The Catherine Palace

The exposition in the Catherine Palace Museum (prior to 1910 - the Great Tzarskoje Selo Palace) encompasses the 250-year history of the famous monument, and acquaints visitors with the work of the architects who participated in its construction and decoration in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and also with the current state of this unique landmark, with the work of restorers who managed to bring the palace back to life after World War II. Currently, 29 of the 57 palace halls destroyed during the war have been restored.

In 1717, when the city of St. Petersburg was just being built on the banks of the Neva river, Tzarskoje Selo saw the construction of a new, stone imperial manor, which became known as the "Stone Chambers" of Catherine I. In August of 1724, when the construction was already completed, a celebration was organized in the palace during which "13 cannons were fired thrice." The Tsar and all of the major government dignitaries were present.

The palace was a small two-story building typical of Russian palaces of the early 18th century. The first attempt to expand the palace was undertaken during the reign of Empress Elizabeth according to plans by Mikhail Zemtsov at the end of 1742 and beginning of 1743. Reconstruction of the Catherine Palace and park ensemble was carried out by his pupils, Andrei Kvasov and Savva Chevakinsky. Following the death of Mikhail Zemtsov, work at Tzarskoje Selo passed under the direction of Andrei Kvasov and his assistant, the builder Giuseppe Trezini. On May 5, 1745, along with Trezini, Savva Chevakinsky was appointed to Tzarskoje Selo, and the latter oversaw the construction at Tzarskoje Selo until 1760. From the end of 1748 and through 1756, construction of the Tzarskoje Selo residence was directed by court architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli. On May 10, 1752, Empress Elizabeth signed a decree ordering the complete overhaul of the old palace. On July 30, 1756, Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli presented his creation to Elizabeth and foreign diplomats.

The palace was quite impressive with its size, powerful spatial dynamics and picturesque decoration in the style of the Russian Baroque. The wide, light blue ribbon of the palace with its snow-white columns and gilt ornament looked quite festive. The northern wing was topped by the five golden domes of the Palace Chapel, and the southern wing, which contained the formal, state rooms, was topped off by a golden dome with a star on the spire. Approximately 100 kilograms of gold were used to gild the exterior and interior ornaments. At this time the formal yard was also designed, surrounded by the palace's service buildings placed in a semi-circle around the "circumference" of the yard. The galleries of the palace's facade consisted of windows and columns, each of which bore a wooden, gold-leafed statue or vase.

On the first floor, the large, semi-circular French doors were separated one from the next by sculptural figures of powerful, nude youths. Like the hero of ancient Greek myth, Atlantis, who was commanded by Zeus to hold up the heavens on his head and hands, they bear on their shoulders the colossal weight of the colonnades linking the upper floors. Atlantes, caryatids (feminine forms leaning near the windows of the second formal floor), cartouches on the pediments, lion's masks, window frames and other plaster decorations were executed according to models by Johann Dunker. Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli also luxuriously decorated the interiors and suites of the palace with its magnificent enfilade of formal halls which, for its wealth of gilded carvings, was dubbed the "Golden Enfilade." The placement of halls one next to the other, or enfilade style unknown in Russia until the mid-18th century, was introduced by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli in other palaces as well. Not only in Tzarskoje Selo did the length of the enfilade equal the length of the entire building, from the Main Staircase to the Chapel. Beginning in 1756, the Great Palace became the center of court life, where not only balls and masquerades were held, but important affairs of state were also carried out.

A new stage in the metamorphosis of the palace's formal halls came in the 1770s. The palace's new owner, Empress Catherine II, with her penchant for antique art, demanded her own personal quarters in the palace, decorated by Charles Cameron. The palace interiors created by this architect in the classical style are remarkable for their exquisite beauty, austerity of decoration and certain flair for selection of decorative materials. We will never see most of the halls since they perished during World War II and have not yet been restored. This includes the spacious apartments of Empress Catherine II: the Arabesque Room, the Lyons and Chinese Drawing Rooms, the Domed Dining Room, Silver Study, Bedchamber, Dressing Room and Palm Room. The rooms belonging to Grand Duke Paul (the future Emperor Paul I) and his wife, Maria Fyodorovna, have been restored. The most significant of these are: the Green Dining Room, the Waiters' Room, the Blue Room, the Chinese Blue Room, the Leisure Room, the Picture and Sculpture Studies.

The 19th century brought changes to the Catherine Palace ensemble. In 1817, by order of Emperor Alexander I, the architect Vasily Stasov created the Formal Study and several adjoining rooms unified by a single style. Here, everything speaks of pride in military victories in the War of 1812.

On June 9, 1918, the Catherine Palace was opened as a museum. The Tzarskoje Selo and the Orient exposition, located in the former personal quarters not yet restored, continues to be featured at the Catherine Palace Museum.

