On Sunday, May 17, 2021, I visited the park in the city of Gatchina. This year 2021, Gatchina became the capital of the Leningrad region. Besides, I haven't been to the park here since high school.

Early history of Gatchina

Originally, this territory was inhabited by tribes of the Finno-Ugric group: Izhoras, Finns, Vepsians and Vods. On the site of Gatchina earlier, in 1499, there was the village of Khotchino (from the Finnish “hotsha” - a settlement on the site of a burnt forest). During the “Time of Troubles” - 1598...1613, the territory around Khotchino was captured by Sweden, which in 1617...1721 reached the pinnacle of its power. After Russia's victory over Sweden in the Northern War of 1700...1721, Peter the Great received these lands as a result Peace of Nystad, and immediately gave Gatchina to his sister Princess Natalia. After her death in 1765, the settlement of Gatchina Manor was bought from Natalia's heirs by Empress Catherine II.
Catherine II immediately gave Gatchina to her favorite Count Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov-Chesmensky, who helped the Empress during the palace coup against Peter III (Charles Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp).

Count Orlov - the first owner of the palace and park

Summer 1766 like reports wikipedia, "construction of the Great Gatchina Palace began on the estate according to the design of the architect Antonio Rinaldi, the creation of a landscape English park and the improvement of hunting grounds". It was Count Grigory Orlov who founded the palace; it was he who laid out the park around White Lake. Gardener John Bush was invited from abroad to plan the park in a free English style. Instead of the conifers characteristic of this area, thousands of broad-leaved oaks, elms, maples, as well as weeping willows, larches, ash and linden trees were planted. However, soon Count Orlov fell ill (went crazy) after the death of his beloved wife Katenka Zinovieva, and the palace he had unfinished began to collapse.

Paul I - owner of the palace and founder of the city of Gatchina

After the death of Count Orlov in 1783, Gatchina was purchased from the heirs - the Orlov brothers - by the state. This time Catherine II gave the palace to her son, Pavel Petrovich (the future Emperor Paul I). Pavel and his wife Maria Feodorovna (who came from Germany to Russia in 1776) together continued the construction of the Gatchina Palace and the development of the park. Pavel Petrovich turned the palace into a fortress with moats and bastions. As a result, from 1783 to 1796, the Gatchina Palace became the residence of the imperial throne. Many new park buildings were created then. On the day of November 11, 1796 (November 22) according to the old style Paul I awarded Gatchina the status of a city. At the same time, Gatchina became the center of the Gatchina district. Tree planting continued in the park. In 1794 alone, 16,500 linden trees were planted. Large-scale redevelopment of landscapes was carried out, new park structures were built - pavilions, sculptures, bridges, tents and benches were installed.

Maria Fedorovna - the third owner of the palace and park

The assassination of Paul I in 1801 by conspirators changed the fate of the palace and park for the second time. Gatchina passed to his widow, Empress Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg), who solely owned the palace and park for 28 years. The palace underwent a smooth renovation - the roof was changed. It was also adapted for year-round use. However, after the death of her husband, the Dowager Empress visited Gatchina only on short visits, spending most of her time in Pavlovsk.

Nicholas I - the fourth owner of the palace

In December 1828, Maria Feodorovna transferred the palace and park into personal ownership to her eldest son Nicholas I. This means that the Gatchina Palace did not belong to the state, like, for example, the Grand Palace in Peterhof. Emperor Nicholas I carried out the second complete reconstruction of the palace at his own discretion - he deepened the basements and raised the side parts - the square. The central building of the palace ceased to dominate the building. Nicholas I rebuilt the bastions - the dilapidated retaining walls were dismantled and rebuilt. A grand staircase and a parade ground appeared. On August 1, 1851, on the parade ground in front of the palace, he erected a monument to Paul I, the father of Nicholas I. (The monument to Paul I is currently a symbol of Gatchina, its image is applied to various souvenirs).

Alexander II - fifth owner of the palace

Alexander II is the son of Nicholas I. He came to Gatchina infrequently, but he organized entertainment on a grand scale - balls, theatrical performances, charades, hunting in the surrounding protected forests. Wild animals - hares, pheasants, deer and wolves and even bison - became the prey of hunters. Next to Gatchina Park there is still a huge forest park called Menagerie. Alexander II also renovated the palace and park. The main achievement of Alexander II, the reformer in Gatchina, is that he continued the railway line from St. Petersburg along the Warsaw Line to Gatchina. After the insidious assassination of Alexander II by the Narodnaya Volya terrorists in March 1881, the palace became the personal property of Emperor Alexander III.

