with St. Petersburg University, the organizers offer to take a unique tour into the historical past of the mansion. The guide is the head of the excursion department of that very university.

Interior

Unfortunately, we know little about how the house looked from the inside during the days when the Kelch family lived there. All decoration, pieces of furniture and decor were lost: first after the arrival of Soviet power, and then - during the Second World War. It is rather difficult to reconstruct the complete picture; one can only assume what was in this or that room.

The most valuable was the collection of Faberge eggs. It is known that the husband of Varvara Petrovna, Alexander Fedorovich, gave his wife a new work of the French artist for each anniversary of their life together.

Let's imagine what the palace was like in our better times... So, right from the street you would be met in a lobby with a wide, slightly curved staircase. Next, you would probably be invited to the dining room for lunch or tea. All significant events and balls were held in a white room with large windows and a crystal chandelier under the ceiling. You could retire with your boyfriends in a room with an alcove. Gentlemen would surely have appreciated the decoration of the billiard room.

The second floor has always been intended for the master and guest bedrooms. The upper study and boudoir were also located here. Another office for business meetings was located on the ground floor.

One can only imagine the luxury with which the rooms were furnished. Kelchs were insanely rich and hardly economized on decoration.

Patio

Where is?

Even many of the native inhabitants of St. Petersburg do not know where the Kelkh mansion is. How to get there, let's figure it out together. First you need to get to the Chernyshevskaya metro station. From it, walk along the avenue of the same name to the intersection with Chaikovskogo Street. Turn left and find the house at number 28. You are there.

The state rooms of one of the pearls of Old Petersburg - the Mansion of the Minister of War Count Milyutin - await guests. During a walk through the rooms and halls of the mansion, the guide will tell the story of the building and its owner - the reformer, the last Field Marshal of the Russian Empire Dmitry Milyutin, who, in particular, influenced the decree on the abolition of cruel criminal punishments - lashes, rods, branding, chaining to a cart and other things.

m. Gostiny Dvor, War Minister's House, Sadovaya st., 4

The mansion of the philanthropist Polovtsev has preserved its historical interiors, on which the architects Mesmacher, Brullo and Bosse worked in the 19th century. The house contains unique state rooms - the White and Bronze Rooms, a boudoir with a bay window, a library and a dining room trimmed with leather and walnut. During the tour, guests will learn Interesting Facts from the history of the mansion, which bizarrely mixes with the life story of the South American revolutionary Francisco Miranda, Count d "Artois (French King Charles X), Ekaterina Dashkova and the life of the hostess of the house Nadezhda Polovtsova, the adopted daughter of the court banker Stieglitz.

You can learn more about upcoming excursions.

M. Admiralteyskaya, Bolshaya Morskaya st., 52

The first owner of this mansion in the Foundry was Alexander Pushkin's great-grandfather Abram Hannibal, and then his sons. At the beginning of the 19th century, they sold the building to Senator Ivan Neplyuev, and already in 1855 it was acquired by Prince Pyotr Trubetskoy, for whom the architect Bosse designed the mansion in different historical styles, they can be seen to this day. In the spring of 2012, during the restoration of the building, a cache with cutlery, decorations and awards of the 19th-20th centuries was found between the ceilings. Most of the items bore the coat of arms of the Naryshkin family - evidence that the treasure was a family collection that the owners decided to hide after the 1917 revolution, believing that soon everything in Russia would return to normal and then it would be possible to return for the treasure. Registration is required to participate in the tour.

m.Chernyshevskaya, Tchaikovsky street, 29

The Kelkh House, in the opinion of many townspeople, is the pearl of St. Petersburg. At the very end of the 19th century, Varvara Petrovna Kelkh acquired the plot on Sergievskaya Street (present-day Tchaikovsky Street). The mansion for Varvara Petrovna and her husband was built with the luxury corresponding to the position of the hostess. The front façade was designed in the spirit of the French Renaissance and faced with pink and light yellow sandstone. The interior interiors amazed contemporaries with their richness and variety of styles: Renaissance, Gothic, Rococo - no room is like another. At the beginning of June, the mansion began to be restored. The only gothic house in the city will be renovated this year. They promise to conduct excursions on an ongoing basis, but for now they offer sign up so as not to miss the first opportunity.

m. Chernyshevskaya, st. Tchaikovsky, 28

This inconspicuous building in the industrial zone of Vasilievsky Island keeps many secrets and secrets of the past. It is here, according to numerous legends and legends, that the mystical mirror of Count Dracula is hidden. The shabby walls, preserved stucco patterns, fireplaces and huge hanging chandeliers still reflect the former grandeur of the old mansion. This house is one of the addresses that St. Petersburg may soon lose forever, so you just need to have time to familiarize yourself with it. To the mansion lead excursions, and also arrange photo sessions for the suffering by prior arrangement.

