The Grand Palace was built for Alexander Menshikov, the prominent statesman and Peter the Great loyal supporter. He was exiled though, and never saw the finished product. The palace later became the summer residence of Peter III. As you can see, it has fallen into disrepair.
Another view of the Grand Palace.
This is the Chinese Palace, which was once owned by Empress Catherine II (Catherine the Great). This palace is referred to as the "Chinese Palace" because of the Chinese themed rooms. All of the artifacts and furniture inside are original. We had to wear slippers over our shoes so we wouldn't damage the floor - the same floor that Catherine the Great walked on. One aspect I thought was humorous was that Catherine liked to have her likeness painted on various characters in murals and paintings. One of her favorites depicted her as this goddess type person with a lowly servant man at the foot of her bed...because she was like a pimp empress. My favorite part of this palace was Catherine the Great's billiards table.