Oranienbaum. Small yard residence
Description:
Every time I take a tour of Oranienbaum, I feel like we're not just going to the suburbs, but to a little paradox. This place is like in the shadow of Peterhof, but with its bright light. More personal, more stubborn. A little strange - and very lively.
We meet at the hotel, get in the car, and while the city is left behind, I tell you why Peter III began to build his fortress here, how Elizabeth Petrovna hosted balls in the Chinese palace, and why Catherine II came to Oranienbaum with a special mood - not as an empress, but as a woman with history.
And here we are. The Great Menshikov Palace rises on a hill, looking at the bay with the same expression as its owner - smug but attractive. Menshikov was the first Russian oligarch, and this palace is a reflection of his ambitions. Unforgettable halls, where the architecture of the early XVIII century has been preserved, almost without gloss. All honest, stone, with a touch of ship rigor. It's not a ballroom, it's a palace for power.
And then the Chinese Palace. Small, exquisite as a box. It was created not for parades, but for privacy. It is necessary to go quietly, to speak quietly - it is almost an intimate space. Silk panels, murals, fine china. And the feeling that Catherine could remain outside the door - in her thoughts, alone, in herself.
And then a walk in the park. He's not the most well-groomed, but that's his beauty. There are no crowds, no fountains to photograph. But there are pine trees, wet moss, wooden bridges, the smell of the bay. And a sense of space. Freedom.
On the way back, no one asks about the rating of the palaces. Oranienbaum is not about comparison. It's about the atmosphere. About a strange, slightly forgotten, magnificent Russia. Sometimes history hides in the shadows to talk to you in person.
The price includes:
# excursion on my Hyundai Creta car for a group of 1-3 people costs 14000 rubles
# excursion by car "minivan" (driver + guide) for a group of 1-6 people costs 25000 rubles
# excursion by car "microbus" (driver + guide) for a group of 7-12 people costs 32000 rubles
# excursion by car "microbus" (driver + guide) for a group of 13-16 people costs 38000 rubles
# excursion for a group of more than 16 people by agreement
Entrance tickets to the park and the palace are paid separately.
Photographs (8)
