Gatchina
68 places
Admiralteyskie Gates (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Admiralty Gates in the Palace Park of Gatchina, erected in 1794–1796 according to the design of architect Antonio Rinaldi, resemble an ancient triumphal arch. This massive structure, 13 meters high and 10 meters wide, is built of hewn Pudost stone, and its wrought iron gates were manufactured at the Izhora Plant in Kolpino. The gate columns support an entablature and a triangular pediment with the monogram "P" in an oak wreath, and in 1970 the structure underwent restoration after minor damage during the war.
Admiralteysky Bridge (Gatchina)
Gatchina, 25 Oktyabrya Avenue
The Admiralty Bridge, also known as the bridge with guardhouses, is a road stone arch structure spanning the channel between White and Black Lakes in Gatchina. This architectural monument of federal significance was built in 1793–1794 and named so due to its proximity to the Admiralty. During the Great Patriotic War, the bridge was blown up; only remnants of the abutments and pavilions survived, and its restoration was completed in 1990. The plinth and walls of the guardhouses are made of dressed Pudost stone, the floors are made of limestone slabs, and two square pavilions with rusticated walls and domed roofs topped with a gilded ball are located at the southern abutment.
Admiralteystvo (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Admiralty in the Gatchina Palace Park was built in the 1790s as a ship shed for storing sailing vessels, boats, and yawls. In front of this one-story, windowless building with an area of about 500 square meters, the "Kovsh" pond was dug, which served as a dock for completing ships and was connected to the lake by a channel with a drawbridge. Inside the extensive wooden shed, ship timber was stored in the Dutch manner — vertically on the ends, resting on twelve rusticated columns made of Paritsky slab. After the fire of 1993, the twelve leaning columns were straightened in 2009, and four new ones were also added; however, by the end of 2022, there were no signs of further reconstruction.
Amphitheatre (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Amphitheatre in the Gatchina Palace Park is a circular earthen turf-covered rampart about 3.5 meters high and about 65 meters in diameter, inside which there is a circular arena. The walls of the rampart are pierced by four symmetrical passages lined with Pudost stone, where the hinges of metal gates have been preserved: two passages were intended for horsemen, and the other two served as passages for spectators. The project of the structure, which is also called the Fortress Structure or the Earthen Fortress, was not fully completed, as eight gilded vases and incense burners, as well as statues on pedestals, were not installed. According to Wikidata, the object has the status of a cultural heritage site of Russia of federal significance.
Baltiysky Railway Station (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Grigorina Street
The Baltic Railway Station in Gatchina is located on Grigorina Street and was built on the Kyrassir Field right in front of the palace. The first wooden building, designed by architect P. S. Kupinsky, appeared in 1873, but was soon replaced by the current stone structure in the classical style. The modern station building, the design of which began in 1950, was completed in 1958 according to the project of the "Lengiprotrans" institute by architect L. V. Dobronitskaya. In 1971, the film "Cold - Hot" was filmed here, and in the 2020s, the passage from the underground passage to the second platform was closed.
White Lake (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The White Lake in Gatchina is an artificial water body formed as a system of ponds on the Izhora River no later than the early 18th century. Its length is 1.22 km, width is 0.35 km, area is 0.32 sq. km, and the greatest depth reaches 7 meters. The lake features Long Island with a terrace-pier from 1792–1795 and the Eagle Pavilion, as well as the Island of Love, where the Pavilion of Venus was erected in 1792–1793. The Chesme Obelisk stands on a small cape, from which a northern panorama opens from the palace.
Birch Gates
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Birch Gates, built in 1795–1798 according to the design of architect Vincenzo Brenna, are located on the eastern border of the Gatchina Palace Park. These 8-meter-high pylons with fenced platforms at the top served as observation points offering a view of the park and Lake Beloye. Initially, they were called "the gates near the Birch House" because the Birch House and the "Mask" portal are located nearby. The structure is part of the area of the park known as the English Garden and, together with the house, forms a conditional section called "Birch."
Birch Hut and the Mask Portal
Gatchina, Palace Park
The ensemble of the Birch Hut and the "Mask" portal in the Gatchina Palace Park was erected in the mid-1780s by architect Francois Viollet-le-Duc, and the portal itself was built in 1794–1796. Externally, the pavilion resembles a large woodpile, but inside it conceals a luxurious decoration, where mirrors and windows visually expand the hall with an area of about 25 square meters. On the night of September 12-13, 1944, the building was destroyed to its foundations during an attempt to dismantle it; however, the pavilion was restored in 1973, and the recreation of the interiors was completed by 1976. The object has been under state protection since August 30, 1960, with the "Mask" portal and the Birch Hut listed in the cultural heritage register under separate numbers.
Great Gatchina Palace
Gatchina, Krasnoarmeysky Avenue, 1
The Great Gatchina Palace in Gatchina was laid down in 1766 and completed in 1781, as a copper plaque on the wall of the central corps reminded until the 1950s. The facades of the building are faced with Paritsky limestone, quarried in the village of Paritsy near the city. In 1835, a signal optical telegraph was installed on one of the towers, and since 1844, the reconstruction of the palace under Emperor Nicholas I was led by architect Roman Ivanovich Kuzmin. The museum opened to visitors on May 19, 1918, and Valentin Zubov became its first director on October 26, 1917; the restoration of interiors destroyed by the fire of 1944 began in 1976 and continues to this day.
