Favorite palaces of Russian empresses. History of the summer palace of Elizabeth Petrovna Residence of Elizabeth Petrovna

The Achilleion Palace (Sissi's residence) was built specifically for the Austrian Empress Elizabeth II. Corfu has long been chosen by celebrities from different nations. Having been here once, they would definitely return and stay here longer. For example, Lewis and Gerald Durrell, Empress Elizabeth II of Austria, or Kaiser Wilhelm II. This island was also visited by Napoleon, Oscar Wilde, and many others. But the most striking mark was probably left by Elizabeth II and her Achilleion Palace.

Achilleion Palace Corfu (Sissi residence)

During World Wars 1 and 2, Achilleion Palace was used as a hospital, and after the war a school and kindergarten were set up here. Later the building was leased to private hands for 20 years. A reconstruction was carried out and a casino was opened in Achilleion, which was later converted into a hotel. In general, the Achilleion Palace didn’t see anything until the building became a state building again. The Achilleion is now a museum and the palace is open to visitors.

Achilleion Palace. How to get there.

You can get to the palace by bus number 10 (which runs from the center of Kerkyra) on a special route to the Achilleion Palace. The trip takes 30 minutes and costs only 1.5 € per person (one way). You can buy a ticket at a kiosk at the bus stop.

The Corfu-Achilleion bus schedule is as follows:

Monday-Friday there: 07.00, 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 17.00, 20.00

Monday-Friday return: 07.30, 10.25, 12.30, 14.25, 17.30, 20.30

Saturday there: 08.00, 10.00, 12.00, 14.15, 19.00

Saturday return: 08.25, 10.25, 12.25, 15.00, 19.30

You can also get there by car, which is what we did. By the way, renting a car in the off-season is quite cheap, about 30 € per day. Let's go...

Achilleion Palace Corfu landmark

The Achilleion Palace is located on east coast not far from the village of Gasturi. Entrance to the palace grounds costs 7€. For 3 € we also took an audio guide, and did not regret it.

An audio guide is a phone-sized device with the same numeric keypad, to which you can connect headphones and listen to information about the exhibits. A kind of individual guide who tells only what is necessary and interesting to you personally.

Let's go in. Under the main gate is the year the construction of the palace began.

You walk through the gate and find yourself in a beautiful tropical park, many different plants, flowers, among which there are various statues and sculptures.

Tourists always like to rub something intensely for good luck, and here the toes sparkle from polishing.

And the first thing that catches your eye is the building of the palace itself.

The palace is located on a hill, a strict, beautiful building, and to be honest, it looks more majestic from the outside than from the inside.

And in front of the main entrance is a statue of Elizabeth herself. (Below it is the number that you need to dial on the audio guide keyboard to listen to the information)

The park is quite large: there is simply a sea of ​​sculptures; in the courtyard, the central place, of course, is occupied by the sculpture of Achilles, installed by Elizabeth II,

and there are many other statues around, and Sissi hasn’t forgotten about the Greek philosophers.

It would take a long time to talk about all the statues located here; it’s better to visit the museum yourself and the audio guide will tell you everything in great detail.

And we go down from the courtyard to the lower level of the park. After walking along the alleys, we notice a sculpture of Byron, also installed by Sissy, to the side.

Observation deck of the Achilleion Palace

At the end of the alley observation deck, offers an excellent panoramic view of the northern part of the island.

And then there is another statue of Achilles, but already installed by the Kaiser.

The park is large, really beautiful, surrounded by greenery.

Inside the Achilleion Palace

Several paintings by famous masters have been preserved in the palace, but the most impressive is “The Triumph of Achilles.” It is located on the main staircase and occupies the entire wall.

Also preserved in the Achilleion are personal belongings, furniture and photographs of the Kaiser and Sissi. There are many interesting things, but you won’t see such luxury and wealth and splendor as we have in our St. Petersburg palaces.

It’s nice to wander around the territory of the Achilleion Palace and imagine how the Empress of Austria, the German Emperor and many others once lived and walked here in the same way.

Thank you for your attention! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. We will be happy to answer them.

