Pavlovsk Palace

Image of Pavlovsk

Location: 30 km (19 mi) South of St. Petersburg   Map

Image of Emperor Paul

Emperor Pavel (Paul) I

(1754- 1801)

 

Description of Pavlovsk

Pavlovsk (from 1918 to 1944 - Slutsk) is a small town on the Slavyanka River, one of the suburbs of St. Petersburg. World famous for its palace and park ensemble, included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For everyone who comes to enjoy the beauties of St. Petersburg, Pavlovsk is just as obligatory to visit as Peterhof and Pushkin. At the same time, it is located at a slightly greater distance from the city and in general has the aura of a more secluded and less touristy suburb. This is probably why the attitude of the Petersburgers themselves towards Pavlovsk is tender and informal; this jewel is not put on display, but is kept for internal use. It is customary to go here for thoughtful contemplative walks, especially during the golden autumn. Moreover, the huge Pavlovsky Park can accommodate any number of visitors without crowding, crowding and queues for sights, of which there are a lot.

The history of the city of Pavlovsk should be counted from November 12, 1796, when by decree of the newly ascended Emperor Paul I, the village of Pavlovsky was given city status. The village itself appeared on the maps two decades earlier, when Empress Catherine II granted these lands to her son and his wife Maria Feodorovna. In the village, two estates were built for them, named in German Paulust and Mariental. On the site of Paulust in 1786, the Pavlovsk Palace was built, and on the site of Marienthal, Pavel's "amusing castle", the fortress of Bip. However, Paul I preferred Gatchina, and Maria Feodorovna lived in the Pavlovsk Palace with her children, including after the death of her husband. She was also involved in the arrangement of Pavlovsk Park. Then Pavlovsk was successively owned by several grand dukes; that is, in fact, it was never a real imperial residence, but it belonged to the royal family until the revolution.

In 1918, the city was renamed Slutsk in honor of the deceased revolutionary Vera Slutskaya and retained this name until 1944. The museum in the Pavlovsk Palace was organized in the mid-1930s, however, during the Nazi occupation, the palace was looted and burned, and the park was also badly damaged. The losses were so significant that immediately after the war the government decided not to restore anything here. However, thanks to the selfless work of the director of the palace-museum, Anna Zelenova, who not only developed a methodology for the restoration of the Pavlovsk palace and park ensemble, but also managed to prove its necessity to the top management, the revival nevertheless began. The main work was completed by 1957, and by 1978 the ensemble was almost completely restored, although in some particulars the restoration is still ongoing.

No large enterprises have ever existed in Pavlovsk, as it was, and remained "a city with a palace and a park" - quiet, cozy, secluded, intelligent and a little bit provincial. There are no city entertainments here, but there is a lot of water, trees and fresh air. Either the descendants of those who settled in Pavlovsk under the tsars live here, or those who do not like or cannot afford life in St. Petersburg. In post-Soviet times, a number of very wealthy people have also been added to the inhabitants of Pavlovsk, who buy former noble dachas and adapt them to their needs.

 

How to get here

By train
From the center of St. Petersburg, it is convenient to go to Pavlovsk from the Vitebsky railway station ( 1 (Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya) Pushkinskaya line). There are many electric trains (on average they run every 20 minutes from early morning until late evening), the journey takes 35-40 minutes, the price of the trip is 58-60 rubles.
From the southern part of the city, you can leave from the Prospekt Slavy platform or Kupchino station ( 2 (Moskovsko-Petrogradskaya) Kupchino line), travel time is 21-24 or 17-20 minutes, respectively, the price of the trip is 45-46 ₽.

Railway station, Privokzalnaya sq., 1. The historic wooden building of the Pavlovsk-2 station was destroyed during the war (like the "music station" Pavlovsk-1, located on the territory of Pavlovsky Park), and the current one was built in 1955 according to the project of the outstanding Soviet architect E .A. Levinson. Levinson participated in the revival of the palace and park ensembles of Pushkin and Pavlovsk, and therefore his stations, although they are an example of an exemplary steel, these ensembles in no way spoil. Across the road from the station is one of the entrances to the park, here, on the square, all local and passing buses make a mandatory stop.

