An evening in "Olympia" or return to the palace in Liteiny
He came to himself in one of the main streets of St. Petersburg in front of a house of ancient architecture. The street was full of carriages. Coaches one after another rushed to the lighted porch. Every minute a slender leg of a young beauty, a rattling Hessian boot or a striped stocking and a shoe of a diplomat appeared from coaches. Furs and coats flashed by a stately doorman. Herman stopped.
"Whose house is it?" – he asked. Images of the past flew in his mind like a remote déjà vu. "It's my house! – Herman whispered. – But it has amazingly changed for this century and a half…"
It was a usual Petersburg evening. Over granite parapets of numerous rivers and channels a moist twilight was going up and in the swaying lantern light turned into odd phantoms – inhibitors of Petersburg literary reality. A young man wearing an officer uniform of the tzar's epoque appeared at the corner of the Liteiny avenue and Furshtadskaya street. He was standing motionlessly in front of a two-storey mansion gazing at the white and golden electric words "CASINO CLUB OLYMPIA" over the front door. It seemed that the sight of twinkling lights fascinated him so much that he even did not pay any attention to the cars rushing along the avenue, though a moment before he had been frightened of them. The profile of the officer's face bore a close resemblance with Napoleon portrait. He had a dreamy and remote look as a person who amid all the routine fuss and worries was carried away by a sudden reminiscence from childhood.
Herman saw the mansion just as it had been a hundred and a half years before when in the 40s of the 19th century it was constructed under architect Nizovtsev' s project for duchess Varvara Dolgorukaya in that quiet part of the city. A two-storey palace with high ground floor and a balcony in the central risalit built in the late classicism style (bordeaux with white decor)... He could not forget that house! "The mansion of duke Boris Golitsin" – cabmen did not need a more precise address and horses following a familiar route rushed to the mansion in Liteiny – the favorite place for balls and evenings of the high society. The receptions were so grand that in 1850s the mansion was overbuilt with a third attic floor for numerous servants. That time specially invited architects – P. Sadovnikov and E. Ferri de Pinie – worked in the mansion embodying constructive and decorative intentions of Boris Golitsin whose "architecture portrait" was made on the fronts of the mansion.
It is well-known that after death the owners of the houses forced to leave home physically and filled with unbearable anguish do their best to return to their hearth to find eternal shelter there. These, who despite all laws of time and space succeed in it, are called phantoms, ghosts or spirits of houses. Just the same happened that evening when serene duke Boris Golitsin overcame all those years separating the present moment from the tzar time and found himself in the centre of Petersburg near his former mansion.
The duke's natural inclination towards risk built him a reputation of a man with an interesting and a bit mythical life. Alexander Pushkin, who would visit the duke's grandmother – duchess Natalia Golitsina (the old lady in "the Queen of spades"), chose Boris Golitsin to be Herman's prototype. "Being a gambler at his heart Herman never took cards" and played only once in his life staking on three fatal cards named by the old duchess. In that literary character, which most closely corresponds to the modern spirit of his former mansion (where one of the most prestigious gambling houses in St. Petersburg – casino-club "Olympia" – is now located), the serene duke came back there to take revenge from Fortune.
Having noted a visitor who did not dare to enter, the doorman opened the door and the officer found himself in front of the main staircase. Dazzled by electric light of high empire candelabrums with gilded bronze he did not move for some seconds amazed by a rising vista of stairs covered with a bordeaux carpet. Herman could not remember that wonderful staircase since it was built in 1870s by the court architect Bravura after the death of the serene duke. The next owner of the mansion was duke Alexey Shakhovsky, a general, who was in command of a corps during Russian-Turkish war.
A slow music and muted voices were heard from the rooms at the second floor, but the staircase itself was empty. Herman had already reached the landing but hesitated not knowing which symmetrical branch of the staircase to choose. That very moment a hunched figure wearing a yellow dress embroidered in silver and decorated with roses cap that was put on above a powdered wig appeared in a huge mirror with a background of bordeaux stairs he had just left behind. Herman was waiting for that meeting: the duchess was wearing the same dress as that night, the last night in her life when having entered her chamber he begged her to tell him three fatal cards and took a gun out of his pocket having failed to find the proper words that could shake her heartless calmness.
