PALACE-AND-PARK ENSEMBLES OF ST.PETERSBURG SUBURBS Saint Petersburg and its surrounding palace and landscape ensembles such as Peterhof (Petrodvorets), Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin), Pavlovsk, Gatchina, Oranienbaum (Lomonosov) are a single histo

– a former country residence of Russian emperors – is a fascinating monument of the world’s architectural and gardening arts of the ХVIII-ХIХ centuries. Its three parks occupy the area of 600 ha, on which over 100 architectural constructions rise from magnificent palaces and grand monuments to intimate pavilions and park sculptures. The compositional centre or the Tsarskoselsky ensemble is Catherine’s Palace, containing exquisite decorative objects, furniture, Russian and Western-European paintings, unique collections of porcelain, amber, arms, decorative bronze, sculptures etc. Nowadays, the collection of the museum Tsarskoe Selo numbers about 20000 items. The Tsarskoselsky Lyceum, an elite school established in Russia in the beginning of the XIX century for noble families offsprings which the great Russian poet A.S.Pushkin attended, is situated next to the palace.

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late XVIII – beginning of the XIX centuries which was used as a summer residence of the Russian emperor Paul I and his family. The landscape park, one of the largest of Europe, covers the area of 600 ha. The works of the palace-and-park ensemble on the winding banks of the Slavynka river lasted for 50 years. Architects: Ch.Cameron, V.Brenna, G.Guarenghi, A.Voronikhin, C.Rossi, sculptors M.Kozlovsky, I.Martos,I.Prokofiev, F.Gordeev. The formation of the collections of the Pavlovsky Palace was closely connected with the trip of its owners over Europe in 1781-1782. They visited workshops of well-known artists, ordering and acquiring paintings, furniture, bronze articles, silk fabrics, china sets etc. \they brought to Russia a large number of antique sculptures from Italy, as well as gifts from European royal courts.

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the Gulf of Finland opposite the town-fortress Kronstadt (architects D.Fontana and J.Schedel). In 1743, Oranienbaum became the summer residence of the future emperor Peter III. A fortress ensemble with a petite palace was constructed for him to the design of architect A.Rinaldi. Later, A Rinaldi was commissioned by the Empress Catherine the Great to erect the Chinese Palace and the Catalnaya Gorka (Sliding Hill) with a pavilion. The architectural style of these monuments is distinguished by the subtle blend of elegant rococo style with traces of classicism. Oranienbaum is famous for its landscape parks dating back to the middle of the XIX centure. The following palace- museums are available to visit: the Chinese Palace, the palace of Peter III, the Japanese Pavilion of the Bolshoy (Menshikovsky) Palace.

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art, a town of parks, palaces and fountains. In the past it used to be an exquisite summer residence of Russian tsars. Verkhniy (Upper)Garden and Nizhniy (Lower) Park, genuine masterpieces of landscape design, number over 150 fountains, 5 monumental cascades. The Lviniy (Lion’s) Cascading Fountain, the second as of its size, was launched again after 60 void years.
On the territory of the reserve, during the winter there are 7 working museums: the Grand Palace, Catherine’s Block, Marli, Hermitage,the Benois family museum, the Bath Block including Tafeldecker and Kaffeeschenk Rooms and The Kitchen, and the Museum of Collectors.

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Palace (architect A.Rinaldi, 2nd half of the XVIII century), and the park – the first landscaped park in Russia. The palace throughout its history was the residence of the Russian emperors Paul I nicknamed “the most romantic Russian Emperor”, and Alexander III. On display: gala halls of the XVIII century, exhibition of Western-European and Russian paintings and arms of the XVII-XIX centuries. The romantic feature of Gatchinsky Palace is an underground tunnel to the lake. The pride of the park are the unique pavilions “Beriozovy Dom” (Birch House) and “Pavilion Venery” (Pavilion of Venus).

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