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Since 2013 the lavish 18th century Shuvalov Palace, St. Petersburg has been the home of Museum Fabergé and holds the world’s largest collection of Fabergé eggs. Those in the collection were commissioned by the last Russian emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II. At the time European society considered Russia unparalleled in silver and gold decorative arts. The museum owes its existence to a staggering act of altruism by Viktor Vekselberg, who, in 2004 began The Link of Times Cultural and Historical Foundation with the idea of returning Russian culturally significant artefacts and artworks for public display to Russia. 

The nine Fabergé eggs which form the core of the collection were purchased by him from American entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes in 2004 at a cost of $100 million.

Restoration of the the 4,700 square metre Shuvalov palace began in 2006 and took seven years to complete. At one point 300 specialist workers were involved in the project. Restoring and adapting the palace for use as a museum was the first full restoration in its 200 year history. Today, standing on the embankment of the Fontanka River, it serves as a living link to the imperial history of both St. Petersburg and Russia.