Русский
EnglishHalf a day tour (5,5-6 hours)
Itinerary: an hour drive to the Residence, inside visit of the castle of Paul I, visit of the underground tunnel, leisure walk around the landscape park
In 1765 Catherine the Great acquired the Gatchina site and presented it to her favorite Grigory Orlov to acknowledge him for the help in the plot which resulted in her coronation as a solo Empress. This is the starting point for the Gatchina chronicle.
The main architect of the site was Antonio Rinaldi. He projected the Grand Palace of the Residence, which combined the features of both: a countryside estate and an English manor castle. He created an English style Park, which became the 1st example of landscape parks. There appeared manly made islands, the Eagle’s Column, the Chesma Obelisque, the Octangle Well, the Grotto Echo, wooden crooked bridges, and a huge hunting lot.
After the Orlov’s death Catherine the Great bought out back this estate and presented it to her son Paul, the future Paul I. Since those days the residence was renovated. A new architect Vincenzo Brenna was untrusted. The chief gardener designer James Hackett laid out regular gardens, the Seville Park.
The architect Lvov added up the Maisons’ Palace. And the architect Zakharov created the Aviary, the cold Baths and the Crooked Bridge.
In 1828 Nicholas I made the Gatchina his official Residence during the spring and autumn military exercises. In accordance to the project of R. Kouzmin, they rebuilt the Grand Palace of the Gatchina.
In 1918 the Gatchina was opened as the state public museum.
During the WWII the residence was greatly devastated, the Grand Palace and the Pavilions were burnt down, and the park was cut down.
After the war the restorations started. The park pavilions were recreated first, and then the Grand Palace was undertaken in 1976. The 1st halls were publicly opened in 1985.
Still now some pavilions and buildings of this large Residence are being reopened.