One hundred years ago on 30 December 1916, Grigori Rasputin was brutally killed.
Grigori Rasputin was a Russian peasant, who, thanks to his tumultuous life, became one of the main advisers and friends of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor.
At the beginning of XX century, the thirty years’ old mystic and a self-proclaimed priest from Siberia arrives in Petrograd (St. Petersburg today), and quickly gains great influence at the imperial court. Aristocrats joined and plotted against him, because of his influence in Romanov court.
On 30 December 1916, he was killed in St. Petersburg, in a mysterious conspiracy, organized by a group of nobleman led by Felix Yusupov. He invited Rasputin to a dinner at his home. After dinner, that was supposedly poisoned, the man was surprised when he didn’t show any signs of poisoning. The group then started to beat and shoot Rasputin who again and again drew breath after a heavy barrage of bullets. Finally, they put a bullet in his head and throw him in the ice cold Neva to drown.
Rasputin was born 21 January 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoe and is still known for his miracles and orgy. In St. Petersburg society, the eccentric Rasputin was admired and adored. He had a reputation of pious, clairvoyant, holy man who able to cure Crown Prince Alexei of hemophilia.
A century after his death the legend still lives on and the museum in Pokrovskoe honors its most famous inhabitant. Tourists for all over the world come to visit a house which is a memorial museum in his birthplace.
“He often stayed in this house and it is almost nothing has changed since his death” said Marina Smirnova, the museum curator.
“Unfortunately, Rasputin was a wanderer and didn’t keep many of his things,” she added. Authentics are his chair, plate, mirror and suitcase.