The Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo
As a child, Anastasia lived in may wonderful palaces throughout the Russian Empire, most being in or around the beautiful capital city of St. Petersburg. Most of her childhood was spent in the nearby, peaceful town of Tsarskoe Selo, which means "Tsar's Village" in the Russian language. The royal family preferred to live here rather than in the city because the air and water were much cleaner. The palace where Anastasia lived in was none other than the beautiful yellow and white Alexander Palace. It was cherished beacause of the lovely parks surrounding it ("Anastasia: Where I Lived" 1). The Alexander Palace, which was not so big as palaces go, contained two-hundred rooms, only half of which were occupied by the royal family. Nicholas and Alexandra lived downstairs on the main floor, while the children lived upstairs with their tutors, nurses, doctors, and ladies-in-waiting. On this floor, there were also classrooms, playrooms, music rooms, private dining and sitting rooms, and of course, a special movie theatre made especially for Alexei. Anastasia shared a bedroom with her sister Maria, while the two older sisters, Olga and Tatiana shared one next door. The Alexander Palace is most famous for Alexandra's Mauve Boudoir, mauve being her favorite color. Also, there was a basement and an attic filled with interesting artifacts, but the children were not allowed in there. However, it was Anastasia who would always insist that they sneak into it as often as possible. They even made their own tunnel, which led from the basement of the palace to the kitchen building-what a clever bunch! ("Anastasia: Where I Lived" 1-2)
Sometimes the royal family stayed in the dreaded Winter Palace on the banks of the Neva. They all hated it because it was very drafty, it smelled bad, and someone always ended up getting sick. As Anastasia recalled, one incident occurred when her sister Tatiana and she got really sick from drinking the water in the palace. "You don't want to get sick like that, they cut off your hair and isolate you when you get it," she explained. Fortunately for them, when they made visits into St. Petersburg, they traveled by their own private train, where it only took about ten-fifteen minutes to reach the city. This also enabled them to travel to and from the city in the same day. Despite all of the palaces they had in Russia, they tried to stay in the train as much as possible. This made it easier because they would not have to pack and unpack all of their belongings so often ("Anastasia: Where I Lived" 4).
The Lower Palace at Alexandria-Peterhof
Anastasia loved to have pets, and always brought along dogs and cats wherever she traveled. Her father had a parrot named Popov, who liked to accompany them as well even on their yacht, the Standart. Popov lived in Nicholas' bathroom, but could always be heard shrieking and squawking from anywhere in the palace! During the early summer befor boarding the Standart for their annual cruise, Anastasia and her family would always stay for a few weeks at the Lower Palace on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the Alexandria Park next to Peterhof ("Anastasia: Where I Lived" 5).
Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Anastasia Homepage
Anastasia's Brother and Sisters
Myths and Legends: Anna Anderson
Course Home Page: "St. Petersburg: Miracle. Mystery. Authority!"
St. Lawrence University Homepage
The Nutcracker-Story and Music
last update: 24 April 2003
