Yusupov Palace on the Moika
NRP-RUS-004
The Yusupov estate on the Moika belonged to a princely household. Later uses included a museum of aristocratic life and institutions for educators. Today the palace combines visitor programmes with cultural events and official receptions; its domestic theatre has a separate programme and entrance arrangement.
Sources
Current catalogue visitor information: this section supersedes any earlier access summary below or above.
Palace Profile & Official Website
The Yusupov estate on the Moika belonged to a princely household. Later uses included a museum of aristocratic life and institutions for educators. Today the palace combines visitor programmes with cultural events and official receptions; its domestic theatre has a separate programme and entrance arrangement.
Official website / visitor information
Access: open regularly. Published palace hours: daily 10:00–19:30; ticket office and entrance 09:30–18:00. Visits run in sessions. Select the desired route or event; theatre entry is separate.
Sources
Annual Visitor Statistics
No verified annual attendance figures have been entered. This does not mean zero visitors or that no statistics exist.
Interiors and collections
The Moorish Drawing Room
Ippolito Monighetti designed an Oriental drawing room in the 1860s; Alexander Stepanov later reworked it with stronger Moorish references. The palace relates its appearance to the Alhambra. Marble columns and a pool, an onyx fireplace, painted walls and a coffered ceiling form a setting distinct from the palace’s European-style reception rooms.
Restoration and recovered heraldry
After structural movement damaged the room in 2007, foundation strengthening took place in 2012. Interior restoration followed from 2013 and was completed in 2015. Work included marble surfaces, ceiling lanterns and gilded wooden shutters. Conservators also discovered painted Yusupov–Sumarokov-Elston family arms on two walls, adding a specifically dynastic detail to the Oriental decoration.
A theatre used by the household
The private theatre hosted amateur performances involving the Yusupovs and other aristocratic families, sometimes before imperial guests. Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna’s monogram appears above the princely and side boxes. The palace’s published State Rooms and Prince’s Living Quarters route lists both the theatre and the Moorish Drawing Room. A performance and a sightseeing visit are different programmes; select the appropriate ticket and check the current route.
Related owners: Yusupov family.
Official sources
- Yusupov Palace: Moorish Drawing Room restoration, published 6 March 2017
- Yusupov Palace: history of the private theatre
- Yusupov Palace: State Rooms and Prince’s Living Quarters route
Sources checked 10 October 2026.