By car
From St. Petersburg you have to go in a southerly direction. Both highways leading to Pavlovsk can be accessed both along the city streets and along the Ring Road.

from Pobedy Square along Moskovskoye highway (M10 E105) to the settlement of Moskovskaya Slavyanka, then to the right from the traffic light (pointer to Pushkin) to the railway crossing in Pushkin. Without crossing the railway tracks, turn left and drive along the railway until Pavlovsk Privokzalnaya Square for about 1.5 km.
from Victory Square along Pulkovskoye Highway to the turn to Pushkin (underground tunnel to the left), past the village. Shushary, through the railway crossing, enter Pushkin. Pass through Pushkin along the streets: Petersburg Highway, Palace, Srednyaya, Sadovaya - turns into Pavlovskoye Highway. Pass under the railway bridge (entrance to Pavlovsk) and turn right.

By bus
From  2 (Moscow-Petrogradskaya) Zvezdnaya line: bus number 179
From  2 (Moskovsko-Petrogradskaya) line Moskovskaya: buses No. 252 (interval 14-33 min.) and No. 299 (interval 24-27 min.), stop behind the monument to Lenin, travel time about an hour. The fare is 65₽, without a conductor, cash payment to the driver is not provided
From  (Moskovsko-Petrogradskaya) line Kupchino: bus number 521, stop on the western side of the railway tracks
All city passes and reduced tickets are valid on the routes. All buses make a stop at the Pavlovsky railway station, and on No. 252 and 299 you can also get to the central entrance to the park (Palace stop).

 

Transport

Transit and local buses run in Pavlovsk (No. 370, 375A, 383, 493, etc.), some of which connect Pavlovsk and Pushkin. These buses can be useful for sightseeing, although some are easier to reach on foot. The price of the trip is 30-40 rubles (2020), St. Petersburg travel and discount tickets are valid.

There are local taxi services - for example, "Northern City" (+7 (812) 400-60-40), "Emelya" (+7 (812) 600-600-2), but in general, ordering a taxi in Pavlovsk is no different from ordering a taxi in any other district of St. Petersburg, including via the Internet and using mobile applications.

 

Sights

Pavlovsky park

Pavlovsk State Museum-Reserve, 20 Sadovaya st. The palace and park complex - the main attraction of Pavlovsk - includes the Pavlovsk Palace, as well as the Pavlovsk Park with numerous sculptures, bridges and pavilions. In some pavilions there are exhibitions and interiors are available for inspection, but they are all closed in winter. Also, in winter, the Private Garden at the Palace is closed to the public. In summer, the park offers rental of bicycles, boats, electric cars, and you can order a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. In winter, skis and kick sleds are rented. A ticket to the park entitles you to free admission to some park pavilions, to other pavilions and to the palace you need to buy a separate ticket. In winter, on weekdays, admission to the park is free, on weekends and holidays, admission is free only two hours after the park opens and before the park closes. In summer, admission is paid on weekdays, but the “two-hour rule” continues to apply.
It is completely unrealistic to see the entire complex in one go, so if you have never been here before, for the first visit you should plan a minimum program for yourself: a visit to the palace and a walk around the palace part of the park. The following visits can be devoted to exploring the parts of the Pavlovsk Park that are more distant from the palace, as well as other attractions: the Mariental Park and various buildings and structures in the city.

1 Pavlovsky Palace, Sadovaya st., 20 (southern part of the park). Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00, ticket office closes one hour earlier. 600₽ (full ticket), 300₽ (pensioners, labor veterans).
2  Pavlovsky park. 07:00–23:00 (summer), 07:00–19:00 (winter). 100₽ (full ticket), 50₽ (pensioners), children under 16 and privileged categories free of charge. Subscriptions for 10 or more visits to the park are also sold.

