The Grand Hotel Europe is preparing for the opening of 17 renovated junior suites with terraces on the 1st May. These are the most popular rooms in the hotel during the city’s celebrated White Nights. The rooms are located on the hotel’s top floor — the fifth floor — next to the legendary Krysha ballroom. It is not difficult to see why they are so in demand — their spacious terraces offer a dazzling panoramic view of St. Petersburg.
In their layout, style and size (28 to 30 square meters), the Terrace rooms are similar to Classic rooms. They are special due to their enormous windows, which occupy almost an entire wall, and due to their picturesque terraces, which offer a spectacular view of the city. The windows of these rooms, which overlook Arts Square, offer a wonderful view of the Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood — one of the most stunning sights of St. Petersburg. This magnificent view is particularly enjoyable during the summer and White Nights, when comfortable furniture is arranged on the terraces that adjoin every room.
The Terrace rooms have an interesting history, which began in 1908 when as a result of the hotel’s growing popularity, it was decided to extend it by building a mansard roof on top of the fifth floor. The plans for extending the façade of the Evropeiskaya (European) Hotel were approved by the tsar himself, who signed the plans personally on 15 August 1908.
In 1909, a mansard roof was added, along with the Krysha restaurant, which boasted an open summer terrace. For some time, it was renowned for being the best restaurant in St. Petersburg, and dining there was considered an essential experience for any visitor to the imperial capital. The exquisite dishes served there thrilled gourmands, and the menu amazed even the most experienced connoisseurs with its diversity.
The restaurant’s location also offered visitors a view of the city from an unusual perspective. The poet Alexander Blok wrote in 1912: “We had breakfast on the roof of the Evropeiskaya hotel, it’s nice up there: little paths, flower beds and a view over all of Petersburg, which almost resembles Paris from up there.”
The Terrace rooms were created from 1989 to 1991 by the award-winning architect Viktoria Struzman on the site of the former terrace of the Krysha restaurant during the reconstruction, restoration and extension of the hotel.
The project to renovate the interiors of the Terrace rooms was supervised by the French designer Michel Jouannet, who last summer created 10 unique Historic Suites on the hotel’s Historic floor.
“The rooms are designed in the style of a private residence,” says M. Jouannet. Decorated in a homogeneous colour scheme (a trio of harmonies), they create an atmosphere of welcoming warmth that is enhanced by soft lighting. The rooms contain beds of a height of 70 centimetres, complete with hypoallergenic mattresses.
The bed heads, which are made of leather, feature decorative knots similar to those embroidered on the edges of old fashioned collars and cuffs. Large, comfortable armchairs invite guests to read in comfort. The drapes and furniture upholstery were created to patterns from the 19th century that were found in Moscow’s History Museum. All the upholstery fabrics were made in France by the Brunswick company.
All the rooms will be equipped with 26-inch LCD televisions. The furniture and other decorative elements were crafted on an individual basis in one of St. Petersburg’s restoration workshops especially for each room of the Grand Hotel Europe.
Replica paintings and engravings depicting views of St. Petersburg complete the appearance of the rooms, adding an element of traditional charm and a note of perfect elegance.
Every bathroom contains a large mirror in a sculptured frame, lending the room particular character. Two lamps with carved bases are attached to the frame, providing the perfect finish to the room’s ambience of classic design.
