Diplomat and senator Count Nikolay Petrovich Rumyantsev was one of the major public figures in the Russian government. His mansion, often referred to as the Temple of Muses, is located in the very centre of St. Petersburg on the bank of the Neva River. Count Rumyantsev spent his whole life collecting books, manuscripts and other historical objects. After his death and in accordance with the wishes documented in his will, his mansion was turned into the very first private state museum in Russia. At the end of the 19th century the mansion became the property of members of the imperial family, descendants of the ruling dynasties in both Russia and France - the Duke of Leuchtenberg and his wife Zinaida Beauharnais. Thanks to their efforts, the building on the English Embankment soon became one of the luxurious and fashionable buildings in aristocratic St. Petersburg. RTG TV host Evgenia Altfield immersed herself in the palatial atmosphere of imperial St. Petersburg, familiarising herself with the history of Russian noble families.