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Pavlovsk was built for Russian Tsar Paul I (the russian form for Paul is Pavel, an that makes Pavlosk), only son of Catherine the Great. The palace is located south-east of the city of St. Petersburg, a few miles beyond the town of Tsarskoe Selo. The original estate was a gift from Catherine to Paul on the birth of his first son, the future Tsar Alexander I, in 1777. Work on the palace began in 1781 under the direction of the famous Scottish architect, Charles Cameron. Being one of Catherine's favourite architects did not enamour him with Paul and his wife Maria. Paul detested his mother and had a habitual aversion to her favourites. After Cameron's departure, many other architects worked at Pavlovsk, including Voronikhin, Brenna, Rossi and others.
Pavlovsk has a dual look and feel, which reflects the different outlook and tastes of its owners, Paul and Maria. Pauls hand can be seen in prominent militaristic motifs throughout many of the state rooms, while elsewhere one can see the exquisite and refined tastes of his wife at work.
After the murder of Paul in 1801, Pavlovsk became the primary residence of his widow. After her death in 1828 the palace passed to their son, Grand Duke Mikhail Petrovich. Mikhail was childless and bequeathed Pavlovsk to his nephew Konstantin Nickolaevich, who left in turn to his son, the famous poet Konstanin Konstantinovich. During this period the main building of the palace was recognised by the Romanov family as a unique artistic and historic legacy and was preserved as a virtual museum.
Among the Palace-and-Park ensembles encircling Saint Petersburg in a green belt, the Pavlovsk complex of landscape combined with the architecture, was the last to be developed into its final form. Work began in 1777 on the Park. Architects, sculptors and artists were commissioned to lay out a huge park covering 600 of the 1500 hectares, and to build the palace and park structures. These designs were brought to life by landscape architects, gardeners, and hundreds workmen and peasants from local villages.
Great Patriotic War (World War II)
Enormous damage was inflicted on the Palace and Park complex by
the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War (World War II)(1941-1945).
The Great Palace, bridges and pavilions were ruined. Practically
nothing remained of the Music Vauxhall and the Rose Pavilion.
Seventy thousand trees and thirty thousand shrubs were cut down.
The Great Star area was nearly levelled with the ground.
The enthusiastic efforts of the Soviet people gave another birth to the world-renowned Pavlovsk Park which was reopened to the public in May 1950. Scientifically-based reconstruction has been conducted in the park for decades with a view not only to heal the war-time wounds, but to possibly rehabilitate the scenery created by the outstanding landscape architects 200 years ago.
The harmony of the groves and woods, the smooth curves and
outlines of the avenues and ponds, the interlacing well-balanced
open and closed spaces, the seventeen pavilions, twelve bridges
across the Slavyanka and numerous ponds clustered into three systems-all
this combined with refined Palladian structures and exquisite
marble, bronze, iron and stone statuary makes the park a highly
poetic and perfect piece of work of masters of 18th-early 19th
centuries.
"The charm of the Pavlovsk Park is hard to render. It is
truly worthy of special care," said Anatoly Lunacharsky about
the artistic value of the Park. In 1983, the Pavlovsk Palace and
Park ensemble was granted the status of State Museum Preserve.
Pavlovsk Today
The Pavlovsk Park today is a major centre of aesthetic education
and a place of pilgrimage for numerous visitors. The charm, diversity
of landfall, forest, meadows, water, pavilions and vegetation
provide a destination of escape and calm from day-to-day living.
On Sundays during the warm months, the park is filled with people
strolling, sitting and reading, boating on the ponds, and enjoying
the changes of seasons. The cold months provide people with a
quiet expanse and a white world to be explored. Anytime of year,
the gentle light of the Russian skies forms a beautiful, almost
magical, backdrop for vistas, walking and enjoyment.
