About the House of Peter I in the period of the 17-18th centuries.

The House of Peter I is the oldest civil structure in the city of Polotsk. The official date of construction was 1692, but at the beginning of the 21st century, during archaeological work, researchers found that the beginning of construction could be attributed even to the middle of the seventeenth century.
Originally it was a wooden building on a high stone base. The house had an extensive basement and even a garbage chute. During the Russian-Polish war (1654-1667), the building was severely damaged and by the end of the 17th century was completely rebuilt from bricks. Judging by the archaeological finds of tiles with the coat of arms of “Ostoy”, found on the territory adjacent to the building, the House of Peter I could belong to the Grabnitsky family known in Polotsk.
At the end of the 17th century the building was repaired anew, which was associated with the arrival in Polotsk in 1780 of Empress Catherine II. By that time, the stoves were replaced and a memorial plaque was installed indicating that the Russian emperor Peter I lived in this house in 1705. It is known that Jesuit monks were telling about this empress.
This building has always stood out for its unusual architectural style, which is often called “Dutch” in old documents. As it is known, Petr Alekseevich loved everything Dutch, and it was quite simple for the Jesuits of Polotsk not only to “place” the emperor in this house, but also to find confirmation of this.