M. Vasileostrovskaya, Kozhevennaya line, 27

In April 2016, for the first time, the Day of open excursions was held in the unavailable for visiting memorable places, where anyone is not allowed on a normal day. The Eliseevs' house became one of the addresses on the map of this event. In the middle of the 19th century, this four-storey building was built according to the project of the architect Nikolai Pavlovich Grebenka, who built an incredible number of tenement houses and mansions for St. Petersburg snobs and prominent figures in the city. Architectural solutions of the master have survived to this day without noticeable changes. Then the shop of the Eliseev Brothers trading house was located here, which is reminiscent of the massive display windows on the first floor. Today, ITMO University is based here and is showing an exhibition of light installations and Magic of Light holograms. So, in addition to an interesting exposition, you can get acquainted with chic interiors at

For several years, passing by house No. 28 on Chaikovskogo Street, I admired interesting solutions for the design of facades.

But all my attempts to get inside were doomed to failure.

I already knew whose house it was, who the architects were, when it was built, and I was picking information fields on the Internet. On some site I saw that, it turns out, there are people who offer excursions for a certain amount at a certain time. I even once tried to call the indicated numbers. The contact did not work, and I calmed down. And before the holiday "KGIOP Day" I see information about the possibility to freely get on an excursion to the house that I liked "the mansion of Baron A.F. Kelkha ". To do this, you need to go to the KGIOP on Friday from 10:00 to 16:00 and make an appointment so that on Saturday, and the holiday is on Saturday, come up at the appointed time and enter the very favorite, desired premises with an excursion.

By chance, on the instructions of my management, it was necessary for me to get an interview with the KGIOP specialists and the meeting was scheduled for Friday at 9:30 am. After thinking about the possibility of being late and the possible long "Soviet" lines (and people came there mostly of very old age), I decided to come early. At 8:40 I turned a corner from Rossi Street and saw a small line at the front door. I took a queue and found that these 30 people are only part of the queue. The main part (grandmothers), having pressed the pity buttons of the guards, entered the building. The weather was very windy and cold. The line gradually grew and widened, complaining about the warm sweaters and blouses forgotten at home. There were people entering the doors bypassing the queue. The grandmothers were on their guard and set up their checkpoint at the door. The KGIOP employees had to prove their involvement in the monument protection apparatus and only after that the door was freed to enter the workplace. I decided to postpone the time of visiting a specialist until I received an appointment for an excursion. At 10:00, the crowd gradually moved to the third floor, to a huge office, where there were 5 tables with KGIOP employees. On each table, an entry was made for a specific excursion. Where they wrote it down is unknown. Those who were the first to get to the tables began to make a noise that he wanted not to come here, but it was VERY difficult to get out ... Gradually everything calmed down and I got exactly to the table where they were recording "on Kelch". Going out into the street for a smoke at 10:20, I heard a loud voice of an employee behind me, informing the crowd on the street that the recording was over on Kelkha. There are no seats! The noise of the crowd. I smoked a cigarette and went to the reception inside under the sizzling gazes of the chilled architecture lovers standing in the street.

Those who know this object and its history well, I think, will not be offended if I borrow some suggestions from Internet stories. I will not tell the story of the building site itself, although it is also interesting, but I will immediately begin to say that the young Kelch family in 1896 decided to order the construction of a new house from the popular architects of St. Petersburg - V.I. Chenet and V.I. Chagin. In two years they built a front building in the style of the French Renaissance. It is faced with pink and light yellow sandstone. The facade is accented with an attic crowned with a high tent.

Probably, it should be said about the family itself ... Varvara Petrovna Bazanova came from a very wealthy family of Moscow merchants. Her grandfather, Ivan Bazanov, founded several businesses in Siberia, including gold mines, a construction company railways and the shipping company, in which he was the main shareholder together with partners Yakov Nemchinov and Mikhail Sibiryakov. After the death of their father, Varvara and her mother Julia inherited the family wealth and founded a new company together with Konstantin Sibiryakov. Varvara in 1892 married Nikolai Ferdinandovich Kelkh, the son of a Petersburg hereditary honorary citizen. He passed away two years later.

