Video Tour of Pr. Lev Mikhailovitch’s palace in St. Petersburg (early 20th c)

Video Link: https://youtu.be/9pjFR1lTUVw

This magnificent mansion on the English Embankment has an impressive history. The original stone house dates to the 1740s and was built for Grand Duke Mikhail Golitsyn. In 1802, the house was acquired by Nikolay Rumyantsev, son of Ekaterina Golitsyna and was reconstructed. The architect, Vasily Glinka retained the proportions of the original building, but completely changed the appearance of the facade, which was decorated with a massive 12-column portico with an elaborate pediment with an alto-relievo of Apollo on Parnassus and other figures. The interior spaces housing the vast art collection of the Rumyantsev family, becoming, in 1831, a museum, open to the public. In 1861 the whole collection was moved to Moscow and the mansion changed hands several times, in the course of which, was altered by the architect Alexander Stepanov. At the beginning of the 20th century, the mansion passed into the hands of Prince Lev Kotchubey, son-in-law of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, who became the last owner of the mansion. It is from this time that the photographs were taken. In 1916 the mansion was again sold and was almost certain to be demolished. The 1917 Revolution stopped this from occurring.
In 1938, the mansion was gifted to the Museum of the History and Development of Leningrad, which until then had been housed in the Anichkov Palace. Restoration of the state rooms was carried out in 2003. It is now home to a branch of the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg . ( by Nigel Fowler Sutton and posted on youtube)

Poltava celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the Agricultural Society of Poltava

Under the direction of Viktor Anatolievitch Vergunov, Poltava celebrated the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Poltava Agricultural Society (Полтавського товариства сільського господарства) which was started in 1865 by Prince Lev Victorovitch.  He was society’s first president followed then by his brother Pr. Sergei Viktorovitch. Vergunov is the director of the Ukraine National Academic Agricultural Library (Національної наукової сільськогосподарської бібліотеки НААН України)

Victor A.Vergunov and Alexander A. Kotchoubey at the unveiling of the plaque commemorating 150th anniversary the founding of the Poltava Agricultural Society

Victor A.Vergunov and Alexander A. Kotchoubey at the unveiling of the plaque commemorating 150th anniversary the founding of the Poltava Agricultural Society

In a speech to the assembled academicians, agricultural workers , students and members of the local government and administration, Alexander Kotchoubey spoke of the importance of following in the example of the region’s forbearers who

«Мы оглядываемся назад и смотрим на свершения пращуров. Они делали это не для себя, а ради светлого будущего потомков, ради своей страны. Каждый из нас должен и себе задавать вопрос, что я сделал, чтобы меня помнили через 150 лет. Изучайте языки, путешествуйте, чтобы иметь возможность прославить свой родной край и его великих людей», — заявил Алекс Кочубей.

see: http://latifundist.com/blog/read/1165-delo-nezabytyh-predkov