Sightseeing

GATCHINA One of the finest specimens of early Russian Neoclassicism, the Palace and Park ensemble of Gatchina was created 45 kilometers southwest of St.Petersburg on the lands originally known as village of Khotchino, belonging to Peter the Great’s beloved sister Natalia Alexeyevna from the beginning of the 18th century. In 1765 Catherine the Great presented this land to her favourite, Count Grigory Orlov, who shortly afterwards commissioned Antonio Rinaldi to build a palatial castle and a splendid landscaped park there. Rinaldi started the construction in 1766 with a three-storey central part and two octagonal towers, the Signal and the Clock; arched one-storey wings link the main building with square one-storey outbuildings, and as a result in 1781 the palace, faced with local limestone and resembling a medieval English castle, was erected. At the same time the Gatchina park were laid out in a picturesque fashion with abundance of diverse vegetation and picturesque lakes and ponds - the White and Silver Lakes, the Carpiev Pond - and the islands and peninsulas in-between. In the course of the time the park was adorned with numerous bridges, terraces and spectacular stone staircases - one can see here the Eagle Pavilion the Venus Pavilion the Birch and Admiralty Gates, the Forest Hothouse by architect Brenna, the Aviary by architect Andrean Zakharov, the Prior's Palace by Nikolai Lvov, the original Birch House by artist A.F.Viollier. But Orlov enjoyed the splendid interiors and priceless art collection only for 2 years - in 1783 he died and the Empress Catherine II bought the castle from his heirs to give it to her son and the future Emperor Paul I, who considered Gatchina to be his favourite summer residence, and after Vincenzo Brenna redecorated the palace according to Paul’s taste, the crown prince settled there to enthusiastically drill his small force of the Guards. 90 years later, Gatchina became the residence of the Russian emperor Alexander III. Reconstructed by the architect Roman Kuzmin in the 19th century, the palace was almost completely destroyed during the Nazi occupation as well as many of the buildings in the park, but in the 1970s the restoration and reconstruction works began and in 1985 the museum in Gatchina palace was reopened. Today visitors can enjoy not only the decor of the Anteroom, the Marble Dining-Room, the Throne, White and Picture Halls, adorned with superb parquetry designs, painted ceilings, stuccowork, bronzes, furniture, but also a unique art collection. The first owner of Gatchina Palace, Grigory Orlov not only supervised the construction of his castle-palace, but also graciously accepted gifts from the Empress for its decoration, which formed the very basis of the future collection. He purchased the set of specimens of Chinese art and made a start on an Arm Cabinet. A passionate hunter, who built Gatchina first and foremost as a hunting lodge, Orlov began to collect weapon, mainly firearms. The next estate’s owner, Paul I, although not inclined towards hunting pursuits, continued to add to the collection. When his widow, Maria Fedorovna was the mistress of Gatchina, the collection of weapon increased – rare examples were arranged on 13 oak panels, with pistols in the middle forming the monogram of Paul I. Nowadays more than 1100 weapons are kept at Gatchina Palace, featuring best examples from 14 European countries and armoury centers in Asia. Containing porcelain, enamel, red and black lacquer, stone and wood sculpture, Gatchina’s Oriental collections is undoubtedly unique. It’s also remarkable that to house these sets, three galleries were built in the Arsenal Square in the middle of 19th century, and one of them, adorned with pieces of Chinese applied art, came to be called the “Chinese Gallery”. The collection of Russian porcelain is as cherished as the collection of Russian and Western European paintings. Based on Grigory Orlov’s portrait gallery, and added by the active participation of all its imperial masters, the collection numbers 635 portraits by the beginning of the 20th century and there was no larger collection in Russia .

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