Alexander Palace

The Alexander Palace (Russian: Александровский дворец) is a former imperial residence near the town of Tsarskoye Selo, on a plateau about 30 miles (48 km) south (around 30 minutes by train) from the imperial capital city of St. Petersburg. It is known as the favourite residence of the last Russian Emperor (Tsar/Czar), Nicholas II (1868–1918, reigned 1894–1917), and his imperial family, and served as their initial place of imprisonment after the first of two Russian Revolutions in February of 1917 that overthrew the Romanov during World War I (1914–1918). The Alexander Palace is situated in the Alexander Park, not far from the larger, more elaborate Catherine Palace, begun in 1717 by Empress/Tsarina Catherine I of Russia and significantly expanded by Catherine the Great. Today it is undergoing renovation as a state museum housing relics of the former imperial dynasty.