Romanov Palace

In 1907, a metal fence was installed around the palace grounds, and it was transformed into a residence, comprising living quarters and a servants' house.^[4][5] The palace featured a garden and was adorned with decorative stables.^[1][7] The Romanov Palace had a P-shaped design with two main sections and a front porch (portico).^[4] The central part of the building had a two-story room with a dome and four corner turrets adorned with ornate minarets.^[4] The lower part of the palace housed a spacious storage area and service rooms. On the first floor, there was the grand living quarters of the prince and a reception room. Guests would enter the reception room through a vestibule at the entrance. A spiral staircase led from the vestibule to a significantly larger room on the second floor, which was further connected to a smaller room. On either side of the smaller room, there were decorative alcoves with arches. The rooms on either side of the vestibule were interconnected.

The room with the dome on the western side was designed in an Eastern style, while the room on the eastern side featured a European-style design.^[7][4] The main arches on the front facade were constructed in a Gothic style.^[8] Throughout the years, the palace served various purposes, including hosting the Museum of Turkistan People's University initially, followed by the Republic Central Fine Arts Museum (1924), the Republic Palace of Pioneers (1934-1980), and the Museum of Uzbek Jewelry Art (1980-1993).^{[2][1][9][4][5]}

Entering through the oak carved double-leaf wide doors at the front of the palace,^[10] the visitor entered a large circular hall in dark wood with an intricately shaped lantern lowered on a cast-iron chain. There were three doors leading out of the hall: directly in front of the person entering, and to the right and left. Behind the left door was a circular spiral patterned iron staircase leading to the first floor, a rich, large library and billiard room.^[11] Entering the right door, the visitor entered the spacious winter garden. There were palm trees of different varieties, as well as lemon, orange, tangerine and Pomeranian trees.

On the left side of the entrance to the winter garden there was a Japanese garden with dwarf fruit trees; in this garden there were babbling brooks, over which there were beautiful bridges with railings in the form of fences and tunnels, as well as tiny houses and near them a mass of figures of people and animals in picturesque poses. Also, in the garden there were arbors of tropical plants in bloom.

Passing through the left door from the hall, the visitor entered three halls, one after the other. These halls contained marble statues and paintings from the collection of Nikolai Konstantinovich. This collection of paintings and sculptures is now in the Art Museum of Uzbekistan.^[12]

A door opposite the entrance led from the hall to other rooms of varying sizes. In the first small living room, a charming statue of Venus stood close to a huge French window, which looked pink and transparent when illuminated by the sunlight falling through the window. In the next room in glass cabinets and showcases were numerous exhibits from Nikolai Konstantinovich's collection - figurines, ivory toys, orders, medals, rings, bracelets, silver and gold jewelry and many other interesting things of this kind.