 

Mariental Park

3 Mariental Park, between Krasny Kursant, Mariinskaya, Elizavetinskaya, Hospitalnaya, Sadovaya and Prosveshcheniya streets. Many do not even know about the existence of Mariental Park, although this is the second largest park in Pavlovsk, and it is located in the most prominent place - right opposite Pavlovsk Park. The border between them is the former Tsarskoye Selo Road, now Sadovaya Street: Pavlovsky Park - to the north, Mariental - to the south. Both are located in the valley of the winding Slavyanka River, which forms three narrow ponds on the territory of Marienthal. The park was laid out in the 1780s around the estate of Empress Maria Feodorovna and was named after her. The estate did not last long, Maria Fedorovna soon moved to the Pavlovsk Palace and then almost did not deal with Mariental, so there are few park facilities here. In addition, part of the park was originally intended for public use, and on its territory, among other things, several court houses were built, as well as summer cottages and palace greenhouses. Not all of this has come down to our time, but something is either in ruins or bought into private ownership and is not available for inspection. However, the park itself is not fenced, accessible at any time of the year and pleasant for walking.
4 Bip Fortress, Mariinskaya st., 4 (Mariental Park). The fortress was built on the site of the empress's estate and at first was also called Mariental. There are several versions of the origin of the name "Beep", the most popular being an abbreviation for the phrase "Paul's Big Toy". The idea of “amusing fortresses”, which served not only for royal entertainment, but also for quite serious training of soldiers in military affairs, comes from Peter I, the idol of Emperor Paul. And here the place was suitable, because on the high bank of the Slavyanka from the time of the Northern War, the remains of Swedish fortifications were preserved. The fortress, also known as Bip Castle, was built, however, more in the French spirit and was something like a country chateau, equipped with a moat, a drawbridge, bastions, etc. It was considered a military structure until the revolution, after which all sorts of civilian institutions were periodically settled in it. When the Pavlovsk Palace and Park Complex was restored and placed under state protection, for some reason they forgot about Bip, and the building, which burned down during the war years, remained abandoned until the mid-2000s. Then the ruin was acquired by businessman Sergei Gutzeit, who arranged a restaurant and a hotel in the restored fortress, and also put the park in order. The current fortress of Bip does not look quite authentic and is not very accessible, but the landscape certainly adorns it.
5  The trellis staircase and the pier with lions, Mariental Park (right bank of the Mariental Pond, near Sadovaya Street). A decorative wooden arbor-trellis adorned Mariental from the very beginning and even managed to survive the war, but its remains were dismantled in 1957 (they write that “for restoration”, but there is a suspicion that forever). But the stone staircase to the pond, designed by Andrei Voronikhin, has survived to this day. The gazebo was symmetrical to the Three Graces pavilion, and the staircase, in turn, echoes Bolshaya Kamennaya in Pavlovsk Park. There are also lions here, and very characteristic of Voronikhin - the same smooth-haired sad animals can be seen in Peterhof near the Voronikhin colonnades. The initial number of lions is not clear: they say there were four, but one was lost during the war, and another was transferred to the Pavlovsk Palace. But at the Pavlovsk Palace there are again four of them, the pier is officially called “the pier with three lions”, but there are two lions here. One way or another, the view from here is excellent, and the pier itself, despite its neglected state, is not devoid of romance.
6  Obelisk in memory of the founding of Pavlovsk, Mariental Park (right bank of the Mariental Pond). A very simple obelisk with an inscription on a cast-iron board: "Pavlovskoye began to be built in 1777." This is the date when Catherine II presented these lands to the future Paul I in honor of the birth of his son, the future Alexander I. You can approach the obelisk along the path, but it looks more interesting from the opposite bank of the Slavyanka.
7  Obelisk "Target", Mariental Park (on the bank of the Slavyanka River, near Linnovsky Bridge). Completely unknown to tourists, the monument stands at the unkempt southern tip of Mariental and is dedicated to the shooting exercises of the heir to the throne, the future Emperor Alexander II. The obelisk was installed much later, in 1863, through the efforts of one of the royal educators S.A. Yurievich, who mentioned two of his colleagues on the granite stele. This is perhaps the only monument of the royal target in the world - that's what makes it interesting.

