Gatchina The Gatchina Ensemble of park and palace is a remarkable example of garden arrangement in Russia. Being a unique architectural fantasy it embellishes the pearl ring of suburban tsarist residences of St.Petersburg. Several generations of architects and landscape gardeners worked on creation of the ensemble. Ownership passed to many different people, appearance of interiors and park pavilions was being changed in accordance with the prevailing art tastes of the time but harmony of nature and architecture remained unchanged.
Gatchina ensemble of park and palace dates back to late 1760-s though bythat time the area already had bicentenary history. These lands, from time immemorial belonging to Russia, had been occupied by Swedes and then were won over by Peter I.
Complex construction work in Gatchina began under Count G.G.Orlov - Empress Catherine II's favourite.
After Orlov's death Gatchina becomes an imperial residence. Catherine presented it to her son - the heir to the throne Pavel Petrovich.
Since then Gatchina had been the personal property of Russian Emperors, being transferred to the possession of an heir to the throne. The tsarist family had stayed here at different times. As for Nicholas I, this was his favourite residence. In the reign of Nicholas I the palace had been reconstructed and the town had grown and become even more beautiful. His son, Emperor Alexander II transferred Imperial hunt here. Soon after his father's tragic decease Alexander III moved with his family to the Gatchina palace, and he lived there most of the year ruling the state, bringing up and educating his children. Gatchina was also visited by the last Russian Emperor - Nicholas II who had been brought up here.
The Gatchina park is one of the first landscape parks in Russia designed in "imitation of living nature". The landscapes of the Gatchina park were created in the 70-s of the 18th century. At that period regular gardens designed in the form of strict geometrical figures were added to the landscape park. Such gardens often adjoined buildings and therefore it was very convenient for the tsarist family to have dinner and tea parties there. The lakes were full of fish which was delivered to the tsar's table. Fishing was one of the favourite amusements of Alexander III. The Gatchina lakes were very deep and clean.
On 30 May, 1766 the foundation of Gatchina Palace was laid. For the first time architect Rinaldi created a palace of a very pronounced Romantic appearance, with ten towers and an underground secret passage. The place chosen for its construction was absolutely perfect. Antonio Rinaldi managed to develop a project in which all peculiarities of the landscape were taken into account. He was the first of the architects to use all the varieties of local limestone.
Rinaldi's rooms were famous for their refined beauty. To the architect's outstanding successes belongs the White Room. It is notable for its dimensions, central position in the whole composition and splendid interior trim. The walls were decorated with antique marble bas-reliefs as well as with pieces of art created by the 18th century's sculptors. The stucco moulding gave this room a magnificent look. The parquet of the White Room belongs to the most famous Rinaldi's parquet compositions. The rosewood, mahogany, pear-tree, birch, walnut were used for this parquet.
 The restoration work was supervised by the architect V.F.Brenna. Being a distinctive decorator and skillful creator of compositional innovations, Brenna boldly contradicted various art styles and at the same time sought harmony, for which purpose in all rooms he made his own, sometimes indiscernible, corrective amendments. In 1797 Brenna finished the interior decor of The Main Bedroom. Its peculiar features were the wall panels made of French silver brocade brought by the Emperor from France.
The Arsenal Room became one of the Imperial family's favourite places of rest. Here the family had dinners, staged family performances, listened to organ concerts. The wooden slides and swings were built for the children. The main attractions of the Room were the attire and stuffed bears killed during the hunt.
At the end of the 18th century the Gatchina Palace was a real treasure-house of art. 158 paintings by the West-European painters were brought here from the Hermitage in 1799. The collection of ancient armour was also kept here. In the Greek Gallery and in the White Room there stood antique statues and busts. The Crimson Room and the Throne Room of Emperor Paul were decorated with French tapestries.
In the reign of Nicholas I in the late 40-s of the 19th century the last reconstruction of the Gatchina palace was accomplished. The work was carried out to the design of the architect R.Kuzmin and under his super-vision. The Eclectic style was typical of the architecture of the time. In 1850 sculptor K.Klein decorated the Room of Nicholas I, the Vestibule and the Grand Staircase with stucco moulding to the designs of R.Kuzmin. The decoration was executed in Rococo style, and the sculptor used local burnt clay for it. The corridors were adorned with particular splendour. In the the Gothic Gallery they put stained glass windows. The panels, cornices, carved panels were made of oak and covered with transparent varnish, the plafonds and vaults were executed
in imitation of Gothic style.
Here the official meetings and diplomatic receptions took place, from here the country was ruled.
Private life of the tsarist family went in small mezzanine rooms crammed with furniture styled in the spirit of the bourgeois epoch.
The interior decoration of the Gatchina palace was damaged by the fire during The Great Patriotic War. It has been partly restored and is now a museum.
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