Located on Anglisky Prospekt, this villa is one of the finest Art Nouveau buildings in the city. The first proud owner was Henrich Gilze van der Pals, a Dutch businessman and general consul of the Netherlands. Elements of the National Romanticism imported from Russia’s Nordic neighbors decorate the mansion’s exterior (think semi-circular windows, gray tiles and turrets) and on the inside you will find a hodgepodge of styles: Renaissance, Rococo, Gothic and early modernist. After the 1917 Revolution, the mansion was used by the Union of German Youth, then changed into the House of Enlightenment and also housed a military draft board. Luckily, the interiors managed to survive.
What is especially interesting about this mansion is the courtyard, which was designed in the form of a Dutch farm. Your camera will have a field day with the elegant half-timbered tower covered with green tiles. So even if you don’t have time to look inside the house, do get a glimpse of this unique bit of Dutch St. Petersburg.
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