The entire Romanov family loved to listen to music, especially what were known as the Russian “romance” songs”, but also opera arias. According to Tatiana Botkin-Melnik, daughter of the Romanov family physician, even during the war years singers from Imperial Theaters often came to the infirmaries and gave performances and concerts, which the Grand Duchesses and Tsarevich Alexei loved to attend.
Read more ROMANOV FAMILY: THEIR FAVORITE SONGS
As a librarian, of course this topic is of great interest to me: which books did the Romanov family bring into exile with them and what did they read during their dreary days of captivity? About 10 years ago, in 2005, I was very fortunate to have the chance to work with the Romanov family books directly – when I did an internship at the Rare Book Department of The Tsarskoe Selo Museum. Their collection consisted of numerous books, many of which had inscriptions of the Romanov family members in them. I will do another story on those later! Read more ROMANOV FAMILY: BOOKS THEY LEFT BEHIND (EKATERINBURG)
The Domestic Imperial Train of Nicholas II (there was also an Imperial train exclusively for international travel) was built between 1894-96 in the main Car Workshops of the Nikolaevsky Railway Company. The train was adapted and expanded throughout his reign as the family grew and needs increased.
By 1902, the train consisted of ten carriages: a sleeping-car for the Emperor and Empress, a saloon car, a kitchen, a dining car, carriages intended for the grand dukes and other family, the children’s car, cars for the Emperor’s retinue, as well as cars for railway servicemen, servants, luggage and workshops. The final and eleventh car, a fully dedicated chapel, was consecrated in 1899. Read more ROMANOV FAMILY: INSIDE IMPERIAL TRAIN
DID YOU KNOW that in 1891, during the future Tsar Nicholas II’s trip to Japan, he showed great interest in Japanese traditional crafts, and as result got a traditional dragon tattoo on his right arm.
There are only a few photographs which show this tattoo, below are a couple of them: Read more NICHOLAS II: TSAR WITH A DRAGON TATTOO
“… [We] had tea on the balcony then swung in the hammock. It is hanging between two trees behind the path by the balcony. The trees there are very strong….” “Had tea with Shvybz and the same swung in a hammock…”
~Maria Romanov~
“…Maria and I swing in the hammocks sometimes and she almost always turns me over…” “…Maria and I… keep swinging in the hammock. ” “…We cut off old branches with dull knives and with our hands, and then swung in hammocks. Now there are two hammocks, as Marie has one too and they are hanging in a kilivatorny column…”
~Anastasia Romanov~ Read more MARIA AND ANASTASIA: LITTLE PAIR’S HAMMOCK
At the turn of 20th century smoking cigarettes did not have the same stigma it does today. Hence the entire Romanov family – including Tsarevich Alexei – smoked!
Records of this can be found throughout the imperial family’s letters and diaries, as well as photographs. Below are excerpts from the diary of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna which mention the subject of smoking.
From the 1913 diary of Olga Romanov: Read more DIARY OF OLGA ROMANOV: SMOKING CIGARETTES