Great Stone Bridge (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Great Stone Bridge, also known as the Three-Arch Bridge, is located in the Palace Park of Gatchina and was built in the 90s of the 18th century. It is a non-extant pedestrian stone arch bridge over the channel of White Lake, which in the 18th century was called the bridge opposite the dam or the Great Bridge in the English Garden. Its railings were made of stone balustrades from Pudost stone with figured balusters, and the total length of the structure was 32 meters with a width of 9.6 meters. Currently, the bridge is in a ruined state, as the restoration project developed in 1970 was not implemented.
Botanical Garden (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Botanical Garden in Gatchina, located in the Palace Park, was created in 1793–1798 according to the design of architect Vincenzo Brenna and garden master F. Helmholtz. The garden is divided into the Upper and Lower parts, where geometric bosquets of regular shape are bounded by packed roads one to two sazhens wide. A stone greenhouse was used for exotic southern plants that decorated the flower hill, and in the 19th century yews, elms, and beeches were replaced with lindens and oaks, more suitable for the local climate. On the garden territory, two identical round ponds from the Kurakin period have been preserved, as well as the foundations of the wooden house of Peter I's sister, Natalia Alekseevna.
Bust of Antinous (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Krasnoarmeysky Avenue, 1, White Hall
The marble bust of Antinous is located in the White Hall of the Great Gatchina Palace at 1 Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt. The sculpture, found during excavations at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, was acquired by Ivan Shuvalov from the antiquities collector Gavin Hamilton in 1779. The bust possesses the canonical features of Antinous: a head slightly tilted to the left, a pensive gaze, and large disheveled curls. After the hall was restored in 1988, the sculpture was returned to its historical place on the sides of the door leading to the Antechamber, where it forms the second allegorical axis of the room together with the bust of Caracalla.
Warsaw Station (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Karla Marksa Street
The Warsaw Railway Station in Gatchina is located on Karl Marx Street at the intersection with Chkalov Street, about two kilometers southeast of the Gatchina Palace and the Baltiysky Railway Station. The design of the passenger building and the permanent station was developed by architect P. O. Salmanovich in 1858, and in 1895 an electric power station for lighting was built nearby. In 2023, the object received the status of a historically valuable urban-forming element in the project of the unified protection zone for Gatchina's cultural heritage. In 1966, the freight yard of the station was electrified on the Gatchina-Passazhirskaya-Baltiyskaya – Siverskaya section.
Upper and Lower Dutch Gardens
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Upper and Lower Dutch Gardens in the Gatchina Palace Park were created in 1794–1795 and have a regular layout. The gardens got their name from the flower beds planted in them, as in the 18th century Holland was considered a trendsetter in floriculture. The clear symmetry and neatness of these gardens made them an extension of the palace chambers in the open air, and the Carp Pond, which has the shape of a jug, separates them from the rest of the park. Since 1828, Italian marble statues, including the Amazon, the Satyr with a pipe, and Young Mars, have been located in the Lower Garden, and after the liberation of Gatchina in 1944, a statue of Athena was preserved in the Upper Garden.
Octagonal Well
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Octagonal Well in the Gatchina Palace Park is an 18th-century stone basin built around a natural spring. Its decorative design combines the symmetry of Classicism with the whimsical forms of Baroque, reflecting the style of architect Rinaldi. The structure, which miraculously survived the Great Patriotic War, is located in an acacia thicket on the northern shore of Karpin Pond, between the Private Garden and Lake Serebryannoye. The well's rim is marked by a projecting granite shaped parapet with a complex profile, and the total height of the framing is just over a meter.
Gatchina Military Airfield
Gatchina, Aerodrom District, General Knysh Street
The Gatchina Military Airfield in the Aerodrom microdistrict of the city of Gatchina has a rich history associated with the development of domestic aviation. In the summer of 1944, the 27th Guards Fighter Regiment based here was re-equipped with Spitfire fighters of the LF IXE modification, and in 1926–1928, test pilot V. P. Chkalov served at the airfield as part of the 1st Red Banner Fighter Aviation Squadron. A cross, consecrated by Bishop Ambrose of Gatchina in 2010, has been erected on the former airfield in honor of the laying of the Church of the Prophet Elijah for the facility's 100th anniversary. Since 1963, the site has been used by agricultural aviation for spreading fertilizers, and one of the hangars housed the workshop of Ya. M. Gakkel, where aircraft of original design were created.
Gatchina Museum of Military Aviation History
Gatchina, Aerodrom microdistrict
The Gatchina Museum of Military Aviation History is located in the Aerodrom microdistrict on the territory that was called the Military Field before the airfield was founded. The institution's exposition is dedicated to the history of air battles, reconnaissance, technology and armaments, as well as aviation pioneers, among whom is the Bleriot XI monoplane recreated from original blueprints. To create an accurate copy of this aircraft, well-known specialists in aviation reconstruction were invited. Visitors can learn about the history of the first flights, including Georges Legagneux's demonstration flight in 1909, and experience interactive simulators that allow them to feel like a pilot.
