A hunting castle, the favorite home of several generations of the Tsar family, a victim of war, and finally a museum. The Great Gatchina Palace has played many roles over its long history, each of which has left its own mark on it. Once it was visited by great emperors with their families, foreign guests of honor, noisy luxurious dancing balls, even wars were fought here.
Today the Gatchina Palace is ready to give visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with three centuries of its history.
In 1765, Prince Grigory Orlov (1734-1783) took possession of Gatchina manor and commissioned the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi to design the Palace, construction of which began in 1766, and was completed 15 years later. Gregory Orlov, unfortunately, died in 1783, and did not have time to live in the estate, but it was not empty for a long time and in the same year it was transferred to the son of the Empress Catherine II (1729-1796) Pavel Petrovich (1754-1801).
After his accession to the throne, Paul I moved the Imperial residence to Gatchina, and on his behalf, the Italian architect Vincenzo Brenna began to rebuild the Palace in modern European fashion. Thanks to the Italian, regular gardens appeared on the territory adjacent to the estate, the decoration of some halls was changed, and a parade ground was equipped for the exercises of the “Gatchina army”, the favorite entertainment of the Emperor. During the reign of Paul I, the Palace was the venue for endless balls, state dinners, masquerades and performances until his death.
The Emperor’s widow Maria Feodorovna (1759-1828) bequeathed the Gatchina Palace to her son Nicholas (1796-1855). As Emperor, he was not a frequent visitor to Gatchina and only occasionally appeared for balls, meetings with nobles and the Imperial hunt. Unlike Nicholas, his great-grandson, Alexander III (1845-1894), sincerely loved Gatchina and after taking the throne moved to the Palace with his family. Alexander’s wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928), described their life as secluded, calm and quiet, which pleased both her and the Emperor with their children. The Imperial page of the Palace was turned over after the death of Alexander III. his son, Emperor Nicholas II (1868-1918) hardly visited Gatchina, except for hunting days.
During the great Patriotic war, the Palace survived fires, theft and numerous destructions. The damage was estimated at 3.7 billion rubles, and 38,152 Museum exhibits were permanently lost. Restoration of the Palace was started only in 1976 and has not yet been completed.
What can the Gatchina Palace tell you about? The first floor displays tell about the history of the Palace, its construction, and famous personalities who once lived here. Here are the apartments of Paul I, where his personal belongings are still stored. From the first floor you can climb the Signal tower, overlooking the Palace and Priory parks and urban surroundings, or to go down into a tunnel previously used for the transition from the Palace to the Silver lake and now serves as a place where you can “talk” to the Palace and hear from him answers to some questions.
The second floor opens the halls where the emperors met with nobles, held balls, dined with families, and received friends. Elegant, in its own way charming rooms and boudoir room of Maria Feodorovna will allow you to look at the everyday life of the Empress. One of the halls is a collection of Imperial weapons. The throne room, where Paul I met with the most important guests, will also be admired.
And finally, the third floor of the Palace, where Paul I’s sons Alexander and Constantine used to spend their evenings, later guests who visited the Palace, and under Alexander III, the last floor was occupied by the Imperial library. Now there is a functioning Church, as well as several exhibitions showing the history of the Palace and collections of works by European artists, collected by count Orlov and Paul I.
Gatchina Palace will tell a lot of interesting stories about the times of Imperial Russia, about the formation and development of the city of Gatchina, about the favorite activities of the emperors and their families. Themed excursions, musical concerts and theatrical performances will allow you to feel the unique atmosphere of the Palace, and the annual festivals of light and music held in the Park will tell about the most striking historical episodes in an unusual modern format.
Authors: Elizabeth Borodina, Diana Grigorieva
Location : St.Petersburg
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