Russian media reports that the fire, which started yesterday in the Farmer's Palace, located on the czarist summer estate in Peterhof, raged for 14 hours before being dampened.
Some 1,000 square meters of the three-story palace was completely destroyed by the blaze. The building was constructed in neo-Gothic style as a summer residence for Czar Alexander II.
(ITAR-TASS/dpa)
RFE/RL's World: 2005 In Pictures
A slideshow of images related to the top news stories of 2005 from throughout RFE/RL's broadcast region with links to RFE/RL's reporting.
See also:
2005 In Review: Central Asia Witnesses Revolution, Continued Crackdown
2005 In Review: Does The Presence Of Western Election Observers Make A Difference?
2005 In Review: The Geopolitical Game In Central Asia
2005 In Review: Migrants, Refugees Victims Of Incoherent Laws In Post-Soviet States
2005 In Review: The Transformation Of Television In Russia
2005 In Review: Russia's Centralization Gathers Pace
2005 In Review: A Year Of Hopes, Disappointments For Afghans And Iraqis
