Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna was the favourite daughter of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I. A beautiful and strong minded woman, she refused to marry if it meant leaving her beloved Russia, - as was normal for the daughters of the Imperial family at the time. When she finally married the Duke of Leuchtenberg, who left his country and came to live in Russia, Nicholas I built her a splendid palace right at the heart of the city of St Petersburg. This book follows the life of Grand Duchess Maria and her family and tells the story of her beautiful Maryinsky Palace. The mixture of colour and black and white illustrations not only show the palace as it is today, including areas never before photographed, but also includes contemporary paintings of Maria's family and their way of life.