Tsaritsyn Pavilion in Peterhof: description, opening hours. How to get to Peterhof from St. Petersburg?

Peterhof is a suburb of St. Petersburg, where the world's most beautiful palace complex is located, whose fountains, ponds, aviary and parks with their delightful statues surpass the scale and magnificence of Versailles.

It was here that the palaces were erected with the light hand of Peter the Great, where the entire royal court rested in the summer. His business was continued by the following representatives of the Romanov family, and what is today the greatest architectural museum in the open air is the work of the best masters for 200 years. One of his pearls is Tsaritsyn Pavilion in Peterhof.

History of the construction of the pavilion

Each palace architectural complex in this place and even some fountains are confined to some events or festivities. Here and a small Tsaritsyn pavilion in Peterhof was built by the decree of Nicholas I as a sign of consolation for his wife, who experienced the death of her daughter. Another pavilion on the neighboring island, he gave his other daughter Olga on the day of her marriage with Prince Carl of Württemberg.

The house is built in the style of ancient Roman villas, which was a great fashion. It is called "Pompeian", because it was at this time that the city of Pompeii and its suburbs, buried under the ash layer, were found.

Architect Stackenschneider and garden master Erler was instructed to recreate on a small Tsarina Island in the middle of the Olgin Pond a paradise in the romantic style that the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna loved so much.

They fully succeeded in this. As the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich noted, their son, Tsaritsyn Pavilion in Peterhof, the cost of which cost the treasury of one million two hundred thousand rubles, was wonderful and the Empress was very pleased.

The house consists of 7 rooms and a terrace. Surrounded by a garden and water, it even today creates the impression of a calm corner for finding peace of mind. There is nothing easier than to get to Peterhof from St. Petersburg from the metro station "Avtovo". From here depart the fixed-route taxi № 224, 300, 424 and 424а.

Atrium

The first guests are the hall, built according to the architectural standards of ancient Pompeii. Atrium is a guest room, where the hosts spend their leisure time surrounded by servants or guests. In such a room there is a swimming pool and a hole in the roof through which fresh air would flow in hot Italy and cool the hall on sunny days, or rainwater during the downpours filled the pool.

But being in the atrium in the damp winter of St. Petersburg is a dubious pleasure, therefore the architect A. I. Shtakenshneider foresaw a glass dome in the roof that was removed in the summer. In other respects the hall is similar to the ancient original: in its middle is a pool with a fountain, made of blue and pink marble. At its corners are columns that support the roof, and the walls of the room are painted with murals depicting sea monsters.

The bronze figures decorating the pool were brought by Nicholas I from Italy in person.

Soft benches, placed around it, were made in the workshop of Gambs and covered with blue cloth. There is a lot of light and free space in the hall, which, in combination with quietly bubbling water from the fountain, creates a peaceful mood.

Room with niches

Continuation of the repetition of the "Pompeian" style can be traced in all rooms and their decoration. For example, the atrium is adjoined by a rest room with three niches. Its walls are painted in soothing colors, and niches have semi - circular sofas and tables. The rooms were lit with an oil chandelier and floor lamps - replicas of bronze lamps found in Pompeii. She is decorated with a sculpture of a beautiful Psyche with a bronze butterfly on the hand of Cincinato Baruzzi in 1846. The lack of windows gives some intimacy to the room, from which you can see the brightly lit atrium.

Living room and dining room

On the other side of the atrium is the entrance to the living room, decorated with black and white marble columns and sculpture of a lying woman. Tsaritsyn Pavilion in Peterhof has seen a lot of guests in its time, you can visit it today. The cost of a ticket to an adult costs 450 rubles, children under 16 free. Students - 300 rubles. When presenting a student card. How to get to Peterhof from St. Petersburg? From the metro station "Leninsky Prospekt" go 103 and 420 marshrutki.

From the living room you can see a beautiful view of the atrium and the statue of Psyche standing in the dimness. Strict classical lines adorn red panels on the walls with medallions and a fireplace, but which stand marble vases and a bust of a woman 2-4 centuries AD. E.

The center of the living room is a sofa and two round tables, and at the window there are showcases, one of which is a set of Etruscan themes, specially made for the pavilion at the Imperial Porcelain Factory.

The walls of the dining room are decorated in blue tones, and the central part of the floor is occupied by a mosaic, brought from Pompeii, purchased by Nicholas I. This room also has a showcase where an imperial coral service stylized with branches of corals is stored.

On the fireplace, located in the opposite end of the room, there is an ancient vessel (about the 4th century BC) and a bust of the daughter of Emperor Titus Julius, dating from the 1st century BC. E. Through the glass doors from the dining room you can get to the terrace, from where you can see a beautiful view of the granite staircase descending to the pond.

The offices of the emperor and his wife

Tsaritsyn Pavilion in Peterhof was the Empress's favorite vacation spot from palace ceremonies. Here she was waiting for her office - a small room with a semicircular niche, furnished with comfortable furniture in burgundy tones.

Light gray-green walls and parquet floor, a desk, a mahogany chair and a marble fireplace decorated with a clock - that's all the decor of the Empress's study. To see this strict beauty, it is enough to come to Tsaritsyn pavilion in Peterhof, opening hours of which are from 10.30 to 18.00 daily.

From the cabinet through the door it was easy to get into the inner garden, at the end of which you can go through the outer staircase to the tower where the emperor's office was located. From it a narrow metal ladder allowed to climb to the platform, from where you can see the garden and the pond.

Pavilion today

Nowadays, Holguin and Tsaritsyn pavilions are open to visitors after a number of restoration works. Although much of their decoration was not preserved during the Second World War, artists and designers were able to restore the overall spirit and style of these buildings from the available photographs.