The Alexander Palace (Russian: Александровский дворец, Alexandrovskiy dvorets, IPA: [ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəfskʲɪj dvɐˈrʲets]) is a former imperial residence near the town of Tsarskoye Selo in Russia, on a plateau about 30 miles (48 km) south of Saint Petersburg.

It was the birthplace of Nicholas II's eldest child Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia, while the rest of his children were born in the Peterhof Palace.

In 1917, the palace became the family's initial place of imprisonment after the first of two Russian Revolutions in February which overthrew the House of Romanov during World War I.

After undergoing years of renovation, the Alexander Palace opened in Summer 2021 as a state museum housing relics of the former imperial dynasty.

[3] In 1821, a quarter of a century later, the architect's son wrote: An elegant building which looks over the beautiful new garden ... in Tsarskoe Selo, was designed and built by my father at the request of Catherine II, as a summer residence for the young Grand Duke Alexander, our present sovereign.

In keeping with the august status of the person for whom the Palace was conceived, the architect shaped it with greatest simplicity, combining both functionality with beauty.

Its dignified façade, harmonic proportions, and moderate ornamentation ... are also manifested in its interiors ..., without compromising comfort in striving for magnificence and elegance.

The appearance of the formal and private rooms of the palace during Nicholas' reign can be seen in exquisite watercolours by E. Hau, L. Premazzi and I. Volsky [ru] from 1840 to 1860.

Two years later, the family mourned the death of Nicholas's daughter Grand Duchess Alexandra (1825–1844), who was born at the palace and lived the last few months of her life there.

Before their accession to the imperial throne, Maria gave birth to their eldest child, the future Nicholas II, at Alexander Palace.

In his diary, the then Tsarevich Alexander recorded the momentous event of the birth of his first child, Around 12.30 my wife came to the bedroom and lay down on a couch where everything was prepared.

To the horror of the court, Alexandra, and her architect Meltzer, chose a then-modern style of decoration, Jugendstil or Art Nouveau, considered by the aristocracy to be "middle class" and less than "Imperial".

[12] The regime of their captivity, worked out by Alexander Kerensky himself, envisaged strict limitations in the life of the Imperial Family: isolation from the outer world, a guard during their promenades in the park, prohibition of any contacts and correspondence apart from approved letters.

[12] Gillard noted, In their spare time, free from studies, the Empress and her daughters were engaged in sewing something, embroidering or weaving, but they were never idle.... During daytime walks all the members of the family, excluding the Empress, were engaged in physical work: they cleaned paths in the park from snow, chopped ice for the cellar, cut dry branches or old trees, storing firewood for the future winter.

With the exception of the heavily damaged Reception and New Study, the private rooms of the imperial family were altered to plain exhibition halls.

Much of this clothing only survived because it had been used as packing case wadding for more precious objects when the palace was evacuated in World War II.

[14] However, despite the best efforts of curators, limited restoration funds, dispersed collections, and the absence of the palms and flowers – from now-vanished imperial hothouses – that had once lushly decorated several of the rooms, meant that the presentations were somewhat sparse and of varying quality.

In 2014 the Russian government finally allocated significant funds to enable a more complete and authentic restoration of the quarters of the imperial family.

In August 2021, the east wing of the palace was reopened to visitors following the completion of restorations to the private apartments of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna.