Pavlovsk Palace, a splendid example of the 18th century Russian architecture, towers above its park on a small hill. The interiors designed by the outstanding architects are a bit like the rooms of Versailles but in a small copy. The residence bears the name of Russian Tsar Paul I, whose name is pronounced Pavel in Russian.
Paul I was married twice, his first wife died soon after their marriage during childbirth. Soon after her death, he fell in love again and married seventeen-year-old Sophie Dorothea Augusta von Wurttemberg, who converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the Russian name of Maria Feodorovna.
Paul and Maria were a happy family. They had 10 children all in all. In 1777, Maria gave birth to the first son, Alexander, who would become the future tsar, Alexander I. Catherine the Great, Alexander’s grandmother, took Alexander away from his parents in order to raise him herself. In 1779 Pavel and Maria had a second son, Konstantin, whom Catherine also took away to be educated.
After the birth of Alexander, Catherine the Great gave 600 hectares of “woodlands, ploughed fields and two villages with peasants” to her son Paul as a gift and commissioned her architect Charles Cameron to work in her son’s residence. The architect created the first plan of the park and palace.
The foundation stone was laid on May 25, 1782, but Paul and his wife Mary did not attend the ceremony because they were travelling in Europe at the time. In September 1781, under the names of Count and Countess Du Nord (Northern), Paul and Mary went on a journey that lasted fourteen months. They visited Poland, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany and met many international royals, such as King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, while in Paris. Paul and Mary visited all the tourist sites, including palaces, fountains, parks, churches, educational and scientific establishments, as well as porcelain factories, artists’ studios, and antique shops. Everything that Pavel and Maria saw and acquired on their European trip was actively employed in the Pavlovsk Palace construction.
In 1796, Pavlovsk became the official residence of the Emperor. He did not live here long though, as only four years after moving to Pavlovsk, Paul was assassinated in the Michael`s Castle in St. Petersburg.
After his tragic death, his wife, Maria Feodorovna, asked this palace to be left to her as a private one. She lived here for the rest of her life. Maria Feodorovna passed in 1828, and bequeathed that the palace should always be inherited by the second son so as not to become an official palace again.
Pavlovsk served as a private palace for several Grand Dukes – first Mikhail Pavlovich, the youngest son to grow up in Pavlovsk, then Konstantin Nikolaevich, son of Nicholas I, and was finally inherited by descendants.
After the Bolshevik revolution the residence was turned into a museum.
During WWII, the suburb was occupied by the Nazis, who looted the interior of the palace and burnt it down. After the war, Pavlovsk was the first place that received support and financing for restoration. It was reopened in 1957. In 1978 the restoration was completed thanks to the efforts of Anna Ivanovna Zelenova, the director of the museum.
Beautifully designed interiors, valuable exhibits, and gorgeous views opening towards the Valley of the river – all that makes Pavlovsk a perfect destination for a half-day trip.
Open hours
Open daily 10:00 – 18:00.
Recommendations
We recommend this sight for the first and return visit to St. Petersburg, cruise passengers, nature tours, art and architecture connoisseurs.