As often happens in Russia, Nikolai's brother Alexander in the same year married a wealthy young widow, which may have happened for reasons of business use, since, in accordance with the prenuptial contract, almost all the wealth remained in the hands of Varvara. Since 1900, the couple began to live under the same roof, but their life together did not work out and in 1905 they made out their separate residence.

In 1912, Varvara Petrovna left for Paris. In 1915, the Kelkhi officially divorced. AF Remained in Russia, tried to start life anew, got married a second time. After 1917, he worked as a worker at one of his factories in Siberia, in poverty. In the twenties, A. F. Kelkh returned to St. Petersburg, but could not find a job, became a beggar, and sold cigarettes on the street. V.P. I sent him money, invited him to leave for Paris. In 1930, A.F. was arrested, was exiled to the camps, his further fate is unknown.

Saturday! My wife and I open the cherished door and enter the lobby. Everything is expected and familiar (virtually) but still festive and beautiful. At the request of the guards, they approached the table with the lists and, presenting their passports, received permission to go through the next door to wait for the time of the excursion. There were several guides. Eight groups of 20 people were taken around the mansion for 30 minutes. A total of 160 people were recorded. Now I will stop the story of ordeals and begin to tell about the mansion itself.

First of all, the decoration with Italian marble of different colors - white, pink, gray, brown - is striking. Then the whimsical bend of the white marble staircase, characteristic of Art Nouveau, catches the eye. The walls of the lobby are decorated with four paintings from the late 19th century with romantic landscapes. Between them is stucco decoration.

It didn't turn out to be a sharp photo, but I really want to show a bizarre monster at the base of the stairs ...

In the upper part of the pilasters there is an image of a man's head. It is believed that this is an image of the brothers Alexander and Nikolai Kelkhov.

Part of the front door and part of the ceiling of the lobby. Already at the entrance, the work of woodcarvers amazes.

The ceiling is decorated with picturesque arabesques, in its middle part there is stucco molding, its main element is a laurel wreath framing the picturesque canvas.

After the bend we go up to the upper platform. Second floor. An arcade is visible on the left side of the photo. The arches are supported by pilasters and marble columns.

The niches contain marble copies of sculptures by A. Canova - "Awakening" and "Venus of Italy".

The third niche was also intended for sculpture, but then a mirror was installed in it. On the sides of the mirror are bronze candelabra with a winged figure of Nika standing on a ball.

The ceiling with a skylight is decorated with polychrome stained glass. There are ten paintings under the ceiling. A huge chandelier of gilded bronze completes the unusually lavish decoration of the main staircase.

We pass to the Small living room.

Sculpture, painting, mahogany cornices with gilded details, parquet flooring, white marble window sills have been preserved in the Small Living Room. The exit to the surviving bay window is decorated on the sides with a sculpture - caryatids of Egyptian appearance with stucco torches above them. Above the opening leading to the bay window is a desudeport depicting an altar with a lamb's head on it, an overturned basket of roses and doves. Above the door to the White Hall is the image of Amphitrite surrounded by marine life. Above the door leading to the stairs is a picture of a half-naked woman with a peacock and a lamb. To her left is a bust of a man. The walls are decorated with longitudinal stucco bas-reliefs. The spaces between them were closed with damask panels in the form of bouquets of flowers.

A huge picturesque plafond occupies the entire ceiling; the gilded cornice of the living room serves as a frame for it.

The first and third floors were occupied by living quarters. The interiors were distinguished by the variety of materials used, the thoroughness of their processing, the unity of the design of each room, characteristic of Art Nouveau.

Upper cabinet.

The interior is made in the Baroque style, finished in walnut. Columns of the Corinthian order are used in the design of the doors and the central window. A monumental fireplace made of labrodorite after the model of the fireplace in one of the halls of the Town Hall in Bruges, made in the 16th century. Lancelot Blondel. In the first tier of the fireplace framing, columns are used, on which there is the second tier of the entablature and the complex multi-figured composition of the third tier. In the center of the composition is a niche, in the depths of which there is an image of a gate, in front of which a knight stands, holding a raised sword in his hand. On the sides of the niche there are pylons with images of geniuses in wreaths, on both sides of the central part there are consoles on which female figures in medieval clothes are placed. In the center of the pommel there is a shield with the letters "KA" - Alexander Kelkh. The room is illuminated by two chandeliers made of a spiatrist. The walls were decorated with tapestries.

