St. Petersburg apartments » St. Petersburg guide » Outside St. Petersburg » Gatchina

Luxury travel to St. Petersburg is growing. Our team can help you plan your trip to a five star apartment in St. Petersburg

Gatchina

This suburb of St. Petersburg is much older than the city itself. In 1499 it was just a small village called Hotchino and its inhabitants were people from Novgorod. Then it was occupied by Livonia and then by Sweden. In 1721, after the war between Russia and Sweden, Gatchina became a Russian settlement again. The Empress Catherine II gave it to her favorite Orlov, for whom the palace was built under the direction of architect Rinaldi. In the 19th century Gatchina recieved the status of a city, and after the October Revolution a museum was opened inside the palace. Gatchina is worth visiting not just for the impressive palace, but for the romantic park and small priory palace.

The palace is the only palace-fortress in the St. Petersburg region. After Orlov´s death, it became the residence of Catherine II´s son, the future emperor Paul I. Completed in 1781 in an early classical style, the original design of distinguished Italian architect Rinaldi was twice altered: once in a expansion by Vincenzo Brenna in the late eighteenth century and again when Roman Kuzmin reconstructed the palace between 1845 and 1860. During the Great Patriotic War the palace and other sights of this city suffered greatly, but they were restored and are now open to tourists. Look out for the artificial grotto at the end of the palace’s corridor, one of the remnants of Rinaldi’s original design.

The park, created at the end of the eighteenth century, covers over 700 hectares. Like many imperial parks in the St. Petersburg region, the park was meant as an imitation of nature, and has nothing in common with the pristine gardens of, say, Versailles (though some of those boring geometric, manicured gardens were added later). It is notable that Catherine II was influential in the park’s construction. The park is dotted with ponds and islands, created courtesy of serf labour; its other features include the Silvia Gate, Venus Pavillion, Karpin Bridge, and the Birch House.

The priory palace was built under Paul I, who in 1798 was unofficially deemed the Grand Master of a society of knights (the Order of Malta), as an order residence.. It was only used for this purpose, however, for around 10 years. In the nineteenth century the palace stood more or less empty, and during the Soviet period it served as a meeting hall for pioneers, amongst other things. The palace’s attraction lies in its modesty, which is a welcome break from the sombreness of the imperial palace, and its picturesque location.

You can get to Gatchina by an electric train from the Baltiysky Train Station (the metro station "Baltiyskaya"), by a bus, or the marshrutka No.431, which both depart from Victory Square (not far from the underground station "Moskovskaya").

Palace and park phone (813) 711-34-92.
Priory Palace phone (813) 717-64-67.

The Palace museum is open from 10:00 – 18.00 (the cashier is open until 17:00). Not open Mondays and the second Tuesday of the month.

The Priory Palace museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00 (the cashier is open until 17:00). Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Staying in a apartment in St. Petersburg is a must for any traveler wishing to visit St. Petersburg, Russia