{"content":"
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\n \n KONTAN. A restaurant opened on 25 August 1885 in the Rossia Hotel (58 Moika River Embankment), situated at the far end of the courtyard, opening onto the Moika River. The restaurant was named after its owner, A.S. Kontan. Kontan was famous for its exquisite cuisine and Romanian orchestra headed by J. Gulesko. Kontan hosted banquets in honour of artists I.K. Aivazovsky and K.E. Makovsky, composer A.G. Rubinstein, singer N.N. Figner, sculptor P.P. Trubetskoy, and the celebration of Alexander Pushkin's centenary was also held there in 1899. In 1911, the centenary of the Diderichs Piano Factory was celebrated there. An apartment building belonging to restaurateur A. Jouin was built in 1913-14 on the same lot by architect R. F. Meltzer, where the new Kontan was set up. At the suggestion of the French Ambassador, Kontan hosted a celebration in honour of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Russian-French Agreement of 1891, which laid the foundation for the Russian-French alliance; a diplomatic reception was held there on 3 May 1916, attended by the entire Russian Council of Ministers and its Chairman, B.V. Shtyurmer. Composer A.K. Glazunov and pianist A.I. Ziloti played God Save the Tsar at the restaurant, and accompanies F.I. Shalyapin as he sang Marseillaise in French (twice). Shortly thereafter, the restaurant was closed down.

I. A. Bogdanov.\n
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Persons
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Meltzer Roman (Robert-Friedrich) Fedorovich\n
\n \n \n \n \n Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich\n
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