In the decoration of the ceiling, along with carved compositions of wood in the form of flowers, leaves, garlands in the cruciform panels of the ceiling, there are images of a rake, a hammer, a scythe, a shovel, a trowel, a composition with a shield partitioned off by an oblique band into two parts; a six-pointed star is placed on the right side.

The door to the dining room.

The door to the billiard room.

Next to the Upper Study there was a billiard room, designed in the form of a Renaissance. Oak was used for decoration. The fireplace is designed as an arch in white marble. On the sides of the fireplace there are two corner sofas raised by a step. The upholstery is made of embossed leather. A cabinet-stand for cues has been preserved from the pieces of furniture. Panels with arabesque painting are placed in the panels of the ceiling. A dark metal chandelier has survived.

The room was not prepared for the tour and was closed. Only the ceiling was photographed.

The White Hall occupies the middle part of the building with windows to the south (Chaikovskogo Street). White marble used for cladding the bottom of walls, door frames and for wall pilasters of the Ionic order. The interior is designed in the "second rococo" style. The walls are decorated with stucco compositions in the form of bouquets of flowers, acanthus leaves, bouquets with the inclusion of musical instruments, a bow and arrows. In semicircular compositions, sculptures of playing putti are placed under the ceiling. Huge mirrors are placed between the windows. White marble door frames are complemented by pink marble inserts. Above the doors there are sculptural compositions with winged griffins and picturesque desudeports with flowers. Parquet made of different types of wood is made in the form of a carpet with bouquets in the corners and mesh decor along the rest of the field. The hall is illuminated with a gilded bronze chandelier made at the Stange Luka St. Petersburg factory in 1848.

Fireplace made of light gray Italian marble, with the author's signature “M. Dillon, 1899 ". The fireplace consists of three parts: the fireplace itself, a shelf above the fireplace with a sculptural group and a panel above the fireplace with a multi-figured bas-relief. The fireplace insert is made in the form of a marble sink, inside of which a polished brass sink is fixed on a holder in the form of twisted acanthus leaves. The lower tier of the fireplace is decorated with volutes. On the mantelpiece is the Awakening of Spring sculpture. The relief of the above-fireplace panel consists of a female figure flying upward in a flowing robe, playing a lute entwined with roses.

And now the most interesting room. Gothic dining room.

The dining room is designed in a Gothic style. Wall panels, ceiling, furniture, framing of doorways and bay window exits are made of walnut. Stained-glass windows are placed in the windows, which are divided by bindings into narrow elongated parts. The ceiling is a composition of five keeled arches. The spacing of the vault is restrained by horizontal flying buttresses resting on the consoles of the eastern and western walls. The consoles are decorated with weights and figures of chimeras, at the base of the consoles there are images of dancing men. The walls are decorated with a frieze with shields with coats of arms.

There is a huge fireplace in the dining room. The firebox is faced with yellow finishing bricks. The framing is three-tiered carved, the first tier is decorated with columns, the middle one is a complex entablature with a heraldic composition in the form of a shield with a monogram of the owners under a knight's mask. The shield is supported by a deer and a horse. On the sides of the middle part there are two consoles decorated with carved weights, on which there are figures of a man and a woman in medieval clothes under carved canopies. The upper hipped tier is decorated with carvings in the form of a stylized eagle.

A concert organ was installed on the mezzanine.

Niches for the location of the keyboard of the legs and two manuals are clearly visible.

On the north side there is a spiral staircase leading to the mezzanine.

The hall is illuminated by two chandeliers made in the form of openwork rims made of a spyatra alloy, and a small lamp made of the same material, located in the bay window. Eight stained-glass windows were made in 1898 in Ernst Tode's workshop in Riga.

Well, that's all that I managed to see during this excursion. I also want to add that the work of Chenet and Chagin did not satisfy Varvara Petrovna Kelkh. At her request, further work on the site was carried out by another architect - K.K.Schmidt. By 1903 he built a courtyard building and stables. The architect gave the courtyard wing strictly Gothic features. The stables are made in the Art Nouveau style, which may mean the involvement of another architect in the work.

This is a view from the window. We haven't managed to get into the yard yet.

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