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Cities / St.Petersburg / Museums / Gatchina

Gatchina

The town of Gatchina is lying 24 km southwest of St.Petersburg.

It is noted for the palace built in 1766–81 by Antonio Rinaldi for the Count Grigory Orlov, a favourite of Catherine II. It had about 600 rooms, a theatre and many works of art. A fine park around the palace was created at the same time. After Orlov’s death in 1783 the palace passed to Grand Duke Paul, Catherine the Great’s son and heir. Being the passionate adherent of Prussian discipline and order, Paul made Gatchina a model town-fortress and transformed the palace into a combination of palace, fortress, and barracks. Paul’s assassination in 1801 put an end to the developing of both the town and the residence. Gatchina became the permanent tsar’s residence anew only under Alexander III, who ruled Russia from 1881 to 1894. In terms of its architecture the palace is unlike any St.Petersburg’s palace. Looking on the outside like an ancient British castle, it combines the splendour of the Russian Baroque and the noble simplicity and symmetry of the Classical style. Eventually, the palace became a genuine treasure house of art.

After the October revolution (1917), the palace was converted to a museum. The palace was badly damaged by the fire during WW II. Although open for visiting, it is still under restoration.