 

City

8  Nikolaev gates, Sadovaya st. (at the intersection with Berezovaya st.). Cast-iron gates, installed in 1826 on the Tsarskoye Selo road near the then border of Pavlovsky Park, were a birthday gift from Nicholas I to his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna. A massive building in the style of post-antique triumphal arches, cast according to the design of Carl Rossi, is crowned with a double-headed eagle and framed by a cast-iron fence with bas-reliefs. The gates were restored in 1981 (among other things, the crown lost during the revolution was returned to the eagle) and although they have long been located not on the border of the city, but in its very center, they are used for their intended purpose: the central span is intended for the passage of vehicles, and the two side spans are for pedestrians .
9  Villa “Miranda” (cottage of I. B. Shtein), Sadovaya st., 9. Quite a few beautiful dachas have been preserved in Pavlovsk, but this one also attracts attention due to the fact that it is located on the road to the central entrance to the park. Built at the beginning of the 20th century in the Art Nouveau style, it does not differ in particular intricacy, but is graceful and sweet. Now it is privately owned, so it is not possible to inspect it from the inside. At the cottage there is a garden with a pond; the garden is locally called "Kerosinka" (once there was a fuel and lubricants warehouse there), and the pond is part of the Taitsky water conduit system.
10 Church of St. Mary Magdalene , Sadovaya st., 17. ☎ +7 (952) 200-85-58. 09:00–19:00. The temple was built during the time of Paul I, and even before the Pavlovsk Palace; This is the first stone building in the city of Pavlovsk. The building of strict classical forms, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi, surprisingly harmonizes with the ensemble of Pavlovsk Park and serves as a kind of preamble to it. In the Soviet years, the church was pretty mocked, placing various factories and workshops here, but then they nevertheless took it under protection as an architectural monument, and in 1995 they returned the Russian Orthodox Church. Since then, the church has been gradually restored outside and inside, and wall paintings of the 19th century have also been preserved. Under the choirs in the western wall on the sides of the entrance door there are cenotaph monuments to the royal nobles - N.I. Panin and A.B. Kurakin.

 

Shopping

There are no large shopping centers in Pavlovsk, but in the city center it is not difficult to find medium and small grocery and department stores.

Souvenirs and printed materials can be purchased in shops in the park (near the entrances), as well as in the lobby of the Pavlovsk Palace. In addition, the park has points of sale of nuts and seeds for feeding squirrels and birds, but the prices there are clearly overpriced, so it is recommended to purchase such products ahead of time - in stores or in the markets of St. Petersburg.

 

Eat

With food outlets in Pavlovsk, as in all the palace and park suburbs of St. Petersburg, things are not very good, the choice is small. There are food and drink stalls and a couple of cafes in the park, but the selection is scarce and the prices are like at the airport, so if you intend to walk in the park all day, it is wiser to take some food and drink with you. However, there is still an opportunity to have a bite to eat in the city - before or after a walk.

Cheap
1 "Keb House & Good Coffee", Station Square, 1. ☎ +7 (812) 671-00-06. 06:00–23:00. Stall with street food near the station.
2 Cafe "Grushenka", Konyushennaya st., 1 (near the Nicholas Gates). ☎ +7 (812) 452-28-40. 10:00–20:00. Local chain cafe - there are four of them in Pushkin and one in Pavlovsk. It specializes mainly in pastries and desserts, but there are also lunches (soups, hot dishes). There is a children's and diet menu. Reviews are good, but visitors complain that the cafe can be crowded due to its proximity to the park.
3 "Around the bread", 1st Sovetskaya st., 18. ☎ +7 (911) 733-05-55. 09:00–20:00. Cafe-bakery in the basement of a residential building, offering hot bread, sweets and coffee. There is a fireplace, a children's play area, Wi-Fi and sockets for gadgets. Good feedback. It is more convenient to get there by your own transport or on foot (about 20 minutes walk from the Nicholas Gate along Berezovaya Street).
4 "Bread Estate", Detskoselskaya St., 17/17 (opposite the "Grieving Mother" memorial). ✉ ☎ +7 (812) 943-12-31, +7 (953) 343-32-79. 09:00–21:00. A popular network bakery in St. Petersburg and the region with a very large selection of products. Pies are sold individually, pies (sweet and hearty) - pieces by weight or whole. There is tea (packaged), coffee, drinks. Everything can be eaten on the spot or taken away, in the evening there are discounts on pastries. Get there in the same way as to “Around the bread” (the establishments are located close to each other).

Average cost
5 Restaurant "Uno" ("Uno cafe"), pos. Tyarlevo, Novovestinskaya st., 2A (next to the Farm pavilion). ☎ +7 (812) 466-83-23. 11:00–23:00. salads, soups - from 300 rubles, hot dishes from 450 rubles. Designed mainly for banquets or large groups of visitors. Quite an extensive and intricate menu, there is a wine list. There is a summer terrace and parking.

