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Gatchina is mentioned in the scribe book in 1499 as
the village, Khotino. After the victory in the Northern war many noblemen used
the local lands as hunting grounds. In 1766 the construction both of the
palace and the park began. The palace is located in the scenic place
overgrown with thick pine forest interspersed with clear lakes: The Silver,
White, and Black lakes are connected between them by canals.
The place for the construction of the palace
was situated on a high shore of the Silver lake separated with a narrow isthmus,
the Long island, from the central lake of Gatchina, the White lake. At
the same time on the shores of the lakes the construction of the English
Garden (the first landscape park in Russia) began. The palace was built by
the architect Rinaldi. In 1783 empress Catherine II granted Gatchina to Heir
Sovereign Paul, who turned Gatchina into his model of the future Russian Empire.
After Paul's coming to the throne,
the reconstruction of the palace by architect Brenna commenced. The
palace which is built of cut stone blocks, has a modest, and even austere
Spartan appearance.
The walls of its facades are faced with slabs of local limestone
and possess a
striking ability to change color depending on the amount of illumination.
In the bright sunlight the walls of the palace appear to be golden,
whereas in overcast days they acquire a steel hue. |
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| The inner
furnishings of the palace were particularly luxurious and majestic
with its
walls being decorated with moldings, gildings and covered with cloths. |
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During World War II both the palace and the
park were considerably damaged and nowadays restoration
is
underway. Some of the parade buildings, pavilions and parts of the parks have
already been restored.
On the shores of the lakes and
islands there are many pavilions
which are
outwardly very simple
and austere but truly magnificent inside : the Venus
pavilion, the
Birch Cabin (which outwardly resembles a stack of birch
firewood), the Mask portal, and the Farm pavilion. |
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On the shore of the Black lake there
is the Priorate palace, a remarkable creation by the architect N.A.Lvov.
The palace was constructed for the prior of the Maltese order (Paul I
was the grandmaster of the order) and the emperor stayed here during
the hunting. The walls of the palace are made of earth; the floors and
ceilings are made of earthen bricks using the special technique of
architect Lvov. The walls are plastered and painted. This unique
structure has been preserved throughout present times without any changes. |
The parks extending around the palace are undoubtedly beautiful, such as the
Palace park, the Silvia park, the Priorate park, the Menagerie park. The
Dvortsoviy park is laid out amid the complex system of intertwined rivers
and lakes. The differences in height between the lakes and elevated islands
allow to see the structures of the park's places from a bird's eye
view.
Below the lakes one can see beautiful shores, hills,
arched bridges, terraces and observation towers. The lakes, numerous glades, and meadows
are connected between them with vistas. An inimitable poetic atmosphere of charm
hovers over this park and palace ensemble.
 Gatchina is Russia
and the whole world
| Gatchina has gained worldwide fame as
a popular suburb of St. Petersburg - it is the former residence of the
Russian Emperors with a unique palace-and-park ensemble. |
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