Pavlovsk

The history of Pavlovsk as the splendid palace and park ensemble dates back to December 1777 when Catherine the Great gifted a small land, 6 km from Tsarskoye Selo, to her son Paul and his wife Maria Fyodorovna on the occasion of the birth of their first son, the future Emperor Alexander I.

The construction works of the estate acquired large scale as the favorite architect of Catherine the Great, Charles Cameron, was invited to design the ensemble. And by 1786 the new palace, a marvelous example of Russian Classicism, was erected.

Along with the construction of the palace the landscape park that was designed as an imitation of living nature was laid down. The exceptionally beautiful natural surroundings suggested the architectural solutions and talented architects masterfully combined the natural landscape with the architectural construction created by a man. The park of Pavlovsk is one of the largest in Europe - it stretches on the impressive territory of 600 hectares.

Soon after the Revolution of 1918 the palace and the park of Pavlovsk were declared a museum complex. In the same year the town changed its name - it was called Slutzk in honor of the deceased revolutionist Vera Slutzkaya. In January 1944 after the liberation from the Natzist the town was returned its historic name.

Nowadays the Palace of Pavlovsk houses the permanent exhibition of Russian portrait. The visitors are welcome to walk through the chambers of Empress Maria Fyodorovna, admire the original interiors and belongings of Russian tsars, created for them by the best artists of that time.