Expensive
✦  Bip Castle Restaurant, Mariinskaya st., 4. ☎ +7 (812) 244-28-28. Restaurant at the hotel in the Bip fortress.
6 "Podvorye" restaurant, 16 Filtrovskoe sh. (at the entrance to Pavlovsk). ✉ ☎ +7 (812) 454-54-66. 08:00–23:00. Restaurant complex of the "Russian village" format in its most kitsch sense. Among the guests of honor of the restaurant are entirely presidents and pop stars, so mere mortals have nothing to catch here, and they can’t afford it: even a cup of tea here will cost 300 rubles, to say nothing of the rest of the menu.

 

Hotels

Settling in Pavlovsk makes sense only if you plan to explore its sights for several days in a row. In all other cases, it is more logical to stop somewhere in the south of St. Petersburg (in the Moskovsky or Frunzensky district), where the choice is incomparably greater. There are practically no hotels in Pavlovsk itself, but aggregator sites offer several options for daily rent of apartments and a dozen more options in neighboring Pushkin.

Average cost
«Modern History»  , st. Vasenko, 8. ☎ +7 (981) 111-77-11, +7 (812) 452-01-47. from 3300₽ for an apartment for 2-3 people. Apart-hotel in the city center. Free Wi-Fi and bath amenities included. There are household appliances, TV, safe, parking.

Expensive
Bip Castle, Mariinskaya st., 4. ☎ +7 (812) 244-28-28. from 12.000₽. Five-star boutique hotel in Bip Fortress.

 

Precautionary measures

Pavlovsk Park is very large, and in its remote deserted parts you can get lost out of habit, so if you are going there, turn on the navigator or purchase maps at the entrance to the park. Keep in mind that the park is fenced around the entire perimeter, and the entrances are locked at night, so if you expect to walk all day, keep an eye on the time, especially during the white nights, when the onset of evening and even night is easy to miss. You should not swim in Slavyanka and park ponds: firstly, this is prohibited and punishable by fines, and secondly, there may be snags and marshy silted places at the bottom of the reservoirs - there is a danger of injury or even drowning, despite the shallow depth. In no case do not climb onto park structures and sculptures and do not allow children to do this - this is not only dangerous, but also administratively punishable.

Motorists should remember that parking on the Station Square is prohibited, and tow trucks are actively working here. There are no paid parking lots in Pavlovsk, but you can park for free anywhere where there are no prohibition signs.

 

History of Pavlovsk

Pavlovsk was designated as a royal residence in 1777 by Russian Empress Catherine the Great. She bought 977 acres or 395 ha along Slavyanka River and set them aside for her estranged son Paul or Pavel. She also named the future palace and surrounding settlement after her son she didn't particularly like. Pavlovskoye village was designed by Scottish architect Charles Cameron. He managed to keep the natural feel of the park along with aesthetic beauty of planned landscaping. Trees, shrubs and flowers were planted to look like a painting when seen from the windows of the Central palace as well as other small houses and pavilions spread around the royal complex.

After death of Emperor Pavel I (Paul I) her widow Maria Feodorovna settled here. Over the next several decades many rich and influential people constructed their private summer houses around the park. Many famous artists, writers and composers lived here and walked the paved walkways of the Pavlovsk Park. This included Sergey Glinka, Ivan Krylov, Nikolay Karamzin, Alexander Brullov and many others. Dostoyevsky set parts of his novel The Idiot here.

In the early 20th century Pavlovsk became the birthplace of a Russian Scouting movement. On April 30, 1909 Colonel Pantyukhov organized first scout union that became known as Beavers. It was even visited a year later by General Baden- Powell, the original founder of the Scout Movement while on his visit to Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family in Tsarskoye Selo nearby. Most of graduates and participants in the Scout Movement joined the White Army or the White Guard during Russian Civil War. They fought against the Communist Red Army, but after their final defeat the Scout movement was closed along with Scout School. Ironically they found another organization that became known as Pioneers, but it wasn't re- established on these grounds.

