State Museum-Reserve "Gatchina"
Red Army Avenue, 1 , Gatchina, Russia
Description:
The Gatchina State Museum-Reserve is a work of garden and park art and architecture, as well as the main attraction of the city of Gatchina. The museum-reserve is recognized as a cultural heritage of Russia and is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
This remarkable palace and park ensemble owes its origin to the Russian Empress Catherine II, who in the 18th century gave the Gatchina manor to her favorite Grigory Orlov. Soon, under the leadership of the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi, the Grand Gatchina Palace was built on the site of the former estate. At the palace there was a park in the English style - one of the first purely landscape parks in Russia. Later, other objects were built on the territory of Gatchina - the Venus Pavilion, the Admiralty Gate, the Silvia Park, the Birch House and the Mask portal.
Gatchina is a very beautiful and picturesque place. The museum-reserve covers an area of 146 hectares, and on this vast territory are scattered ancient buildings, palaces, small ponds, well-groomed gardens and parks. In addition, everything here literally breathes history - kings and princes lived in Gatchina, also the Great Patriotic War hit this place hard, leaving its imprint. However, the museum-reserve managed to recover and now invites tourists to admire its beauties.
