The Grand Gatchina Palace

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One of the main symbols of Gatchina is the Grand Palace, - in the past the favorite place of rest for the representatives of the imperial family. The country residence, reminiscent of a medieval castle, began to be erected in the suburbs of St. Petersburg in 1766, still under Count Orlov. The building, built in the style of classicism - the project of Antonio Rinaldi - was completed only in 1781. The huge palace was rebuilt twice more - in the 1790s and 1840s - and in the Great Patriotic War the castle was partially destroyed.

The monumental building is faced with the famous pudostite limestone known for its durability and durability. According to Rinaldi's plans, the palace complex was in harmony with the park zone.

Restoration and restoration work in the Grand Gatchina Palace has not been completed so far. The architectural pearl is divided into three parts, the main one being the central three-story building, decorated with two towers. Two other rectangular buildings adjoin the main building, they contained the Stables and Kitchen square.

The Grand Gatchina Palace, towering over a hill above the Silver Lake, served the favorite of Catherine II until his death. In 1783 the building was bought from the heirs of Grigory Orlov, Pavel I became the new owner of the castle. With him, a parade ground with a bastion wall and a garden was arranged on the territory of the palace complex. Two additional storeys have been added for both quarters:

"Suburban Hermitage", or "The Castle of Russian Hamlet" - as it is often called the Grand Gatchina Palace - became a museum right after the October Revolution. And until 1941 the castle was open for visits. The first damage to the building was received at the beginning of the war from bombings, and in 1944 during the retreat, the fascist troops set fire to the surviving corps.

The second reconstruction of the palace in Gatchina did not go beyond the transformations in the square. The only thing: according to the idea of architect R.I. Kuzmina was dismantled the walls of the bastions, but they were replaced by new ones. Under Alexander III, the Bolshoy Gatchina Palace, similar to the English hunting castle, conducted electricity, telephone, and heated heating.

Grand Gatchina Palace: history

Visit the luxurious 18th century parade halls, after a tour of the former imperial residence, you can and today. For tourists, an underground tunnel is opened, leading from the palace chambers directly to the Silver Lake in Gatchina. The Grand Palace is open for visits on any day of the week, except Monday and the first Tuesday of each month. Working hours: from 11.00 to 19.00

Address: Krasnoarmeysky Avenue, 1, Gatchina

Grand Gatchina Palace under the cover of snow, Gatchina

Reviews of Bolshoy Gatchi (1)

Evaluation 9

Impressive palace complex in Gatchina October 28, 2013

tani300873

was here in July 2011

@ This park-palace complex we visited in the summer of 2011, taking an excursion from St. Petersburg. The trip was very impressive. The Gatchina Palace occupies a vast territory, in the center of which is the Great Palace. His Empress Catherine II first gave her favorite Count Orlov. Later it became the residence of Paul I, which turned it into a real impregnable fortress. Opposite the entrance to the palace there is a monument to Pavel I, from which all the tourists are photographed. The Palace itself ... Read the full review