During World War II the German Wermacht army occupied Pavlovsk Palace along with other suburbs of besieged Leningrad (today known as Saint-Petersburg). They stole or destroyed most of the items that were not evacuated by the Soviet government. At their retreat they burned down the palace and cut down most of the trees in the park. After the conclusion of the war most of the trees and shrubs had to be replaced using the original plans from the 18th century. Today the palace is open to the public. Along with other palaces and royal residences in Leningrad Oblast it is listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Architecture of the Grand Palace

After 1786, Cameron, due to constant conflicts with Pavel Petrovich, and then with the Grand Duchess, who constantly interfered in the design, generally refused to work in the village of Pavlovskoye. Therefore, all construction issues on the spot were decided by the Swiss draftsman and decorator Henri-Francois-Gabriel Violier, who worked as an "inspector of paintings and prints cabinets." Violier the Elder (so named in contrast to his brother, Gabriel Violier (Gavriil Petrovich Viollier), secretary of Maria Feodorovna) in 1781-1782 accompanied the grand ducal couple on a trip to Europe under the names of the Count and Countess of the North. It was Violier who supervised the acquisition of paintings, furniture, tapestries, bronzes, porcelain, fabrics and all the details of the furnishings for the future palace. Violier developed interior decoration, made drawings of decorative paintings, moldings and even drawings of furniture in the Louis XVI style (French neoclassicism), which Russian masters worked on.

According to Cameron's project, by 1796 the main building of the palace of a cubic volume was erected with a belvedere at the top, columned porticos of the western and eastern facades modeled on the Villa Rotunda by A. Palladio and two circumferences (semicircular covered colonnades) with side "services". The enfilades of rooms were divided into "male" and "female" halves. In the center of the building are reception and dance halls.

With the accession of Paul I in November 1796 and the subsequent resignation of Cameron, Cameron's assistant, the Italian architect Vincenzo Brenna, was appointed chief architect of the Court. The emperor insisted on increasing the size of the palace to give it greater majesty. Brenna built on the circumferences (semi-circular galleries) created by Cameron with a second tier of loggias with sarkades and trellises between the arches, crowned the galleries with a balustrade, flowerpots with garlands. The side hulls were decorated with trophies (military fittings). On the west side, Brenna added the so-called Light Colonnade (later the Gonzaga Gallery) to the palace. Since 1799, the Italian decorator Pietro di Gottardo Gonzaga (Gonzago) worked in Pavlovsk. He created sketches for painting the plafonds of the new ceremonial interiors of the Grand Palace. “Pavlovsk is an encyclopedia of Gonzago,” wrote A. M. Efros, “Nowhere did it show itself more fully, more diverse ... Nowhere was it more itself.” Gonzaga gave Pavlovsk thirty-five years of his life and not only completed what Cameron did not have time to do, but “filled all the space with his imagination and taste.” In 1805-1807, Gonzaga painted the walls and plafond of the Light Colonnade with architectural perspectives of trompe-l'œil (“an optical illusion”; the paintings were destroyed by the war, conditionally recreated by 2011 from the few surviving fragments and sketches of the artist) and developed the Cameronian and Palladian idea " transparent colonnades", continuing its implementation in the Pavlovsk park of the "landscape", English style.

 

Palace interiors and collections

Finishing work in the front halls of the Grand Palace was completed in 1802, but in 1803, due to a malfunction of the chimneys, a fire broke out that destroyed the architecture of the interiors. Vincenzo Brenna, after the assassination of Emperor Pavel Petrovich on March 12 (24), 1801, left Russia for Germany and took all the drawings with him. Maria Fedorovna entrusted the restoration work to A. N. Voronikhin. The new palace architect restored the Egyptian vestibule according to the project of Cameron, expanded the gallery of the northern wing, the wall of which was painted by Gonzaga in 1805-1807. In 1807, Voronikhin created one of his best works - the Flashlight study, an interior with a glazed semi-rotunda overlooking his "own garden". Paired figures of caryatids are made according to the models of the sculptor V. I. Demut-Malinovsky. The office furniture was also created according to Voronikhin's drawings. In 1822-1824, the architect Carlo Rossi added a second floor to the northern gallery to house the library. In 1872, a bronze monument to Paul I was erected on the esplanade in front of the palace (a copy of the monument made by IP Vitali in Gatchina).

The Grand Palace, as well as the smaller buildings of the park, was barbarously destroyed by the fascist invaders in 1941-1944.

