Дворец великого князя Николая Константиновича: история строительства, особенности планировки и стилистики

This article focuses on the history of construction, planning, and stylistic features of the Tashkent palace of Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich (1850–1918). Nikolay Konstantinovich was exiled to Turkestan in 1881 and resided in Tashkent until his death in 1918 (with the exception of 1901–1906, when he was removed from the region for five years due to his scandalous “secret wedding”). The palace, built for him in the capital of Turkestan, has survived to this day and is now considered to be the one of Tashkent’s significant architectural monuments. Due to the fact that the Grand Duke lived in Turkestan under the constant surveillance, and many of his affairs were highly classified, some aspects of his life still remain unresearched. This also applies to his Tashkent palace. Researchers still disagree on its construction date, the authorship of its architectural design, and its stylistic characteristics. The layout of the palace, the historical appearance of its interiors and the functionality of the rooms have been studied even less. The article introduces a number of archival documents from the state archives of Uzbekistan and Russia into scientific circulation, allowing us to answer some of these questions and provide a key to understanding others. Correspondence between the Grand Duke's guardians and his own letters reveal the approval process, construction dates, and the author of the palace's initial design. An analysis of the original architectural project, creative method of the author, as well as the architectural publications used by him in the design process, allow us to draw a number of conclusions about the style of the building, the functionality and appearance of its most notable interiors. The article summarizes the initial results of the ongoing research of the palace as a historical and architectural monument.