Hunchback Bridge (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Hunchbacked Bridge, built in 1801 according to the design of architect Adrian Zakharov, is located in the Palace Park of Gatchina. Due to its distinctive silhouette, it is also known as the Venetian Bridge, and in 1960 it was recognized as a cultural heritage site of federal significance. The bridge offers views of the Gatchina Palace, the Chesme Obelisk, and the Pavilion of Venus. During the retreat of German troops, the structure was planned to be blown up — later, shafts for explosives were discovered in its abutments, and the appearance restored in the late 1960s was almost destroyed by vandals twenty years later.
Hospital Town
Gatchina, Kirgetova Street, 1
The Hospital Town in Gatchina includes buildings whose initial construction dates back to 1796, when the city hospital received its staffing schedule. The central element of the complex is the almshouse with a 60-meter-long facade, accentuated by a protruding middle part with a semi-circular entrance. The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was originally located under the dome and bell tower on the second floor, but during the reconstruction, the building lost its rusticated pilasters. Two wings extend from the middle part of the almshouse, each having eleven windows, and the bathhouse with a laundry is located at 13 Hospital Lane.
Palace Greenhouses (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Palace Greenhouses in Gatchina, located in the Palace Park, were founded by Emperor Paul I and were repeatedly expanded and reconstructed during the 19th century. The complex consists of seven brick buildings with facades made of Chernovitsky limestone, between which was a two-story stone house of the head gardener. One of the buildings near the entrance from Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt now houses a flower shop. The object is included in the unified state register of cultural heritage sites of Russia under number 4710204026.
Gatchina Palace Park
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Palace Park in Gatchina includes the Upper Dutch Garden with a marble statue of Athena and the Birch Gates, which received a roof instead of observation platforms in 1843. In the park, the Terrace-Pier (1886) and the Admiralty Gates (1887) have been restored, and the Big and Small Bridges on the circular road have been rebuilt, as well as the Hunchback Bridge and the Eagle Pavilion have been renovated. In the southern part, there is the Admiralty for Gatchina's "toy" fleet and an oval dock pond from 1795, while in the Botanical Garden, oaks have been planted in place of demolished greenhouses and cast-iron bridges have been installed on Love Island. The territory is inhabited by squirrels, moles, field mice, waterfowl birds, and five species of bats.
Dulag 154
Gatchina, Dulag 154 victims memorial
Dulag 154 was a transit camp for prisoners of war and a concentration camp in Gatchina that existed from 1941 to 1944. According to official data, more than 80,000 Soviet citizens, including civilians and Red Army POWs, were exterminated within its system, and its branches were located at the airfield, near the Baltic Railway Station, in the Red Barracks, and at the former gramophone factory. In the winter of 1941, a "carousel" method was used here, where prisoners were forced to walk in circles in the frost, and in 1942, 140–170 people died daily from a typhus epidemic. Not all burial sites of the deceased have been identified; according to some versions, some of them are located in the palace park and in the area of Khokhlovo Field.
Jaegerskaya Sloboda (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Jager Sloboda District, Komsomoltsev-Podpolshchikov Street
Yegerskaya Sloboda is a microdistrict in the western part of Gatchina, which, together with the settlement of Marienburg, is within the city limits. The ensemble of the sloboda, created by Georg Gross in 1857–1860, includes 17 identical wooden houses for hunters, a two-story house for the chief hunter, and an office building. The architectural dominant of the district is the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the design of which was approved by Emperor Alexander III, and the sketch was prepared by Academician D. I. Grimm. The main street, now named after Underground Komsomol Members, was paved with cobblestones, and linden alleys and lilacs were planted along the roads.
Ekaterinverder
Gatchina, Ekaterinverder District
Ekaterinverder is a historical district of Gatchina, first mentioned in the decree of Paul I in January 1797 as one of the four parts of the city. According to the project of architect Brenna, a residential complex for officers with barracks, shops, and triumphal arches was planned here, but only the Ekaterinverder Tower Block was built. This octagonal tower, whose lower floor is rusticated horizontally, externally repeats the corner towers of the palace quadrangles, and its appearance was preserved during the reconstruction in the mid-19th century. Some of the unfinished structures of the quarter were later moved to other outskirts of the city, for example to Marienburg and Kolpany.
Zagvozdka
Gatchina, Zagvozdka District
Zagvozdka is a historical district of Gatchina that was formed in the 19th century on the site of a dacha settlement between the village of Malaya Gatchina (Solodukha) and the city. In 1910, a school was opened here, where P. Inki taught, and by the mid-20th century, the population of Malaya Zagvozdka numbered several hundred people, predominantly Russians. In 1796, Zagvozdinskaya Street was laid to the village, which later bore the name Lyutsevskaya, and is now known as Chkalov Street.
Zverinets Park, Gatchina
Gatchina, Menagerie Park
The Zverinets Park in Gatchina was created under Count Grigory Orlov and adjoined the northwestern border of the Palace Garden. In 1787, contractor K. Plastinin received payment for the construction of the Zverinskie Gates made of Pudost stone, and in 1881 architect L. F. Shperer built a stone guardhouse for the watchman nearby. In the 19th century, wooden crossings over the rivers and canals of the park were replaced by iron bridges with decorative railings, and the territory housed a forester's lodge, barracks, and enclosures for deer and bison. Visitors are prohibited from making fires and swimming in the water bodies, which according to Rospotrebnadzor data are not intended for this, while the gates and guardhouse suffered only minor damage in 1941–1944.
