#gatchina palace

[ohsoromanov]

The living room of Empress Maria Alexandrovna at Gatchina Palace painted by Eduard Petrovich Hau in 1874 and photographed in 1938 by Velichko M. A.

[classic-art-favourites]

Chesma Gallery of the Great Gatchina Palace by Eduard Hau, 1877.

[loiladadiani]

Gatchina Palace

The House Where Nicholas II Grew Up.

Gatchina Palace, located about twenty-five miles from Saint Petersburg, was built by Catherine the Great for her favorite, Count Grigory Orlov. When Orlov died, Catherine bought the estate from his heirs and gave it to her son Paul. Gatchina would go on to become Paul's favorite residence. He arranged everything to his taste.

When Paul died, the Romanovs continued to use Gatchina. Nicholas I and his consort loved to hunt and relax at Gatchina. Alexander II liked to conduct state affairs while hunting at Gatchina. After the assassination of his father, his advisors told Alexander III that he would be safer at Gatchina than at the Winter Palace. Alexander III spent most of his life at Gatchina Palace. He signed decrees and held diplomatic receptions, theatrical performances, masquerades, costumed balls, and other events and entertainment. Alexander III introduced technological modernizations new to Russia at the Gatchina Palace, such as indoor heaters, electric lights, a telephone network, non-freezing water pipes, and a modern sewage system. His children, including the future Tsar Nicholas II, spent their youth at Gatchina Palace.

Alexander III and his family stayed in the Arsenal Wing; they did not inhabit the luxurious spaces used for official business; the rooms they used for daily life had low ceilings and were small. In December 1844, after the Court had spent two long autumn months in the Gatchina Palace, the Emperor signed a decree ordering to rebuild the Kitchen Wing. Reconstruction of the Arsenal Wing began in 1846.

Gatchina became famous for its paintings, sculptures, furniture, and fine china collection. Gatchina lost a large part of its treasure during the revolution and another part when the palace was looted and badly damaged by the Nazis during WWII. Restoration work on the palace's interiors continues to this day.

[madamelesfressange]

Cold Marble

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Palaces of Imperial Russia:

Catherine Palace- official summer residence of the Imperial family.  The first palace built on this site was built in 1717, however Empress Elizabeth (daughter of Catherine the Great) tore down the original building and ordered the construction of the palace in 1754.

Winter Palace- the current structure of the palace was commissioned by Empress Elizabeth in 1753, however a royal residence had been in place there since Peter the Great began work on Saint Petersburg in 1705.  This structure was continually expanded and renovated until by 1837 the main facade measures 150m, has 1500 rooms, 1786 doors, and 1945 windows. It was the site of the Bloody Sunday massacre in 1905.  It currently serves as the Hermitage Museum which is the second largest art museum in the world with over 3 million items.

Alexander Palace-commissioned by Catherine the Great for her son Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich for his marriage in 1792.  The palace was completed in 1796.  Alexander and his wife lived in the palace until he became Tsar in 1801 when he moved to the Catherine Palace.  He gave the Alexander Palace to his brother, Nicholas I, and from then on it was used as the official residence for the heir to the throne.  However, Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra made it their official residence after Bloody Sunday and added electricity, an elevator, and a motion picture screening room.  It served as the first prison for the last Imperial family until they were moved to Siberia

Peterhof Palace-commissioned in 1714 by Peter the Great in response to the Palace of Versailles.  It remained an official royal residence up until the Revolution.  The palace itself was almost completely destroyed during World War II, however it opened to the public again in 1945 and was completely restored in 1952.  

Anichkov Palace:-built by Empress Elizabeth beginning in 1741 and finishing in 1754.  Empress Elizabeth gifted the palace to Count Razumovsky and starting from then it switched back and forth from a crown palace to a private residence.  Tsar Alexander III and his wife, Maria Feodorovna, made the palace their official residence.

Gatchina Palace- built between 1766-1781 by Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigori Grigoryevich Orlov.  Catherine the Great bought the palace from Orlov’s heirs after his death in 1783 and it passed throughout the Imperial Family until after the Revolution when it became a state museum and remains a historical site to this day.

Grand Kremlin Palace- built between 1837-1849, the palace served as the official Imperial residence in Moscow.  During the Soviet Era, several of the grand meeting halls were used to conduct meetings of the Supreme Soviet and today is the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Kolomenskoye Palace-located in the village of Kolomna outside of Moscow’s city center, the estate was first originated in 1339 by Ivan Kalita, the Grand Duke of Moscow from 1325 and was responsible for making the principality of Moscow into the predecessor of the Tsardom of Russia.  Throughout history, the buildings on the estate were renovated and torn down however the site remained of great importance to the tsars, with Empress Elizabeth Petrovna born there in 1709 and the youth home of Tsar Peter the Great.  The current structure was restored by Soviet architect Pyotr Baranovsky by using wooden buildings and artifacts from around the USSR.

Mariinsky Palace- built between 1839-1844 by Tsar Nicholas I for his daughter Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna for her marriage. It remained in the Imperial family until the Revolution in 1917 when it was used for offices of the Soviet ministries until 1994 when it became the official building of the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly. 

Nicholas Palace- built in 1861 by Tsar Nicholas I for his son, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievich.  The building was used as a residence until 1894 when the Imperial family turned it into the Xenia Institute for Noble Young Ladies.  After the Revolution, it became known as the Palace of Labor and the trade unions took it over.  The trade unions are leasing parts of the palace for commercial offices with much of the original splendor destroyed.

[livesunique]

The Great Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast, Russia

[adini-nikolaevna]

The Gatchina Palace by Meier.

[classic-art-favourites]

Oak Cabinet of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna by Eduard Hau, 1877.