External view
by KOKORINOV, Alexander Filippovich, Photo
The Razumovsky Palace is one of the few palaces and mansions remaining from the 18th century in St. Petersburg. It got its name from Kirill Razumovsky, the great Hetman (Cossacks leader) of Ukraine and President of the Academy of Sciences. He was also the younger brother of Alexey Razumovsky, a favourite of the Russian Empress Elizabeth.
Razumovsky commissioned the architect Alexander Kokorinov to replace the former wooden palace with a new stone building. By 1766 the work was completed by Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe. The strictly symmetrical main fa�ade of the building includes many finely traced bas-reliefs. The front courtyard was separated from the embankment by a high stone wall with a monumental gate in the centre.