Demoute's Traktir

Categories / City Services/Housing and Communal Services
DEMOUTE’S TRAKTIR, Demoute Hotel (40 Moika River Embankment / 27 Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street). A hotel and restaurant. The hotel was opened in the 1760s by French immigrant Demoute. In 1796 F.Y. Demoute (probably the founder's son) built a 3-story building with a facade facing Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street and opened a luxury hotel there. After Demoute's death (1802), his widow leased the establishment on hire to the Frenchman Guguet, and in 1822 it was inherited by Demoute's daughter Elizabeth (married Tiran; that is why Demoute Hotel was sometimes called in records "House of Tiran, Major’s Wife"). A 3-story building on a high foot stall (architect E.T. Tsollikofer), and a new wing on the south side of the yard, were both built in 1832-33 along the Moika Embankment. In July 1811, Alexander Pushkin stayed at Demoute Hotel during his first stay in St. Petersburg. Later, the poet lived there in 1827, 1828, 1829 and 1831. He was visited there by V.A. Zhukovsky, I.A. Krylov, Count P.A. Vyazemsky, and A.S. Griboedov (who lived at the Demoute Hotel in 1824 and 1828), and many others. Pushkin wrote some verse, as well as the poem Poltava, while staying at the Demoute Hotel. In 1818-24, P.Y. Chaadaev resided at the Demoute Hotel (his room was described by Alexander Pushkin in the first chapter of Eugene Onegin). Among those who stayed in the hotel at different periods were Polish poet A. Mickiewicz, generals M.I. Platov, A.P. Ermolov, statesman M.M. Speransky, Decembrists G.S. Batenkov, P.I. Pestel, A.A. Bestuzhev, M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, poet K.N. Batyushkov, and writer A.I. Herzen. From the mid-19th century, the place belonged to S.Voronikhin. In the 1850s, two new 4-story wings were built near Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, and a closed-in yard was formed. A fourth floor was added to the section of the building facing the street; the facade was accentuated by six pilasters (1851, 1855, architect A.S. Kirilov). Later, the hotel was inherited by A.S. Voronin. Sections of the building facing the yard were reconstructed in 1867 by architect R.A. Gedike; in 1873-74 an open terrace with semicircular stairs and a garden with a water-pool were constructed in the garden (architect P.K. Nobek). In 1876, the merchant A.A. Lomach rented the Demoute Hotel. Under his ownership, a fourth floor was added to the wing crossing the yard; a bowling alley was opened, and a new hall with an entrance from the embankment was built in 1876-77 by architect K.K. Andersson. In 1881, a stage was added to the hall by technical engineer V.K. Gotthardt. In 1883-84, the Fantasy Theatre operated in the Grand Hall, directed by V.I. Glavach. The curtain was made by artist V.V. Vereschagin. The Small Hall housed the News Theatre (closed by the end of the 1890s). A steam laundry and a room for a steam locomobile providing energy to illuminate the hotel were set up near the Grand Hall (architect L.F. Sperer). In 1854-72, Admiral F.F. Matyushkin lived (and died) at the Demoute Hotel, and in 1859, the Prussian statesman Otto Bismarck stayed there. In 1861, 1871, 1872, 1874 and 1876, I.S. Turgenev lived at the Demoute Hotel; and in 1880 and 1881, the hotel welcomed I.E. Repin. On 4 March 1871, the Constituent Assembly of the Russian Literary Noble Society took place at the hotel's Grand Hall, attended by N.S. Leskov, A.G. Rubinstein, and others. From 1853 through the 1860s, and from the late 1880s to 1891, the Chess Club, whose vice-president was M.I. Chigorin, was located at the Demoute Hotel. In 1867, the anniversary of the Mineralogical Society was celebrated at the Demoute Hotel, and in 1893 the hotel welcomed the anniversary celebration of the Russian Chemical Society. In 1878, part of the building was rented by E. Hiegel, who opened the restaurant Medved at the hotel. In the 1880s, the place was bought by the Petersburg City Credit Society and the Demoute Hotel was liquidated. Later, the building was transferred to P.P. von Derviz, who added the fourth floor in the section facing the Moika River in 1892, and in 1894, the fifth floor and an attic floor to the section facing Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street. In 1898, the yard closest to the street was covered by a glass roof (architect A.F. Krasovsky). In the 1890s, the State Railway Directorate was located in the building. In the early 20th, century Grand Princes Kirill and Boris Vladimirovich owned the building, which was reconstructed into an apartment house (1911, 1914, architect N.I. Alexeev). The Russian Commercial and Industrial Bank, the Volga Steamship Society, and other businesses were located there until 1914. In 1929, the Working Youth Pioneer Theatre was located in the halls of the former restaurant, as was the New TYS (Theatre of Young Spectators) in 1934. Since the autumn of 1939, the building has housed the Variety Arts Theatre. Part of the building is occupied by the First City Tourist Office.

Reference: Кириков Б. М., Привалов В. Д. Гостиница Демута // Диалог. 1989. No. 4-5.

I. A. Bogdanov. Alexeev Nikolay Ivanovich
Andersson Carl (Karlovich)
Balakirev Mily Alexeevich
Batenkov Gavriil Stepanovich
Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich
Bestuzhev Alexander Alexandrovich
Bestuzhev-Ryumin Mikhail Pavlovich
Bismarck Otto von
Boris Vladimirovich, Grand Prince
Chaadaev Peter Yakovlevich
Chigorin Mikhail Ivanovich
Demut Filipp Yakob
Derviz Pavel Pavlovich
Ermolov Alexey Petrovich
Gedike Robert Andreevich
Glavach Wojciech Ivanovich
Gotthardt V.K.
Griboedov Alexander Sergeevich
Herzen Alexander Ivanovich
Hiegel E.
Huguet
Kirill Vladimirovich, Grand Prince
Kirilov Alexsey Semenovich
Krasovsky Alexander Fedorovich
Krylov Ivan Andreevich
Leskov Nikolay Semenovich
Lomach A.A.
Matyushkin Fedor Fedorovich
Mickiewicz Adam
Notbek Pavel Karlovich
Pestel Pavel Ivanovich
Platov Matvey Ivanovich
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Repin Ilya Efimovich
Rubinstein Anton Grigorievich
Speransky Mikhail Mikhailovich
Sperer Ludwig Frantsevich
Tiran Elizaveta (Elizabeth)
Turgenev Ivan Sergeevich
Vereschagin Vasily Vasilievich
Voronin A.S.
Voronin Ivan Agapovich
Voronin Stepan
Vyazemsky Peter Andreevich, Duke
Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich
Zollikofer Egor Timofeevich (Georg Ruprecht)
Bolshaya Konyushennaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 37
Moika River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 40
Кириков Б. М., Привалов В. Д. Гостиница Демута // Диалог., 1989 Constituent Assembly, All-Russian
Medved Restaurant
Russian Bank of Commerce and Industry
Variety Theatre
1796