Your lost soul has pined away in wandering and you have come here to try your fortune again. – she said moving her lips that resembled dried rose-petals. – You should stake and if you guess the right three cards, you will be allowed to find peace inside the walls of this palace. But if you lose you will be doomed to awful torments of non-existence. You still have a chance to reject my deal. Make up your mind. But you should not forget, if you accept it you might lose not just your life but eternity.
Herman turned pale but kept looking in the mirror.
-- I accept it – he said and went to the room without turning back.
Herman opened the door and found himself in a spacious restaurant which could accommodate more than 50 visitors. The chairs padded with tapestry, stucco moulding on the ceiling and smartly decorated border – all the interior of the Emerald Room instantly carried the guest to the atmosphere of the 19th century, which he knew very well. Herman sat at one of the small round tables covered with snow-white cloths and laid with excellent taste; he looked around. In mild twinkling of wall lamps and candles elegantly dressed men and women in evening dresses were talking, lazily smoking aromatic cigars or savouring collection drinks to whet the appetite before eating dishes of European cuisine. Slow movements, low voices and amiable waiters who could guess a wish of a guest by the single movement of their eyelashes – all those proved that it was one of the most prestigious clubs in St. Petersburg.
The combination of sophistication and comfort, aromatic wine and appetizing dishes gradually made Herman forget about the forthcoming trial. And he plunged into reminiscences about the past life of the “palace in Liteiny”.
Herman knew that at the beginning of the 20th century nearly every man of exalted rank in Petersburg would visit the mansion. And official receptions of State Councilor Dmitry Lubimov were attended even by tzar Nikolay II. Literary soirees were also organized there. Just in that place writer A. Kuprin might think over the plot of his famous story “A pomegranate bracelet”, since the prototype of its main character was the hostess of the house and a relative of the writer.
There is data about the mansion during the February revolution of 1917 left by State Councilor Dmitry Lubimov’s son – Leo Lubimov – a well-known emigrant literary man and journalist. "That time we were living in the mansion at the corner of Furshtadskaya street and the Liteiny avenue" -- he wrote in his memoirs "In a foreign country". – "The windows of my room faced the avenue on the bridge side. In February 27 I was woken up in the morning by loud cries coming from the street. The troops were marching along Liteiny. People were standing at the side-walk and shouting something; women were waving their kerchiefs. In Liteiny near Sergeevskaya street a barricade was built over which the rebels took shelter. Closer to the Nevsky avenue the government units were standing. After they had fired machine-guns people disappeared from the avenue in a moment."
After the revolution communal flats were made in the mansion. A lot of the unique interior decoration (including paintings, stucco, oak ceilings, patterned parquets and shades) was destroyed. Only few fragments of the second floor interior and the staircase decorated with the stained-glass window remained safe. During the Soviet epoque the mansion had been decaying gradually without the owner's care until all the interior decoration had been eventually destroyed by the 1980s.
Now it seems unbelievable that the luxurious interior of the palace was restored only a decade ago. In 1992 with the help of close corporation "Troika-Shtalmann" the reconstruction work began and in three years the palace was brought back from non-existence. After the fundamental restoration (which was held on the funds of well-known businessman and couturier Klaus Shtalmann) in the mansion elite casino-club "Olympia" (which is a part of "Conti group") has been opened. Its grand opening took place in May 28 1998 in the presence of the descendants of the mansion former owners.
Prior to visiting that place Herman found out that the club consisted of three gambling halls (the Oak Hall, the Crimson and the Musical Rooms), three restaurants (the Emerald, the Golden and the Terracotta ones) and the Congress-Hall. Whereas all the halls were accommodated in already existed interiors, the two-level domic space of the Congress-Hall with a falling stage and modern equipment was specially constructed.
