Photo of the Week: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Flickr © yasmapaz & ace_heart

The palace at Peterhof in Saint Petersburg, also known as "the Russian Versailles." This week's featured Harper Auction is a five-night stay in Saint Petersburg's Taleon Imperial (a $6,000 retail value) for an opening bid of $1,800. The auction closes today at 4 pm CST.

From the Harper Collection: The obvious choice for anyone wanting a taste of czarist grandeur is this 29-room property, housed within the Eliseev Palace. Originally built for a wealthy merchant family in the mid-19th Century, the opulently decorated mansion is ideally located at the intersection of the Moika River and the city’s principal avenue, Nevsky Prospekt. Converted into a hotel in 2003, it has state-of-the-art facilities, including an indoor swimming pool and spa. (A private club with a small casino occupies the same premises.) The tone is immediately set by the reception area, with its elaborately painted ceiling, low lighting and beautifully carved mantelpiece.