Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg - Site of Amber Room

By Linda Garrison, About.com Guide

Empress Catherine II (Catherine the Great) did not like the Baroque style used in the Catherine Palace. She preferred a classical style, and the palace interiors created by Scottish architect Charles Cameron are remarkable for their exquisite beauty, austerity of decoration, and selection of decorative materials. One of the rooms Cameron designed is the bedroom of Maria Fiodorovna, who was the wife of the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, the heir to the throne. In this room, Charles Cameron made use of his favored technique of recreating Pompeiian murals in three-dimensional forms. The room certainly has a Roman feel!