Alexander III - the sixth owner of the park and palace

Alexander III was the grandson of Nicholas I. Emperor Alexander III lived in Gatchina with his family and educated his children. Therefore, state affairs are transferred to Gatchina. There was no special entertainment. Alexander III was very fond of fishing on lakes in silence. Alexander III is known under the nickname Peacemaker - during his reign, Russia did not wage external wars. Alexander III died on November 1, 1894 at the age of 49 from kidney disease - nephritis. During the reign of Alexander III, electricity and telephone were supplied to the palace, water supply and sewage systems were replaced, and stove heating was replaced with hot air.

Nicholas II in Gatchina

Nicholas II was the son of Alexander III. The palace and park were inherited by autocrat Nicholas II, the last emperor of the Russian Empire. Nicholas II visited Gatchina only sporadically, for hunting and to meet with his mother. In 1910, Nicholas II donated one of the bison from the Gatchina Zoological Park to the Moscow Zoological Park. “The highest gift to the zoological garden - the bison - was delivered to Moscow,” the newspaper “Voice of Moscow” reported.

After the 1917 revolution

After the February (bourgeois) revolution of 1917, the palace and park ceased to be the personal property of the emperor. An inventory of items in the palace and park was carried out. The period from 1918 to 1941 was the time of development of the palace as a museum. No work has been carried out to change it or the park.In the post-revolutionary period, the park became open to citizens.

Park during the Great Patriotic War

During the war of 1941-1945, Gatchina was occupied by Nazi troops from 1941 to 1944. Many trees in the park were cut down for firewood. Before leaving, the Nazis mined and set fire to the palace. Bridges in the park were either destroyed or badly damaged. The sculptures were not damaged, because were removed and buried in the ground.

Restoring the park after the war

The park and buildings were cleared of mines and debris was removed from the ground. A buried sculpture was raised from the ground. In the first four post-war years, about 6,000 trees were planted in the park. In 1960-1980, a number of pavilions were restored.

Gatchina Park at present

Currently, the park exists as a recreation place for residents of Gatchina and tourists. As in Soviet times, there is a boat station on the lakes, but not near the Admiralty, but from the opposite shore, at the Great Zverinsky Gate. There are security guards walking in the park. There is one cafe. There are checkpoints with “turntables” at the entrance (but entry to the park is free).

Park attractions

1. Amphitheater
2. Eagle Column - the oldest exhibit in the park
3. Silvia Gate - entrance to Silvia Park
4. Plot "Sylvia"
5. Farm
6. Farm well
7. Poultry house
8. Black Gate
9. Cascade Gate
   10.Forest greenhouse
   11.Greenhouse Pond
   12.Chesme Obelisk
   13.Plot "Decanter"
   14.Silver Meadow
   15.Own garden
   16.Upper Dutch Garden
   17.Lions Bridge
   18.Priory Palace
   19.Karipin bridge
   20.Karapin Pond
   21.Admiralty Gate
   22.Admiralty
   23.Balcony-terrace on Long Island
   24.Lyabyazhy Island
   25.Voronii Island
   26.Venus Pavilion
   27.Eagle Pavilion
   28.Humpback Bridge
   29.Great Stone Bridge
   30.Dlinny Island
   31.Fir Island
   32.Berezovy Island
   33.Floating Island
   34.Sosnovy Island
   35.Spruce Island
   36.Love Island
   37.Portal "Moscow"
   38.Birch house
   39.Birch Gate
   40.Rectangular pond
   41.Octagonal Pond
   42.Sailor's house
   43.Water maze
   44.Botanical gardens
   45.Zverinsky Gate
   46.Shore Alley
   47.Dark Alley
   48.Birch Gate
   49.Cold bath
   50.Zakharov Island
   51.Topkiy Island

From the author

It was not possible to visit all the sights in 1 hour - with XYL we began to walk around the park from the side of the Amphitheater, and walked around the lake on foot clockwise.

• Part 2 (continued)