The interiors of the palace were recreated in 1955-1965 under the guidance of the chief curator Anatoly Mikhailovich Kuchumov, who scrupulously recreated the historical interiors, starting from the first five halls, opened to visitors in 1957. Thus, the Pavlovsk Palace became the first of the suburban museums, where an exposition began to operate after the war. Instead of the lost items, Anatoly Mikhailovich and his colleagues found new ones, authentic to the era and interior.

The restoration of the architectural volume of the palace lasted 10 years, another 10 - the restoration of decoration under the scientific guidance of A. M. Kuchumov, who knew the arts and crafts thoroughly and was a true "material expert". In 1959, under his leadership, on the third floor of the Pavlovsk Palace, in collaboration with I. M. Gurevich, the exhibition “Costume and Portrait of the 18th-19th Centuries” was opened - the first exposition in the USSR dedicated to the life of the nobility as a cultural and historical phenomenon, which was a revolutionary event in the Soviet museum business.

In 1970, almost all the halls were open to tourists. Among them is the large Italian Hall (designed by Cameron in 1786, completed by V. Brenna, 1789, restored by Voronikhin). Greek hall with columns of magnificent Corinthian order lined with dark green marble. Throne Room (Dining room, 1797-1798, V. Brenna, sculptures of caryatids based on the models of I. P. Martos and M. I. Kozlovsky. Ceiling painting by Pietro di Gottardo Gonzago), Pilaster Cabinet (designed by G. Quarenghi. 1800, furniture according to drawings Voronikhin), the Front Bedchamber (1789-1791, V. Brenna), the Boudoir of Maria Feodorovna in the “Pompeian style” (designed by C. Cameron, 1784-1788, decoration and painting by J.-B. Scotty based on the drawings by V. Brenna) and many other interiors, which are outstanding monuments of architecture and decorative art of Russian classicism.

The interiors of the palace house an extensive collection of paintings, works of arts and crafts: bronzes, porcelain and unique furniture created by Russian craftsmen based on drawings by V. Brenna, A. N. Voronikhin, N. A. Lvov, J.-F. Thomas de Thomon.

 

General chronology of the palace

May 25, 1782 - the beginning of the construction of the Pavlovsk Palace.
1783 - the central building was built.
1785 - galleries-colonnades and service buildings were built.
1787 - interior decoration of the palace was completed.
1796 - accession of Paul I.
Late 1790s - the palace was rebuilt and enlarged.
1801 - the assassination of Paul I.
January 10, 1803 - a fire in the Pavlovsk Palace.
1803-1805 - restoration of the palace.
1805-1807 - Pietro Gonzago creates the Gonzago Gallery
1808 - a "flashlight cabinet" was built with figures of caryatids. Architect A. N. Voronikhin, sculptor V. I. Demut-Malinovsky.
1822-1824 - the library building was built.
1872 - a monument to Paul I was erected in the front yard.
1920s - restoration according to the project of the architect S. V. Dombrovsky, who served as the custodian and architect of the palace.
1942-1944 - the park was badly damaged during the German occupation. The palace was set on fire and mined by the invaders during the retreat
1957 - during the post-war restoration, the first halls of the palace were opened to visitors: the Front, Cavalier Guard, Cavalry, Orchestra and Buffet.
1978 - the restoration of the Pavlovsk Palace was completed. Anna Ivanovna Zelenova, director of the museum, devoted years of her life to the restoration of the palace.
1978 - The staff of the Palace Museum was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.
1983 - granted the status of a museum-reserve.
1986 - a team of architects, restorers and artists, headed by the chief custodian of the palace A. M. Kuchumov, was awarded the highest award of the USSR - the Lenin Prize.
1990 - The Pavlovsk Palace and Park Ensemble is included in the list of UNESCO cultural heritage sites.

 

Tourism and recreational potential of the park

The palace and the park adjacent to it are important objects of both domestic and international tourism.

A student of A. M. Kuchumov, professor at Harvard University Suzanne Massi (for many years President Reagan's adviser on Russian affairs, who taught her patron Russian sayings) founded the Society of Friends of Pavlovsk. Massi published in the USA based on the materials of the teacher the book “Pavlovsk. Life of the Russian Palace” (1990, first edition in Russia in St. Petersburg, 1997).