Cloth Factory Building (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Krasnaya Street, at the intersection with Dostoevskogo Street
The building of the cloth factory in Gatchina is one of the oldest in the city and an example of industrial architecture from the late 18th century, included in the register of cultural heritage sites of federal significance. In 1831, a cholera department was located here, and in the 1990s, a traffic police department was located there. On the facade of the restored building, an unplastered rectangle has been left, demonstrating the construction material, and due to the small windows, the Wikivoyage guide compares it to a fragment of a small fortress. The current address of the site is Dostoevsky Street, building 2.
Ingerburg Gates
Gatchina, 25 Oktyabrya Avenue, corner of Roshchinskaya Street
The Ingerburgskie Gates in Gatchina were built in 1795 at the expense of Paul I, who also initiated the construction of a school, town hall, barracks, and fortifications in Ingerburg. The northern entrance to the city along the Kiev Highway passes through these gates, through the opening of which a perspective on the 25th of October Avenue is revealed. The historical volumetric-spatial solution of the object has been partially lost due to the dismantling of the intermediate pillars and sections of the fence, and the original leaves were lost during the war years. The removed armor was conserved for the museum, and exact copies made of thin-walled bronze were installed on the pylons, while the gate grille was likely created based on a drawing by V.I. Bazhenov or V. Brenna for the Mikhailovsky Castle. The rubble stone foundations of the structure are faced with granite.
Cavalry Regiment Barracks
Gatchina, Krasnoarmeysky Avenue, 2
The barracks of the Cuirassier Regiment in Gatchina, located at 2 Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt, were built on the basis of the former palace stables, which were rebuilt after the arsenal, library, and residential premises were placed in their old building. The main building is distinguished by a high roof with a break over the central part, and in the early 20th century, the regimental church and a wall image on the facade were depicted on postcards. During the restoration of the complex after the Great Patriotic War, the internal church was structurally destroyed. Currently, the Central Naval Archives are located in the main building, where photography is prohibited, and document scanning is free but limited in volume.
Karaulki (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Karaulki in Gatchina are small residential buildings from 1881, erected for park guards during the stay of Emperor Alexander III. Located at the entrances to the Palace and Priory parks, these buildings originally served for round-the-clock control of passage and traffic, as well as for cleaning the adjacent areas. Today their purpose has changed: in Karaulka No. 10 near the Zverinets, the "Domik" cafe operates; in Karaulka No. 1 near the Priory Park, there is a Baptist "Prayer House"; and Karaulka No. 4 is included in the register of cultural heritage sites.
Karpin Bridge (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Karpin Bridge in Gatchina is a pedestrian arch structure made of Pudost stone, spanning an artificial cascade between Karpin Pond and White Lake. The structure connects two parts of Long Island in the Palace Park and got its name from the pond where silver carp were bred for the tsar's table. The bridge's railing is made in the form of a solid stone wall with volute-shaped endings, and the platforms in front of the benches are covered with stone slabs. A restoration project for the object was developed in 1971, and according to its terms, a spillway dam was provided for under the bridge.
Eagle Column
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Eagle Column in the Gatchina Palace Park is a marble column 6.4 meters high on a tall, four-sided pedestal in the classical style. The trunk made of white veined marble is executed in the forms of the Roman-Doric or Tuscan order, and the top of the structure is crowned with a sculpture of an eagle. In the 1790s, the column was united into a single ensemble with the Eagle Pavilion on Long Island, which is also fixed in paintings where both objects are depicted together. The eagle allegory is associated with the heraldic symbol of the Orlov family, the image of which was included in their coat of arms.
Konnetabl (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Connetable Square
The Konnetable is an obelisk with a square in Gatchina, located at the intersection of 25 Oktyabrya Avenue and Krasnoarmeysky Avenue. At the top of the restored monument, there is a copper ball with a diameter of about 53 centimeters and a gilded conical spire with a platinum tip, and on the pedestal, by order of the emperor, only the dates 1793 and 1886 are indicated. In 1881, the obelisk was damaged by a lightning strike, which gave rise to rumors of human interference or the fall of an object from a balloon, and during the occupation of 1941, the Germans installed a swastika on it, which was removed in January 1944.
Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Krasnoarmeysky Avenue
Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt in Gatchina is a former Yekaterinverderskaya Road, renamed in 1922. The avenue runs between the Baltic and Warsaw railways, with a railway branch line laid along it and a microdistrict of the same name formed. Along the road are the Black Gates of the Sylvia Park, erected in the 1880s, and a two-story house No. 26 from the late 18th century, built according to the design of I. E. Starov. The avenue forms intersections with the city's key streets, including 25th of October Avenue, Kievskaya Street, and Emperor Paul I Alley.
Round Riga
Gatchina, Kiyevskaya Street, 6A
The Round Riga in Gatchina at 6A Kievskaya Street is an architectural monument built in the 1760s or 1770s by an unknown author, who could have been N. A. Lvov, V. I. Bazhenov, Yu. M. Felten, or V. I. Neelov. The building is located in the historical district of Yekaterinverder, named after the fortress that was designed under Paul I but was never built. In 1846, architect A. M. Baikov carried out repairs, replacing the rafters and roof, and in 1874, material from a dismantled stove was used for the repair of greenhouses. According to the register, the unified monument includes the riga itself with outbuildings and the "Bread Stores," and in 1884 the building was transferred to the cuirassier regiment for housing horses.
