Gatchina Palace

Gatchina is the odd one among the imperial suburban palaces: built from 1766 by Antonio Rinaldi for Grigory Orlov in local grey limestone rather than stucco and colour, with towers and a moat, so it reads as a castle rather than a baroque residence. Paul I took it over and made it his principal home, adding a parade ground and a military character that suited him. Later Alexander III lived here for most of his reign, which made Gatchina effectively the seat of government in the 1880s. Under the palace runs a stone passage of about a hundred and thirty metres from the cellars out to the Silver lake, built as a private exit; at its far end is a documented acoustic effect, an echo that returns the last syllables of a word clearly enough that guides ask it questions and it appears to answer. The palace was burned in the war and restoration has run since 1976, room by room, and continues.

History

In 1765 Catherine the Great bought the small Gatchina manor, 40 kilometres south of Saint Petersburg, from Prince Boris Kurakin and gave it to her favourite, Count Grigory Orlov, who had reportedly organised the killing of Peter III that brought her to the throne. Building began on 30 May 1766 on a hill by Lake Serebryany to a design by the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi, mixing Russian features with those of a medieval castle and an English hunting lodge and faced with local Paritsy limestone and Pudost stone; it was the first palace in the city's suburbs, the main structure stood by the end of 1768, and it was completed in 1781, two years before Orlov died. Catherine then bought it from his heirs for her son, the future Paul I, and it became a favourite residence of the imperial family and an important site of Russian politics in the 19th century; it has been a museum and park since 1917, and in 1990 it became a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Great Gatchina Palace).

What's there

• The grey stone castle - a palace in local limestone with towers and a moat.
• The underground passage - a hundred and thirty metres from the cellars to the lake.
• The echo - an acoustic effect at the passage end that returns final syllables.
• The residents - Orlov, then Paul I, then Alexander III for most of his reign.

When to go

May to September for the park and lakes. Half a day. The palace is open year-round but restoration closes rooms.

Good to know

Restoration is ongoing and a substantial part of the palace is still closed - it is much less complete than Peterhof or Tsarskoye Selo. The passage is visited on the guided route only. The park is large and partly unrestored. Fewer facilities than the other palace towns.

Nearby

The Priory Palace is across the park; St Petersburg is north.

Key facts