Herman always wanted to see all the mansion before the beginning of the last game. Going on the parquet covered with skillfully woven carpets, having opened the massive door he entered the Golden restaurant. Swaying flashes of the candles inspired mild light into rosy upholstery of the settee and carpet of the same tone; they were sparkling on the silky walls and the varnished wood of the sideboard and the tables with various dishes which the club cooks prepared following the best traditions of Russian court cuisine. The golden-white room, which could accommodate about 15 guests, reminded Herman of the organized there on Christmas and Mardi Gras soirees a la Russe. He was glad to find out that the tradition was revived in the "Olympia" after the years of oblivion and kept existing in the beginning of the 21 century.
Having passed that Hall Herman found himself in the "antique" interior of the Terracotta restaurant. Exquisite moulding, Flemish paintings in gilded frames, a rocking chair beside the fire-place, a great choice of hookah tobaccos and sophisticated oriental cuisine – all that proved the exclusive status of the Hall. In 2002 a reception in honor of the "Olympia" quests – the members of the House of Romanovs – was organized in that Hall.
For a few moments Herman was standing stock-still trying to catch that subtle flavour of balls which he thought had fallen into oblivion. But that time he was able to feel their forgotten charm. Once again he saw light figures of beauties in silky evening dresses, that used to shine in the "palace in Liteiny": Sophia Shakhovskaya, Anna Viliegorskaya, Ekaterina Golitsina, Varvara Dolgorukaya, Maria Nesselrode…After the century and a half Herman felt the former life come back to his mansion.
The officer had left behind the restaurants, which with their décor and cuisine could satisfy the most demanding taste, and went to the gambling halls where he was going to conclude a deal with the old duchess.
When Herman found himself in the central part of the palace he heard a noise similar to that of falling coins. Having opened the door he entered the Crimson Room with solemn and at the same time chamber atmosphere. The officer got astonished by its sight: he saw a dozen of machines with bright screens where colourful pictures were flitting one after another. In that hall decorated in the classical style they seemed like unreal fantastical visitors. Settled on high sittings in front of the slot-machines the gamblers absently or being absorbed in the "battle" pressed the bright knobs peering into the combination of colourful slots and waiting for the machines to throw the clinking tokens. That unusual entertainment excited the officer so much that he felt an irresistible desire to gamble and, leaving the crimson Hall, went to the halls with traditional card-tables, which were so familiar to him.
The feeling of risk is eternal and permanent. Only its forms can vary with years: some popular games give place to others and go down to history. In the middle of the 19th century people mainly played such commercial games as whist, ombre and boston; among gambling games bank, shtoss, faro, baccarat and macao were well-spread. Herman found himself in the Musical Room – the most spacious and airy hall in the palace with 5 card-tables and 2 tables for American roulette. He was sure that even after 150 years some games were still interesting to gamblers. He walked towards the tables and was amazed to see those great changes in the range of games that had happened for the last century and a half: Draw Poker, Poker "Golden Oasis", Black Jack, 3 Card Poker and Russian Poker. Altogether in the Musical Room and the neighbouring Oak Hall there were 13 tables. To clarify the rules of the unfamiliar games Herman opened one of the booklets:
In the Oak Hall the following stakes were allowed: in numbers – min 50, max 1000; in chances -- min 200, max 30000. For card games in the Oak Hall stakes in conventional units were only allowed. The range of the stakes was as follows: for Draw Poker – min 5, max 50; for Black Jack – min 10, max 200; for Poker "Golden Oasis" – min 10, max 500; for 3 Card Poker – min 10, max 200.
In the Musical Room for roulette and card games stakes in rubles were only allowed. For roulette: in numbers – min 10, max 500; in chances – min 00, max 10000. For card games: for Draw Poker – min 100, max 3000; for Black Jack and for Poker "Golden Oasis" – min 200, max 5000; for 3 Card Poker – min 200, max 2500.
Also, the officer learnt that twice a month on Wednesdays in 9 pm the guests of "Olympia" could take part in a drawing of 250 000 rubles. Prior to the beginning of the drawing the leaders of the rating received special prizes.
