The Alexander Palace in Pushkin was built by order of Empress Catherine 2 specifically for the wedding day of her beloved grandson Alexander Pavlovich with Princess Elizaveta Alekseevna. Initially, it was called New Tsarskoye Selo due to its close location to the famous imperial residence - the Catherine Palace. The future emperor Alexander 2 and his wife drove there immediately after the wedding.
Pushkin, Alexander Palace: the history of construction
The process of erecting the New Palace in Tsarskoye Selo was begun in 1792. Catherine 2 expressed a desire for the building to look like Voltaire's Ferney Castle. Supervised the work of I.V. Neyelov, and from 1793 his brother P.V. Neyelov, both architects. The construction of the palace cost the Russian treasury 300 rubles. During the construction, 6.5 million bricks were used. The palace got its name later by the name of the future owner.
The two-story building, designed by architect J. Quarenghi, is a vivid example of the classical style. It has several front rooms and service rooms on the ground floor. An important architectural find was the double Corinthian colonnade. She visually connected the main building with the wings on each side, and allowed to form a semi-closed courtyard in front of the main facade of the building. This is clearly visible on the plans of the Alexander Palace in Pushkin, given below.
Construction was completed in May 1796, and already on June 12, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, who had just turned 16 years old, solemnly moved into the palace with his young wife. It was planned that the building will become the summer residence of the royal family, so the interiors were made in the "summer" style. Behind the palace, a park was laid out, and the facade of the building was oriented to the main alley of the Alexander Garden.
Palace architecture
The idea of the Italian architect J. Quarenghi initially consisted of an interesting spatial solution - a large, long building with a configuration based on the extended letter P. However, the design changed several times and had various options. The latest version was the construction of an elongated two-story building, on the sides of which there were wings. Its facade overlooking the Alexander Park, represented a half-ton, covered with a spherical dome. On the rear facade were alternating rectangular and three-part windows, framed by columns on the first floor.
The general composition of the building of the Alexander Palace in Pushkin is axial, containing a courtyard inside, which is separated by 2 rows of columns. Entrances to the inner building contain ramps, the external entrance is represented by stairs. To get to the front door, you must go through the colonnade.
In 1838, statues were placed in front of the colonnade, which were cast at a local iron foundry. They depict two young men who play fun then popular - “grandmothers” and “pile” (sculptors N. S. Pimenov and A. V. Loganovsky). During the life of Tsar Nicholas 1, balconies overlooking the park were attached to the building.
The interior of the palace
The interior design of the palace was entrusted to Russian and foreign experts: the carpentry was done by I. Shponholtz, the stucco work was done by the masters under the guidance of Moklord, the walls and plafonds were painted by decorators J. A. Giacomo and J. Ferrari. The most solemn halls of the grand suite, located along the facade, are lined with artificial white marble.
The center of the building is a room with a half-tube divided by arches into 3 parts: middle - a semicircular hall, east - a portrait hall, western - a billiard room, which is also called the Raspberry lounge. On the left side of the enfilade, the last was the Corner lounge, from which you can go to the library. In the wing on the right side, the Palace Church was built.
Alexandrovsky park
Behind the palace is a beautiful spacious park of 200 hectares, which extended to the Catherine Palace. It was laid under Catherine 1, for which they fenced a plot of forest and made a menagerie there. It was intended for the maintenance of wild animals, which were then used for royal hunting.
In the 18th century, the menagerie was surrounded by a stone wall, and entertainment pavilions were arranged nearby. Then the New Garden was planned, which stretched between the palace and the menagerie with alleys crossed by the cross. In the Alexander Park, all the children from the families of the dynasty of Russian emperors played.
You can get into the park through the gate next to the Alexander Palace or others. It consists of 2 main zones:
- regular, called the New Garden or the French park, with a geometric layout with alleys, pools and flower beds;
- Landscape Park - with a free layout and natural landscape, 3 ponds are dug in it (Children's, Kitchen and Front).
Small buildings in the neo-Gothic style were built on the territory: Arsenal, Chapelle, White Tower and others (projects by architect A. Menelas), which now belong to historical monuments and are being restored in the process of restoration work.
Who lived in the palace?
His first tenants were Alexander Pavlovich and his wife, who settled right after the wedding. They lived here for several years, and then moved to the Catherine Palace. Then, Emperor Nicholas 1 lived here for many years with his wife Alexandra Fedorovna, who died here.
Under Alexander 3, he was considered a grand princely residence. And since 1904, the Alexander Palace in Pushkin became for many years the residence of Emperor Nicholas 2.