Forest Orangery (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Forest Greenhouse in the Gatchina Palace Park is a cultural heritage site of Russia of federal significance, designed by Vincenzo Brenna for the winter storage of southern plants in wooden tubs. In 1848, the building was reconstructed with residential premises added to it, and in 2013, the ruins were enclosed with a lattice fence, with a historical plaque installed at the entrance. Five tall window openings with fine glazing, facing south, provided light for growing exotic plants, fruits, and berries for the imperial table, and staircases were built near the Greenhouse Pond by the building for access to the water.
P. E. Shcherbov Estate Museum
Gatchina, Chekhova Street, 4
The P. E. Shcherbov Museum-Estate in Gatchina is located in the house of the artist-cartoonist, built in the Northern Art Nouveau style at the beginning of the 20th century. The appearance of the estate complex is defined by original combinations of volumes of different geometric shapes with an ascetic design of all the buildings. At the beginning of the 21st century, a small part of the blind stone fence with a gate has been preserved on the eastern side of the estate. The museum hosts exhibitions and concerts, and the first exposition was opened in 1992.
Ivanovka Estate
Myza-Ivanovka, Shosseynaya Street
The Ivanovka estate in Gatchina is connected to the history of a mill, which has been owned by members of the Stackenschneider family since 1797. In 1856, the architect Andrei Stackenschneider became its proprietor and significantly expanded the adjacent plot, while a stone with the date "179." found during the roof renovation confirms that the building dates back to the 18th century. In the spring and summer of 2014, an exhibition about the history of the mill was held at the Gatchina Museum, after which cleanup events were organized near its walls to clean the building and tidy up the park. A legend is also associated with this place, stating that it was here, on November 5, 1796, that Pavel Petrovich was informed about the fatal illness of Catherine II.
New Cemetery (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Solodukhina Street, New Cemetery
The New Cemetery in Gatchina, also known as Solodukhino, is located on Solodukhina Street. On its territory stands the Church of All Saints, built in the pseudo-Russian style with three domes, the construction of which in 1889 was funded by the Palace Administration and the Gatchina Insurance Society without charge. Merchant N. A. Shilov, who served as churchwarden since 1892, laid a stone chapel of John the Baptist on the cemetery with his donations in 1906. According to the memories of old residents, tombstones and pedestals were partially used to reinforce the foundations of city buildings, and the section with the graves of pilots lost its propellers after 1957.
Pavilion of Venus
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Pavilion of Venus in the Gatchina Palace Park was designed by architect Vincenzo Brenna based on a structure in the estate of the Prince de Condé in Chantilly. The building consists of an elongated rectangular large hall with cut corners and a small antechamber with semicircular niches, while the hall's illumination is enhanced by mirrors in the inter-wall spaces with carved gilded wreaths. Above the mirrors are painted panels depicting flowers, flaming hearts, and quivers with arrows, and the huge ceiling painting "The Triumph of Venus" by Mettenleiter illustrates the mythological story of Cupid and Psyche. The sculpture of Cupid and Psyche, which returned to the museum in 1986 in a damaged state, was restored based on analogues and has been kept in the palace since 2015.
Eagle Pavilion
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Eagle Pavilion in the Gatchina Palace Park is a rotunda, the front part of which is formed by a semicircle of ten Tuscan columns made of gray marble with white veins, standing on high pedestals. The back wall of the structure is decorated with a semi-dome with coffers, molded rosettes, and a shell, arranged in three rows of seven. Originally named the Temple, the pavilion was renamed by Nicholas I to the "Round Gazebo" in 1846, then to the "Gazebo of Paul I," and received its current name during the Soviet era. A statue of a white marble one-headed eagle wearing an imperial crown and holding a shield with the monogram of Paul I was recreated on the colonnade in 2023 after the 1969–1970 restoration.
Monument to the Heroes of the Komsomol of Gatchina
Gatchina, Krasnoarmeysky Avenue
The monument to the heroic Komsomol members of Gatchina is located on Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt and is dedicated to twenty-five underground fighters who were executed during the German occupation. It consists of a large memorial plaque embedded in the wall and adorned with metal wreaths, on which the names of all the deceased are listed, including Nadezhda Fyodorova, Aleksandra Drynkina, and Igor Ivanov. A metal sculpture of a girl bowing her head over a grave is installed on the pedestal by the plaque, and the area in front of the monument is paved with slabs and lined with spruce trees. The memorial project was developed in the 1960s by architect V. S. Vasilkovsky and sculptors A. A. Korolyuk and V. S. Ivanov.
Monument to Paul I by Vitali
Gatchina, Palace Park
The monument to Paul I in Gatchina, created by sculptor Ivan Vitali, is installed on the parade ground in front of the Great Gatchina Palace on a granite pedestal made of Finnish granite. The Emperor is depicted in a dress uniform and a tricorn hat, leaning on a cane as if reviewing a parade. The bronze statue was cast at the St. Petersburg Galvanoplastic Plant and was solemnly unveiled on August 1, 1851, in the presence of Nicholas I. The monument survived several attempts at demolition but was preserved thanks to the efforts of museum curator Vladimir Makarov and B. A. Udaltsov.
