Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo

More than three hundred years, the majestic construction of the Catherine Palace occupies the main part of Tsarskoe Selo. Around the palace stretched no less elegant Catherine Park. Despite its advanced age, the Catherine Palace still impresses with its scale, magnificence and beauty. Over the years of centuries of history, the palace has been replaced by more than one generation of royalty, many great architects participated in the design and construction.

St. Petersburg, the Catherine Palace. The beginning of history

At the beginning of the 18th century, in the place where the chic palace was later built, there was a Finnish village called the Saar manor. In 1710, these possessions were donated by Peter I to his future wife Catherine (Marta Skavronskaia).

After the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703, Peterhof was considered the residence of the tsar, which is located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, it was built in 1710. But for many centuries, all heirs of the throne loved the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo and spent most of the time there. The palace became a real ceremonial residence.

In 1717, Catherine began the construction of the palace. The German architect Braunstein was involved in the construction. At the same time, he was engaged in an architectural ensemble in Peterhof. Work on the structure was completed in 1724, on this occasion a big holiday was organized. "Stone Chambers" - this is how she called her two-story mansion Catherine I.

Reconstruction of the palace at Elizabeth

Elizabeth Petrovna became the new owner of the palace chambers in 1741. At her direction at the end of 1742, the architect Zemtsov began the reconstruction of the palace, but his early death did not allow him to carry out his plans. To work after, such prominent architects as Kvasov AV, his assistant Tresini, in 1745 - Chevakinsky SI were involved.

In 1752, the work attracted the great architect Rastrelli. Elizabeth decided to completely change the appearance of the palace, because it found it small and old-fashioned. It was after this grandiose reconstruction, which lasted four years, that the most beautiful, modern Catherine Palace was born, which surprises us with its splendor today. Presentation to foreign guests and grandees took place on July 30, 1756. A grandiose structure with a length of 325 meters amazed the guests with its scale and grandeur.

Beauty and charm of the Catherine Palace

To date, for every tourist arriving in St. Petersburg, the Catherine Palace stands in the list of attractions in the first place. Than so surprised at the opening of the guests this chic palace and surprises until now?

The baroque building was completed. Huge dimensions, as already mentioned: the length of the palace stretches along the garden line and is 325 meters, beauty, grandeur, uniqueness of architecture no one still indifferent.

The facade is made in azure color, white columns, gold ornament give the palace a solemn appearance. A special charm of the facade of the building was emphasized by the figures of the Atlanteans, stucco decorations. The northern building of the palace crowned five gilded domes of the church, the southern building had a front porch, as well as a spire with a multi-pointed star. Under Elizabeth, the building of the palace became three-story, while at the same time a famous monogram appeared in the gates and ornaments of the palace in the form of "E I".

No less attractive are the internal apartments, built according to the designs of Rastrelli. The front rooms are located along the entire length of the palace. The entire front suite was painted with gilded carvings.

Immediately, next to the Sunday Church, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum is located . Gifted children studied there, including Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. In his honor in the Soviet times and was renamed Tsarskoe Selo.

Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg

At the end of the XVIII century Catherine was carried away by the ancient architecture. The Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo under the reign of Catherine II survived the final reconstruction. For the work, she hired an expert in antiquity - an architect from Scotland, Charles Cameron. It was he who created the Blue Palace, the Silver Room, the Arabesque, Lyons Lounges, the Chinese Hall and the Dormitory Dining Room. All the interiors created by Cameron, underlined the refined strict style, surprised by the beauty and mystery of the finish.

Thanks to this same architect, the Catherine Palace acquired the Chinese blue living room, the Parade Blue, the Green Dining Room. They were equipped specially for Pavel Petrovich - the son of Catherine II and his esteemed wife, also for them were built a bedchamber and a waiter's.

In 1817, under Alexander I, the architect Stasov created a dressing room with several adjoining rooms convenient for work. All these rooms were decorated in a style dedicated to the famous victory in the war with the great emperor Napoleon.

1860-1863 the Catherine Palace survived, perhaps, the last major stage of reconstruction and restructuring. The work of the architect Monighetti. The front staircase of the palace was presented in the style of "second rococo".

Until 1910, the Catherine Palace was known as the Great Tsarskoe Selo.

Excursion around the palace

Before everyone who visited Tsarskoe Selo, the Catherine Palace appeared as a miracle of the world. Passing modern customary interiors (turnstiles, souvenir shops, cash desks), tourists are sure to find themselves in the Great or Throne Room. Its dimensions are quite impressive: length - 47 meters, width - 18. This hall is the largest among all the St. Petersburg palaces. The picturesque ceiling that covers the whole ceiling demonstrates the allegories of Abundance, Peace, Sailing, Victory and War, Art and Science. Decorated in an artistic style, the parquet for a long time captures curious looks.

Rooms with huge windows, as if merging, move from one to another. So, moving around, you can visit the Silver, Blue cabinets, Arabesque, Lyons drawing rooms, the Chinese hall, the Dormitory dining room, the Waiter's room, the Ochochavalnyu, decorated by Charles Cameron. Particular attention is paid to the mysterious Amber Room.

The Amber Room. History of creation

In 1716, the Prussian king presented as a gift to Tsar Peter amber panels that were brought to St. Petersburg. Catherine Palace, they were decorated only in 1755. The Amber Room itself was slightly larger than the panel area, and the Empress Catherine II in 1763 ordered additional fragments from the German masters for the amber panel. 450 kg of amber were needed for these purposes. Its final chic appearance Amber Room found in 1770. A huge panel occupied three tiers. The central place was covered by a mosaic, depicting by allegory five senses. The whole room was filled with the finest work of amber products, over which the best masters of the XVII-XVIII centuries worked.

Amber room in the 20th century

The fragile amber components of the panel required special careful handling and care. During the war, this played a fatal role in the fate of the Amber Room. For the best preservation of the room during the evacuation was not touched, it was left in the Catherine Palace. The Nazis took her to Koenigsberg. During the war the Amber Room disappeared without a trace. There are several versions of her disappearance, each of which seems plausible.

In 2003, in the Catherine Palace, the Amber Room was recreated for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. For more than 20 years the whole staff, which included restorers, historians, chemists, criminalists, worked to return the masterpiece to life. Kaliningrad amber was used for the work, which was processed by special technology. Now the revived Amber Room is again available for visits. Well, where did the original get lost? The mystery remains undisclosed.