Since 2005, Pavlovsk is a small beautiful town in the Pushkin district of St. Petersburg. It is located by the Slavyanka River, 30 km from the northern capital. Until 1796 it was the village of Pavlovskoe, founded in 1777.
A bit of history
In 1777, the lands in the valley of the Slavyanka River passed into the ownership of Pavel Petrovich - Grand Duke Romanov. The estate became known as the "Pavlovskoye Village". The entire architectural ensemble was created and improved for almost 50 years. The author of the project of the park and the palace was the Scot Charles Cameron, who was invited to Russia to design Tsarskoye Selo. The elegant and refined Pavlovsky Palace was built on the site of an old wooden structure. In addition to Cameron, A.N. Voronikhin, K.I. Rossi, J. Kvarnegi, V.F. Brenna were engaged in its decoration and decoration at different periods. The village of Pavlovskoe was created as a summer imperial residence, but in 1788 Pavel Petrovich decided to give it to his wife, leaving himself a Gatchina palace.
A week after Paul's accession to the throne, he personally ordered to rename the village of Pavlovskoye into a city.
Grand Pavlovsk Palace
In size, this building is significantly inferior to many suburbs of St. Petersburg and resembles a rich and elegant Italian villa in the style of the architect Palladio. The nucleus of the palace was a rather compact three-story building, on both sides of which were placed wings with curved galleries.
At first, the appearance of the structure was different from that which we can see today. According to historians, one-story side galleries were added later. The front facade of the palace is decorated with eight Corinthian columns. The building is crowned by a dome with often spaced columns. The architect Brenna was involved in the work on the palace, who managed to significantly expand the palace and build on the side pavilions and galleries. This happened before Paul ascended the throne.
Interior decoration
The Pavlovsk Palace, the photo of which you see in this article, has a tangible contrast between its strict appearance and luxurious interior decoration. On the ground floor there were living rooms, bedrooms, offices, dining rooms. On the second floor there were rooms, the design of which was representative.
Here is the Hall of Peace and the Hall of War. For some time, the Hall of War played the role of the Small Throne Hall. The Great Throne Hall was located in the southern pavilion of the Pavlovsk Palace. The construction area is 400 m 2 . Residential quarters, as well as ceremonial halls, are an enfilade located along the perimeter of the palace. The third floor was completely given over to office space.
The center of the building was the Italian Hall, located under the dome. Its main decoration was a luxurious chandelier made of bronze and ruby glass at the end of the 18th century. Brenna, Cameron, Voronikhin took part in the design of the hall.
Park territory
If you are lucky enough to come to St. Petersburg, the Pavlovsk Palace must certainly be included in your excursion plan. You should see with your own eyes not only the magnificent palace, but also the stunning park that surrounds it. Its area is 600 hectares and is a vivid example of the English style of park building. It is characterized by emphasizing the natural beauty of nature untouched by man.
The park is decorated with many architectural structures: Aviary, Pavilion of the Three Graces, Milkweed, Turkish Arbor, Italian Staircase. From its upper platform you can admire the beautiful panorama of the river valley. Here is the Temple of Friendship. This work of Cameron is an antique round temple, around the perimeter of which are installed Doric cannelized columns supporting the dome.
The natural part of the park includes the Mass grave, the ceremonial field, the Pink Pavilion. Near the southern border of the park there is a small and very cozy antique temple called “Monument to parents”. It was built in 1786 by the great Empress Maria Fedorovna. In addition, she, striving to perpetuate the memory of her husband, ordered a project of a mausoleum with a pathetic epitaph "Spouse-benefactor."
Pavlovsk in the XIX-XX centuries
The main event that took place in the city in the middle of the 19th century was the appearance of the Tsarskoye Selo Railway, which connected it with St. Petersburg. The terminal station was Pavlovsk. The station, designed by the architect Shtakenschneider, became the center of the summer musical life of St. Petersburg. Orchestras performed by G. Mansfeld, B. Bilze, and Strauss Jr. performed here. Concerts were conducted by M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, A. K. Glazunov and many other famous composers and musicians.
Until 1917, the Pavlovsk Palace remained the residence of the Russian emperors. In 1918, the Pavlovsk Palace Museum appeared. In the same year, the city was renamed Slutsk in honor of the revolutionary V. Slutskaya.
In 1941, the Nazis captured Pavlovsk, the Pavlovsk Palace was seriously injured. Tens of thousands of trees were cut down, pavilions were destroyed, the palace was burnt, and the station was destroyed. Soviet troops liberated the city in January 1944. It was then that he received his historical name. Almost immediately, restoration work began, which lasted until 1971. This year, the Throne and Cavalier Halls were opened for visitors.
Picture gallery
The park itself was gradually restored. The architects S.V. Popova-Gunich, F.F. Oleinik, I.G. Kaptsyug, Yu. I. Sinitsa, V. B. Mozhaiska supervised the work. The most active part in the restoration was taken by all museum employees, as well as its director A. I. Zelenova and the museum's curator A. M. Kuchumov.
Pavlovsk Palace Collections
Their formation is associated with the travels of its owners in Europe. Visiting famous masters, they acquired sculptures, paintings, bronze ware, porcelain services, unique silk fabrics. The museum is famous all over the world for products of decorative, applied and fine art. A special place in the exposition is given to collections of ancient art, samples of Russian and Western European culture of the 18th century.
The museum most fully presents the collection of finest porcelain from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Furniture items of particular interest to historians are the work of German and French masters. Of considerable interest is the furniture according to drawings by A. Voronikhin. Many halls of the palace are decorated with unique tapestries. In addition, the museum has rare collections of prints, miniatures, drawings, candelabra and watches.
Gatchina: Pavlovsk Palace
This grand building is located on the shores of Silver Lake. It began to be built in 1765 by order of Empress Catherine the Second. It was a gift unprecedented in its generosity to the favorite of the Empress Count Orlov. For him, the architect Rinaldi erected a palace that resembled a hunting castle with towers and underground passages. Its construction lasted almost 16 years.
At the main entrance were the statues of Marciori and Morlater “Justice”, “War”, “Peace”, “Caution”. For the first time in the history of Russian architecture, a natural material was used in the cladding of the building - local natural stone. The palace is made in the style of classicism, in those days a completely new and unknown.
Count Orlov, a lover of luxury, did not spare enormous money for the arrangement of the palace and soon turned it into a magnificent residence. After his death, Catherine bought her gift from Orlov’s heirs and presented it to his son Pavel I, the future Russian emperor.
The new owner remade the Pavlovsky Palace to his own liking. The reconstruction was led by the famous architect Brenn. After its completion, the palace complex began to resemble at the same time a reliable fortification and a country villa. The interior decoration of rooms has changed, halls and galleries have increased, ceremonial rooms have become true examples of Russian classicism of the magnificent 18th and 19th centuries.
From 1801 to 1828, the Pavlovsk Palace belonged to the widow of Paul the First, Empress Maria Fyodorovna. At different times, the heads of state of Russia owned a unique residence: Nikolai the First, Alexander the Second, Alexander the Third, Nikolai the Second.
The rebirth of the palace
When the Nazis retreated in 1944, they burned down the palace, although thanks to restorers, museum staff and public assistants, the Pavlovsky Palace in Gatchina was quickly restored, but museum expositions became available to visitors only in 1985. Some rooms of the Gatchina Palace are being restored today.