Pokrovsky Cathedral (Gatchina)
Gatchina, at the corner of Gospitalnaya and Mariinskaya Streets
The Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina was founded at the corner of Hospital and Mariinskaya streets on the land provided by merchant Kozma Karpov for the courtyard of the Pyatigorsk Mother of God Convent. The main altar in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was consecrated by Bishop Nazarius of Gdov on August 6, 1896, and the first rector of the church from 1897 to 1910 was Priest Alexiy Blagoveshchensky. The architecture of the building includes a frieze with motifs of keel-shaped arches and semicircular arches, located below the roof level of each dome and the main roof. In 1918, a side chapel in the name of John the Baptist and the martyr Lydia was consecrated in the basement, and in 1996 a lower church in honor of Saint John of Kronstadt was arranged there.
Priory Palace
Gatchina, Chkalova Street, 22a
The Priory Palace in Gatchina, built in 1799 by architect N. A. Lvov, is the only surviving structure in Russia constructed mainly using rammed earth technology. The palace walls, fence, and adjacent buildings are made of layers of compacted loam poured with lime mortar, while the retaining wall is made of Pudost stone. From the side of the Black Lake, an illusion is created that the palace stands on an island, which emphasizes its original composition and rejection of symmetry. Located on the southeastern shore of the lake, the palace gave its name to the Priory Park, which was previously called the "Small Menagerie."
Prioratsky Park
Gatchina, Priory Park
Priory Park in Gatchina, with an area of more than 154 hectares (according to Wikidata — 166.8 hectares), received its current name after the construction of the Priory Palace in 1797–1799 by order of Emperor Paul. Until the end of the 18th century, this territory was called the Small Menagerie, and the only major structure in the park is the Priory Palace itself, created according to the design of architect N. A. Lvov on the shore of the Black Lake. Near the lake, behind an artificial embankment, lay the Deaf, or Filkino, Lake, which together with the Black Lake formed a single water system of the Gatchina parks. At the park entrances stand four of the ten park guardhouses built in Gatchina, and the reconstruction of the territory began in the 1970s.
25th of October Avenue (Gatchina)
Gatchina, 25 Oktyabrya Avenue
25th of October Avenue runs through the microdistricts of Center, Khokhlovo Pole, and Vyezd and received its current name in 1922. It features the former residential house of merchant P. P. Vargin (No. 9) and the former house of A. V. Lazarevsky (No. 3), as well as the buildings of the Gatchina Orphan Institute, constructed in 1824–1828, and the House of Culture from 1932. There is also a memorial plaque dedicated to the Soviet poet and translator Lozinsky here.
Aviary (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Menagerie Park
The Ptichnik is a stone, one-story, U-shaped building on the bank of the Kolpanka River on the southern border of the Zverinets Park in Gatchina, built in the late 18th century according to the design of architect A. D. Zakharov. In its center is a two-story section, framed by low side wings and small round towers. Due to the death of Emperor Paul I, construction was interrupted, so the building lacks the planned decorative elements — vases and eagle-shaped ornaments. In the spring of 2020, the fence around the Ptichnik was dismantled due to the expansion of the museum-reserve territory, and now the building is located behind the new park fence along the Pilnenskaya Road.
Sylvia Park
Gatchina, Sylvia Park
The Sylvia Park, with an area of about 17.5 hectares, is located in the left-bank part of the Gatchina Palace Park, northwest of the palace. Created from 1792 to 1800 under the guidance of landscape architect James Hackett, it received its name in memory of a visit to the French ensemble of Chantilly. The park's territory includes the complex of the former Dairy Farm on the bank of the Kolpanka River, as well as the ruins of a dam with a cascade, a temporary pedestrian bridge, and the "Naumakhia" pool. In front of the memorial plaque, there is a metal sculpture of a girl bowing her head over the grave of underground resistance members.
Orphan Institute (Gatchina)
Gatchina, 25 Oktyabrya Avenue, 2
The Orphan Institute in Gatchina was established by Empress Maria Feodorovna in 1803 as a Rural Educational Home and changed its name several times, becoming the Gatchina Orphan Institute of Emperor Nicholas I in 1855. The institution was housed in a specially reconstructed three-story stone building, formerly the Prince Orlov's Cattle Yard. In 1848, a women's boarding school for the children of officials was established at the institute, which was transformed into a women's gymnasium in 1867. The last director from 1906 to 1917 was retired Major General Mikhail Konstantinovich Geyshtor.
Smolensk Gates (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Kiyevskaya Street
The Smolensk Gates in Gatchina are a cultural heritage site of federal significance in Russia. The gate pylons are installed on polished plinths made of blocks of red rapakivi granite and are crowned with restored bronze military trophies based on photographs. In the 20th century, due to increased traffic, the metal gates and fence were dismantled, so only the pylons have survived from the original structure. The lost armor compositions on them were recreated in 1956 according to the design of architect Alexander Kedrinsky.
