The Imperial Travellers Palace was built to serve as a palace for the imperial family to stay at when travelling from St Petersburg to Moscow. It was built between 1764 and 1766 in the classical style with elements of baroque. In the early 19th century the palace was reconstructed by the famous Italian architect Carlo Rossi. Around this time it was used as the residence of Grand Duchess Yekaterina Pavlovna, the daughter of Emperor Paul I, whose husband was governor-general of Tver. In itself the palace is one of the most famous sights of Tver, but in addition it houses the city's art gallery. The gallery was founded in 1866 and has one of the richest art collections in Russia, displaying many works of art from both Russia and abroad, including icons, paintings, furniture, sculptures and items of decorative-applied art.