Emirates Palace

An enchanting landmark that's a wonder to behold for all who venture through its magnificent gates. Fairytales come to life as your senses are treated to an extraordinary and unforgettable experience. Breathe the air of luxury that fills every corner of this serene paradise.

Feel the promise of a majestic experience fit for a king and deserving of an emperor. The Palace boasts 302 superior rooms and 92 magnificent suites each combining the ultimate in luxury with 22nd century technology.

International Conference Centre of Abu Dhabi

Palace Conference Centre is the most luxurious and technologically advanced meeting facility in the region. The conference facilities include an auditorium with seating for 1200 guests, a main ballroom that can accommodate up to 2800 persons and an extensive range of 48 meeting rooms including a Media Centre and Business Centre.

In addition, six large terraces and a variety of pre-function areas provide many possibilities for breaks, cocktail receptions and banquets. Set on 100 hectares of beautifully landscaped park with several open lawns, Emirates Palace offers spectacular outdoor venues for gala dinners and creative events.

State-of-the-art technology is also present in all meeting and function rooms and each comes fully equipped with a projector, motorized screen, plasma screens, microphones, audio-visual systems, wireless and wire data systems, special sound system, video conferencing system, IP camera and broadcast camera connectivity.

THE PEACE PALACE

The Peace Palace in The Hague is home to a number of international judicial institutions, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the renowned Peace Palace Library, as well as the Hague Academy of International Law, which attracts law students from all over the world every summer.

The Peace Palace is one of the most photographed landmarks of The Hague and is accessible to the public through guided tours.

The Palace, the premises on which it stands and the Library are the property of the Carnegie Foundation. The Foundation encourages the organisation of seminars and other initiatives to foster the peace ideal and is part of the international philantropic network of Carnegie Institutions.

Diocletian's Palace

At the end of the third century AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his palace on the bay of Aspalathos. Here, after abdicating on the first of May in A.D. 305, he spent the last years of his life. The bay is located on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast into the Adriatic, four miles from the site of Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The terrain on which the palace was built slopes gently seaward. It is typical karst terrain, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to west with marl in the clefts between them.

This palace is today the heart of the inner-city of Split where all the most important historical buildings can be found. The importance of Diocletian's Palace far transcends local significance because of its level of preservation and the buildings of succeeding historical periods, stretching from Roman times onwards, which form the very tissue of old Split. The Palace is one of the most famous and integral architectural and cultural constructs on the Croatian Adriatic coast and holds an outstanding place in the Mediterranean, European and world heritage.

In November 1979 UNESCO, in line with the international convention concerning the cultural and natural heritage, adopted a proposal that the historic Split inner city, built around the Palace, should be included in the register of the World Cultural Heritage.

The ground plan of the palace is an irregular rectangle with towers projecting from the western, northern, and eastern facades. It combines qualities of a luxurious villa with those of a military camp. Only the southern facade, which rose directly from, or very near to, the sea, was unfortified. The elaborate architectural composition of the arcaded gallery on its upper floor differs from the more severe treatment of the three shore facades. A monumental gate in the middle of each of these walls led to an enclosed courtyard. The southern Sea Gate was simpler in shape and dimensions than the other three. Perhaps it was originally intended as the emperor's private access to boats, or as a service entrance for supplies.

The dual nature of the architectural scheme, derived from both villa and castrum types, is also evident in the arrangement of the interior. The transverse road (decumanus) linking the east and west gates divided the complex into two halves. In the southern half were the more luxurious structures; that is, the emperor's apartment, both public and private, and cult buildings. The emperor's apartment formed a block along the sea front. Because the sloping terrain created large differences in level, this block was situated above a substructure. Although for many centuries almost completely filled with refuse, most of the substructure is well preserved, giving us evidence as to the original shape and disposition of the rooms above.

A monumental court, called the Perystile, formed the northern access to the imperial apartments. It also gave access to Diocletian's Mausoleum on the east, and to three temples on the west.

The northern half of the palace, which was divided in two parts by the main longitudinal street (cardo) leading from the North Gate to the Perystile, is less well preserved. It is usually supposed that each of these parts formed a large residential complex, housing soldiers, servants, and possibly some other facilities. Both parts were apparently surrounded on all sides by streets. Leading to perimeter walls there were rectangular buildings, possibly storage magazines.

The Palace is built of white local limestone of high quality, most of which was from quarries on the island of Brac; tuffa taken from the nearby river beds; and brick made in Salonitan and other workshops. Some material for decoration was imported: Egyptian granite columns and sphinxes, fine marble for revetments and some capitals produced in workshops in the Proconnesos.

Water for the palace came from the Jadro river near Salona. Along the road from Split to Salona impressive remains of the original aqueduct can still be seen. They were extensively restored in the nineteenth century.