Cathedral Street (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Sobornaya Street
Sobornaya Street in Gatchina, laid out in the 1850s on the site of the village of Malaya Gatchina, is a kind of symbol of the city's central district. In 1922, it was renamed Sovetskaya, and it became a pedestrian street in 1996, for the 200th anniversary of Gatchina. Historical buildings have been preserved on the street, including the parish school of 1899–1901, the residential house of merchant P. P. Vargin, and the Varfolomeev house. At number 31 today are located the administrative building of the artel "Yupiter" and the museum of the "Burevestnik" factory.
Saint Paul's Cathedral (Gatchina)
Gatchina
The cubic building of St. Paul's Cathedral in Gatchina stands on a high podklet, and its semicircular apse and the projection of the central part of the western wall make it cruciform in plan. Both side chapels and the main altar were consecrated on the same day — June 29, 1852, and the main entrance is decorated with a semi-circular perspective portal with a rose window. In 1891, a two-story stone building of a parish school for boys and girls was built next to the cathedral. After the war, Archpriest Pyotr Belavsky, the rector, restored the annual solemn celebration of the Day of the Transfer of the Maltese Shrines to Gatchina on October 12.
Private Garden (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Private Garden in Gatchina, located by the palace walls on a high embankment, was created in 1794–1795 exclusively for the walks and meals of the imperial family. In the center of the garden, on a circular platform where the radial alleys converge, stands a sculpture of the goddess of flowers, Flora, by the Italian Fabio Medico, and the sculptures that survived the Great Patriotic War buried in the ground returned to their places in 1944. From the stone terrace, accessible from the Emperor's Tower Cabinet, one can see a view of the granite staircase, where two sphinxes made of local limestone stand, and on the garden balcony, since the 1830s, there has been a marble copy of an ancient head of Hera, which returned there after restoration in September 2020. Since the mid-19th century, the pets of the royal family have been buried on the territory of about half a hectare with a regular layout.
Gatchina City of Military Glory Stele
Gatchina, 25 Oktyabrya Avenue, at Chkalova Street
The stele "City of Military Glory" in Gatchina was erected in memory of the city being awarded the honorary title by a presidential decree on April 6, 2015. The monument is a polished granite column of the Doric order, 14.2 meters high, with a bronze capital and base. In 2016, in honor of this event, a postage stamp and a commemorative coin with a denomination of 10 rubles were put into circulation, and the Sword of Victory, presented on June 9, 2022, in Moscow, is kept in the city museum.
Terrace Pier
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Terrace-Pier in the Palace Park of Gatchina is a central structure located almost on the axis of the main palace building, and it served as a mooring place for the vessels of the Gatchina flotilla. Its upper part is a platform framed on the lake side by a balustrade, and the wall is built of Paritskaya slab and faced with Pudost stone. Under Pavel Petrovich, four marble statues depicting Sculpture, Painting, Architecture, and Mathematics were installed here, and at the entrance to the terrace there are two sculptures of recumbent lions from 1798. The statues and vases lost or damaged during the war have not yet been returned to their historical place; only their bases have been preserved, and some elements were found at the bottom of Lake Beloye.
Three-Arch Bridge (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Three-Arched Bridge in the Palace Park of Gatchina, also known as the Lion Bridge, got its name from the stone lion masks on the keystones of the arches, created by sculptor M. P. Alexandrov-Uvazhny from Pudost stone. According to the architect's plan, allegorical sculptures "Abundance of Rivers" and military trophies were supposed to stand on the pedestals, but after the death of Paul I this project was not implemented, although cast iron links for its railings had already been cast in Kronstadt. In 1944, the bridge was blown up by German troops during their retreat, as a result of which two arches survived on the side of the Karpin Pond, and only one with remnants of the keystone and a lion mask survived on the side of the Priory Park.
Karl Marx Street (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Karla Marksa Street
Karl Marx Street in Gatchina forms intersections with ten streets, and one-way traffic is in effect on the section from Radishchev Street to Gagarin Street. This street houses a branch of Russian Post, kindergarten No. 23, a Sberbank branch, Apex gymnasium, and the public employment center. The house of Prince V. P. Golitsyn at number 28 was built in the 1840s according to the design of architect V. V. Vasilyev, and building No. 24 has the status of a historically valuable urban-forming object. During the German occupation, the street was called Berliner Strasse, but after the liberation of Gatchina, its former name was restored.
Khokhlova Street
Gatchina, Khokhlova Street
Khokhlov Street is the oldest street in the Khokhlovo Pole microdistrict of Gatchina, stretching from 25 October Avenue to 7th Army Street. In the early 1990s, there was a discussion about returning its historical name, Berezovaya (Birch Street), but the street retained its current name. The section from 7th Army Street to Koli Podryadchikova Street has one-way traffic, while the segment from 25 October Avenue to Koli Podryadchikova Street is served by bus route K-27. At 2A on this street is the Palace of Marriage Registrations, located in a one-story stone mansion in the Art Nouveau style, built in 1913 for the historian S. V. Rozhdestvensky.
Chkalova Street (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Chkalova Street
Chkalov Street in Gatchina reflects the development of local urban planning from wooden houses of the 18th–19th centuries to Art Nouveau stone mansions, mass housing of the second half of the 20th century, and modern mansions. This street is home to the K. O. Guidi apartment building of 1897 with V. G. Tabunshchikova's women's gymnasium, the residential house of merchant A. I. Gvozdev, and the Shershova house by architect V. V. Klementyev, all protected by the state. Here also stands the residential house of A. P. Sharapov, known as the "house with dolphins," and on the site of the current Ippolitov-Ivanov Children's Music School, the composer Gavriil Lomakin lived from 1867 to 1885.
