The Palace-and-Park ensemble Pavlovsk

The superb Palace-and-Park ensemble of the late XVIII - the beginning of the XIX centuries is the former summer residence of the Russian Emperor Paul I and his family. This is one of the largest landscape parks in Europe, which covers the area of 600 ha. The works on the creating of the ensemble on the banks of the Slavyanka River were held for 50 years by architects Ch. Kameron, G. Guarenghi, A. Voronikhin, C. Rossi. The collection of the Palace is closely connected with journeys of the owners round Europe in 1781 - 82. They visited workshops of famous artists and bought canvases, furniture, bronze articles, silk, china, ancient sculptures from Italy. They brought to Russia presents from European royal courts. There is a excellent collection of Russian portraits, Pavlovsk landscape oil paintings and drawings. Interior of rooms which belonged to Maria Fedorovna deserves special attention because of their unique beauty and harmony designed by G. Guarenghi and A. Voronikhin in the beginning of the XIX century. Of special interest is the newly redecorated Rossi library built for Maria Fedorovna to store her collection of books and rarities. Excursion in Pavlovsk is often enlarged with the excursion to Pushkin - Tsarskoye Selo - to the Catherine's Palace and Park.