Kikin chambers

20 minutes walk from the hotel

Kikin chambers have the style of the so-called «Petrovsky Baroque». Was built during Peter the Great’s reign, in 1714 – 1720, for his fellow campaigner and adviser to the admiralty Alexander Kikin at the area of the Resin yard (Smolny in Russian) where resins were processed for the needs of the fleet. The name of the yard – Smolny – provided a name for this entire area of the city. Subsequently Kikin helped Tsarevich Alexei escape abroad, he was arrested in 1718 and executed on the orders of Peter I. The state treasure confiscated this building with the rest of Kikin’s property.

In 1719 – 1727, in the building of the former Kikin house there was a collection of wonders – The Kunstkamera, rarities and innovations of Peter I, the first natural history museum in Russia with a personal library of Peter the Great. During the Great Patriotic War, the Kikin Chambers were severely damaged. In 1952 – 1956, they were restored in their intended original form by the architect Irina Benua. Currently, the building houses the St.Petersburg Music Lyceum.