Gatchina Farm
Gatchina, Krasnoarmeysky Avenue, 21
The Palace Farm in Gatchina is located at 21 Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt, and the walls of its main building are faced with Pudost limestone. The dome painting was restored by restorers R. P. Sausen, V. V. Zverev, and O. Yu. Pedayas, while another part of the building housed a cowshed, dairy, water boiler room, and servants' rooms. Along the ceremonial facade were rooms overlooking the river for receiving owners and guests, interiors decorated with expensive paintings and farma. Since 1930, the educational farm of the Leningrad Zootechnical Institute was located here, and in 2020, white peacocks and a pair of emus from the St. Petersburg Zoo named Yerofey and Praskovya appeared at the farm. As of 2026, the entrance ticket costs 300 rubles for adults and 150 rubles for students and pensioners of the Russian Federation.
Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Marienburg
The Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Gatchina is located in Marienburg at 7 Krugovaya Street and belongs to the Gatchina Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The church, founded in 1886 in the Jaeger Settlement according to the design of architect David Grimm, was built from 1886 to 1888. Until March 15, 1918, the church was part of the court department, after which it was transferred to the diocesan clergy. Among the shrines of the church are the icon "The Seeker of the Lost," as well as images of Saint Anna of Kashin and the Great Martyr Catherine with particles of their relics.
Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Volodarskogo Street, 28a
The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Gatchina was solemnly consecrated on November 13, 1911, by Bishop Jan Cieplak in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was assigned to the Church of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg. Before the construction of this stone church, for which believers collected the missing amount to the estimate of 37,319 rubles, Catholic masses were celebrated in the Lutheran church and the hall of the Orphanage Institute. The church was officially closed in 1939, and the half-ruined building was returned to the community in 1994, after which services resumed in the summer of 1996. In 2008–2012, the pastor of the church was Father Henryk Boguszewski SDB.
St. Nicholas Church (Gatchina)
Gatchina, 25 Oktyabrya Avenue, 39
The Lutheran Church of St. Nicholas in Gatchina, designed for 220 seats, was solemnly consecrated on October 22, 1828, according to a standard project by architect D. I. Quadri. The architectural appearance of the building is emphasized by a portico accentuating the main entrance, and sandriks on brackets are placed above the door and window openings. In 1859, the parish numbered 1258 people — Germans and Finns, and by 1919 and 1922, the number of parishioners reached 2500 people. Photographs from the German occupation show the state of the temple after the destruction of autumn 1941, and the revived Lutheran parish of the Church of Ingria was registered in Gatchina in August 1990.
St. Peter's Church (Gatchina)
Gatchina, Krasnogvardeyskaya Street, Avangard Plant territory
The Church of St. Peter in Gatchina is an Evangelical Lutheran church that serves as the center of the Kolppana parish of the Church of Ingria. On July 19, 1859, an expanded cemetery was consecrated next to the church, and an organ for it was made by the St. Petersburg craftsman Karl Wirth. In 1863, the Kolpana Teacher-Cantor Seminary was founded near the church, which operated until 1918. In 1949, the building was transferred to the Avangard factory, due to which the lost spire was replaced with a four-slope roof; however, in 1990, part of the premises were returned to the parish.
Chesme Gallery
Gatchina, Krasnoarmeysky Avenue, 1, Chesme Gallery
The Chesme Gallery in the Gatchina Palace served under Paul I for ceremonial processions to the palace church, crowded banquets, and the placement of the throne. The interior with an area of 112 square meters glorified Russian weaponry, in contrast to the neighboring Oval Drawing Room dedicated to peace, and served as a memorial to the victory in the Battle of Chesme. The main element of the decoration was stucco work, and the parquet flooring consisted of giant rhombuses and rectangles with circles divided into four sectors of dark and light wood. In 2018, conservation and partial reconstruction of the interior were carried out according to the project of the company "Revival of St. Petersburg".
Chesma Obelisk
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Chesme Obelisk in the Palace Park of Gatchina is one of the earliest architectural structures of this territory and was built during the time when the estate was owned by Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov. The ten-meter monument serves as a family memorial of the Orlov family and is dedicated to the Chesme victory of 1770, won by the fleet under the command of Count Alexei Orlov, the brother of the owner of Gatchina. The monument is clearly visible from the Great Gatchina Palace, as well as from Long Island, from the Eagle Pavilion, and from the paths along the western shore of White Lake. It has been placed under protection by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR in August 1960.
Echo Grotto
Gatchina, Palace Park
The Echo Grotto is located on the slope of a hill near the shore of the Silver Lake in the Palace Park of Gatchina, and the remains of a semicircular stone pier have been preserved on the shore next to it. Thanks to the good acoustics, the echo in the grotto can repeat up to four syllables, and the most impressive effect is achieved at the second pair of lanterns from the entrance, where the sound repeats up to 30 times. The entrance to the underground passage from the side of the grotto is closed by an arched iron door, since the lake is used for water supply and a sanitary zone has been established around it. In the post-war period, the space of the underground passage was used as a warehouse for the city trust "Vodokanal".
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