Every second Saturday in 9 pm drawing "A blazing five" with a prize fund of 5000 $ was held. Two weeks prior to the drawing its participants started to take points according to the following ratings:
- The fieriest gambler.
- The most generous gambler.
- "Desperado" or the most desperate
- the Great Contriver.
The cards of all the participants were put into the lottotrone and one by one taken out and put by their holders onto the empty numbers on the roulette until all the numbers were covered. After that the dealer made a spin which determined the name of the first winner – the person who held the card on the dropped number. That person received a prize of 200 $. The card of the winner did not participate in the drawing any more and the number on the roulette was covered by another card from the lottotrone. Thus, 5000 $ were drawn in 25 spins.
After Herman had looked some more booklets, which told him about the rules of the games available in the casinos of Conti Group, about the action "100 000 $ for 100 days" and about many other exciting actions, he stopped on the description of drawing "Jackpot Platinum" – the exclusive offer of gambling house "Olympia". All the gamblers whose stakes exceeded 50 $ were rated by the casino and the results were shown on plasmic panels in "Olympia" halls. When one of the gambler took 7000 points, jackpot Platinum dropped – 10 000 $ – which was divided among 5 leading gamblers according to their ratings. The officer was mostly impressed by the sum of payments made in October 2004. It amounted to 1 152 000 rubles! He was also pleasantly surprised to find out that "Olympia" for the first time among all other casinos in St. Petersburg drew a Hummer car. At the height of the evening when "Olympia" got full of music, aromas of perfumes and expensive cigars, Herman felt as if he were a haunter of that casino because of its natural atmosphere despite high level of the service provided and strict conformity to every minute nuance of the etiquette. The deeper Herman plunged into the risky world of the casino the more tempting and achievable the deal suggested by the old duchess seemed to him. Though not long ago he regarded it as an attempt of a loser despaired in the game who was doomed to fail. A sparkle of passion and resolution flamed up in his heart. Unable to bear uncertainty any more he decided to battle with fortune at once.
The palace Oak hall was full of gamblers who were sitting at five card- and one roulette table. Stained windows, delicate gilded moulding, blue cloth on the tables and oak panels on the walls and the ceiling added some mystery to the atmosphere of the hall. Herman felt that it was the right place for his last game.
He came up to one of the tables to observe the game. Suddenly he got seized with excitement. It seemed to him that electric candles trembled as if there were a light draft. He felt a wave of heat coming from the rotating roulette. Herman’s thoughts confused and the reality started to dissolve in the past. With amazing clearness as if it had happened a moment before, the officer remembered his fatal game – the first and the last game in his life. He dreamt that he had passed “a number of wonderful rooms full of amiable waiters. Some generals and Privy Councilors were playing whist; young people were sprawling on damask-upholstered sofas, eating ice-cream and smoking pipes. In the living-room the host was sitting and keeping the bank at a long table surrounded by about 20 gamblers”.
Herman felt a subtle touch as if someone had bent towards him. “Do not forget! If you guess the right three cards, you will be allowed to find peace inside the walls of this palace. But if you lose you will be doomed to awful torments of non-existence.” – the voice behind him said.
Spin after spin Herman was staring at the numbers on the roulette trying to overcome the combination the old duchess had told him. However, the fatal “the three, the seven and the ace did not leave his mind and were on his lips. He imagined the three as a flower in full bloom; the seven occurred as gothic gates and the ace – as a huge spider”. Herman’s choice was predetermined. He looked back, saw the blind eyes of Fortune and staked. The three wan. Then he guessed the seven. The last spin turned out to be the fatal one: the roulette rules did not presuppose any face-cards. The roulette kept fiercely rotating. The last what he was able to notice were black and red splashes of spilled sectors. A moment after their flashing alloyed into one endless vortex, which whirled Herman and carried him away to the eternity. He did not have strength to resist it. And only three fatal cards kept blazing as a flourish at the periphery of his mind – the three, the seven…
By Olga Zharkovskaya