Secular and state receptions were held in these halls, foreign delegations and ambassadors of foreign countries came here. Within these walls there was a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty and festivities dedicated to the bicentenary of the founding of Tsarskoye Selo.
The last house of the royal family
Before the revolution, the imperial family lived in the Alexander Palace for 12 years, and in 1917 it became a haven for 5 months for the captured imperial family, led by Nikolai 2: they were brought here after the October events, from here they were taken to Yekaterinburg, where they shot.
Empress Alexandra had a great influence on the interior of the palace, creating a cozy home atmosphere. She paid much attention to the repair of many rooms, preferring late Victorian design, as well as modern and neoclassicism. Flowers were placed in all rooms, shelves and cabinets were filled with photographs and art objects.
Revolution and war
Beginning in 1918, the Alexander Palace in Pushkin became the State Museum and opened to visitors. An exhibition was opened in the center of the building, which demonstrated to everyone "the reactionary activity of the Russian autocracy." A rest house for the Chekists was placed in the office premises and in the left wing, and the Orphanage named after Young Communards (closed in 1930).
During the Great Patriotic War, the city of Pushkin was occupied by the Germans, who placed their headquarters in the palace, and the cellars used for imprisonment those who were in the Gestapo. SS soldiers were buried in the territory in front of the building. During the period of hostilities, the building suffered little damage, but its interiors were looted, and the library was completely destroyed. After the liberation of Tsarskoye Selo from the Nazis, it was mothballed.
In 1946, the collection of the Institute of Russian Literature at the USSR Academy of Sciences moved here, and then the exposition of the Museum of A. Pushkin was placed. Restoration work was only begun in 1947, and in 1951 the palace was given to the Naval Department. The consequence of this decision was the redevelopment of some rooms, due to which most of the historical decoration was not preserved.
The revival of the palace museum
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the leadership of the Tsarskoye Selo State Reserve sought financial means by any means to repair the building: they began patching the roof, asking tenants to transfer the area for the foundation of the museum and holding various exhibitions.
In 1996, Russia received a grant from WMF (World Wide Fund for Historic Monuments) for restoration work. In 1997, an exposition was opened in the premises of the right wing, telling about the representatives of the Romanov royal family, who lived here for many years. Various interior items, personal belongings and clothing of the emperor and his family were preserved, which have survived to the present day.
In 1998, a thematic scientific conference was held on the history of the Alexander Palace in Pushkin (St. Petersburg) and plans for its revival.
Restoration work
In 2000, a lot of work was done to restore many of the premises of the palace. For this, old photographs were used, including those taken by the military photojournalist A. Zest at the request of art historians in June-September 1917.
All pre-revolutionary photos of the Alexander Palace in Pushkin, images of the interiors of its halls, reception rooms, library and the private rooms of the imperial family helped restorers to recreate the decoration of the rooms as they were in the last years of the life of Nicholas 2 and his family.
In 2010 (on the occasion of the celebration of the centennial of Tsarskoye Selo), restored ceremonial halls were opened in the palace:
- Semicircular, where every year on Christmas holidays they put a Christmas tree for the royal children.
- Portrait, on the walls of which there were images of emperors of the Romanov dynasty and members of their families.
- Marble living room, richly decorated with gilded furniture, mirrors in beautiful frames and tiger skins.
The reception room of the Russian emperor, decorated with oak panels, and the study, the Corner and Maple living rooms, in which Alexandra Fedorovna received visitors, and her bedroom, the Lilac office, were also restored.
Pushkin, Alexander Palace: address and opening hours
The Tsarskoye Selo Nature Reserve is located 25 km south of St. Petersburg. You can get there by train from the Vitebsk station, and then by bus. There are also shuttle buses that depart from the Moscow metro to the museum reserve.
Address: Pushkin, st. Sadovaya, 7. Opening hours of the Alexander Palace (Pushkin): 10.00-18.00. Weekends: Tuesday and every last Wednesday of the month.
When will it open?
Many visitors and tourists who had the opportunity to see and appreciate the architecture and interiors of the Alexander Palace in Pushkin, leave the most admired, noting his home environment and comfort, created by the presence of personal belongings of the emperor and members of his family.
Since 2015, the Alexander Palace Museum has been closed for a full-scale restoration. According to press reports, the first part of the restored rooms in the building will open at the end of 2018 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Nicholas 2 and in honor of the 100th anniversary of the execution of the royal family in Yekaterinburg. Then regular excursions to the Alexander Palace in Pushkin will resume.