Sylvia Park in Gatchina is a separate part of the Palace Park and is located in the north-west direction from the Grand Palace. At the moment, "Sylvia" is a visited park, which is part of the museum-reserve in the city of Gatchina.
History of creation
The park with the romantic name "Sylvia" was laid down by order of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and was created over eight years (from 1792 to 1800). The Grand Duke was inspired by a trip to Europe, where he and his wife visited the Chantilly parks. The desire to recreate something resembling French parks inspired Pavel Petrovich to set up a similar park in Gatchina. For this purpose, the estate of Count Grigory Orlov was chosen, who was a big fan of hunting and kept a park for pheasants in his estate.
This place was a forest with groves, clearings and a building for keeping pheasants, located on the banks of the Kolpanka River. And although the construction of gardens, parks and architectural structures “after the model” was quite common at that time, the Silvia park (being more borrowed) was created taking into account local natural features and traditions of the country. Worked on the creation of "Sylvia" by a talented gardener and park builder James Geket and architect Vincenzo Brenna.
Park layout
In addition to the borrowed French name, Sylvia Park inherited a strict geometric pattern with radial three-beam. Such a composition was quite popular in park complexes in Europe of the XVII-XVIII centuries.
Three main alleys diverge from the main Sylvian gate. The left alley leads to the Black Gate, the middle one - to the complex of the former dairy farm located on the banks of Kolpanka, the right one - in the depths of the park, to the Bird House. The main alleys intersect with three almost parallel footpaths. The closest to the Sylvian gate leads to the Palace Park and to the Zverin Gate, the furthest to the cascade with a gateway and a ruin bridge. Along the entire perimeter, the park area is covered by a ring road that connects the entire composition of the alleys.
Complex architecture
Park "Sylvia" along with the perimeter fence has a territory with a total area of 17.5 hectares.
It is separated from the neighboring Palace Park by a stone wall with gates, which depict a mask of the forest spirit of Sylvan.
The Sylvian gate - one of the main attractions of the park - the result of the work of the architect Brenna. The winding Kolpanka River divides Sylvia and the Menagerie Park. On the banks of this river are farm and house buildings that complement the landscape, beautifully reflected in the water. As early as the middle of the 19th century, about 30 cows were kept on a dairy farm, pheasants and waterfowl were kept in the house, and guests were welcomed in the pavilions.
The very idea of creating a farm in the park was also borrowed from French park ensembles, where the so-called “dairy for pleasure” was found. Not far from these buildings is a dam with a cascade, a stone bridge and a Naumakhiya pool. From the side of Krasnoarmeysky Prospect, "Silvia" is fenced with a brick fence with Black Gate. This fence was erected at the end of the 19th century.
"Old Sylvia"
The name "Sylvia" comes from the Latin " silva ", which means "forest". This name was very popular among the creators of European parks. It is not surprising that near St. Petersburg, in addition to the Sylvia park in Gatchina, there is another place with this name. We are talking about the districts of Pavlovsky Park "Old" and "New Sylvia." The names of the territory received as they arise.
"Old Sylvia" in Pavlovsky Park is similar to the park in Gatchina in that it also has a radiation composition. True, unlike the Gatchina Sylvia, here, from the circular central platform, there are not three, but twelve alleys. Because of them, "Old Sylvia" is often called the Twelve Paths Park. The architect Brenna also worked on the creation of the place. The main feature of this district of Pavlovsk Park are bronze statues located between the alleys. The central figure in the composition was Apollo Belvedere, also here you can see statues of Mercury, Venus and Flora. All of them were cast in St. Petersburg according to the project of the sculptor Fedor Gordeev.
"New Sylvia"
This site is located near the “Old Sylvia”, it was also created by Vincenzo Brenna when he was engaged in work to expand the park. In “New Sylvia” there are no strict geometric lines, the park is a forest thicket with winding paths and looks more like an untouched corner of the forest. Perhaps the most notable objects here are the statue of Apollo Musaget and the mausoleum of the Spouse Benefactor, who was erected by order of Empress Maria Fedorovna in memory of her husband Paul I. A false tombstone is located inside the mausoleum, it was designed by I.P. Martos. Also noteworthy is the column under the grim name "End of the World" by C. Cameron. The column is located on a high mound and has been located in New Sylvia since 1801.
Gatchina "Sylvia" is currently
Unfortunately, lately, due care has not been taken for the Sylvia park. The territory is more like a neglected site.
The former strict geometry was violated by numerous self-seeding, the bushes grew, the numerous ponds that in the past used to be a system of water bodies were swampy, most of the buildings were partially or completely destroyed. And if restoration work has been underway on the farm recently, then the house is in a deplorable state. The park was once decorated with two marble statues. One of them is known from the archives - this is a statue of a woman with a closed drapery face. On rare photos of the Sylvia park of past centuries, you can find images of these statues and see the former beauty of those places.
Unfortunately, at the moment only the Sylvian Gate (the symbol of the park) welcomes the guests in their original form, and the three alleys leading from them remind of the plan of the creators of this place. Another modern attraction of the Sylvia park can be considered a monument to the Komsomol heroes, erected in 1968 in memory of the Gatchina heroes from World War II and located near the main gate.
How to get to Sylvia Park?
This wonderful place is located at the address: Leningrad Region, Gatchina, Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt, Gatchina Museum-Reserve. Every year, numerous tourists walk here, breathing in the clean air, enjoying the beauty of green spaces and surviving architectural compositions.
So, the “Sylvia” arch, the description of which was recorded in the Kushelevsky album back in 1794, remains to this day a wonderful place of unity with nature, preserving its beauty and greatness in anticipation of a revival. A visit to this park will undoubtedly allow you to plunge into the atmosphere of bygone days and feel the spirit of that time.
Being an excellent object of landscape gardening art of the 18th century , the territory of the Sylvia Park is recognized as the cultural heritage of Russia.