The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna is an unpreserved imperial residence in St. Petersburg, built by B. F. Rastrelli in 1741-1744 on the site where the Mikhailovsky (Engineers) Castle is now located. Demolished in 1796.

Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna (built in 1741, demolished in 1797).
M.I. Mahaev 1756

In 1712 on south coast Moika, where the pavilion of the Mikhailovsky Garden is now, a small manor house was built for Ekaterina Alekseevna, topped with a turret with a gilded spire, which bore the pretentious name “Golden Mansions”. According to him, the Big Meadow (the future Field of Mars) on the opposite bank received the name Tsaritsyn Meadow: this is what will be used most often in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The area near the palace is called the 3rd Summer Garden. The Duke of Holstein's chamberlain Berchholtz on July 11, 1721, having examined the estate, wrote down:

“The garden was recently planted and therefore there is nothing in it yet, except for the already quite large fruit trees. Five nearby ponds were dug here to contain live fish brought to the royal table.”

In the queen's greenhouses, the gardener Ekliben grew fruits rare for northern latitudes: pineapples, bananas, etc.

Even then, the idea arose to close the alley of the Summer Garden opposite the Carpiev Pond with a palace building. This is evidenced by the project of 1716-1717, preserved in the archives. Its possible author is J.B. Leblon. It depicts a small nine-axle palace, the elevated center of which is topped with a tetrahedral dome. Wide one-story galleries cover the court d'honneur with a magnificent figured parterre facing the Moika River. Behind there is a garden with numerous bosquets of various shapes. Fruit plantings have been preserved on the territory of the current Mikhailovsky Garden.
However, things did not go further than plans.

MAKHAEV Mikhail Ivanovich
Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna and the front courtyard in front of it. View from the south. B. g. Ink, pen, brush

Under Anna Ioannovna, the 3rd Summer Garden turns into a “jagd-garten” - a garden for “chasing and shooting deer, wild boars, hares, as well as a gallery for hunters and stone walls to prevent bullets and shot from flying in.” The “vegetable garden” was moved to Liteinaya Street, where the Mariinsky Hospital would later be built.

In the early 1740s. B.F. Rastrelli began the construction of one of the most remarkable buildings of the developed Russian Baroque - the Summer Palace in the 3rd Summer Garden for the ruler Anna Leopoldovna.

Ivan ARGUNOV (1727(29)-1802). Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

However, while construction was underway, a revolution occurred, and Elizaveta Petrovna became the owner of the building. By 1744, the palace, made of wood on stone cellars, was roughly completed. The architect, in describing the buildings he created, spoke about him like this:

“This building had more than 160 apartments, including a church, a hall and galleries. Everything was decorated with mirrors and rich sculpture, as well as new garden, decorated with beautiful fountains, with the Hermitage built on the ground floor level, surrounded by rich trellises, all the decorations of which were gilded."

Summer Palace.
Fragment of "Axonometric plan of St. Petersburg 1765-1773 by P. de Saint-Hilaire."

Despite its location within the city limits, the building is designed according to an estate plan. The plan was created under the obvious influence of Versailles, which is especially noticeable from the side of the cour d'honneur: the successively narrowing spaces enhanced the effect of the baroque perspective of the courtyard, fenced off from the access road by a latticework of magnificent designs with state emblems.
One-story service buildings along the perimeter of the cour d'honneur emphasize the traditional Baroque isolation of the ensemble. The rather flat decor of the light pink facades (mezzanine pilasters with Corinthian capitals and corresponding rusticated stone plinth blades, figured window frames) was offset by a rich play of volumes.
Complex in plan, highly developed side wings included courtyards with small flower parterres. Lush entrance porticoes led to staircase volumes, as always with Rastrelli, offset from the central axis. From the main staircase, a series of living rooms decorated with gilded carvings led to the most representative hall of the palace - the Throne. Its two-light volume accentuated the center of the building.
From the outside, curly stairs led to it, complemented by ramps on the garden side. The appearance of the palace was completed, giving it baroque splendor, by numerous statues and vases on the pediments and balustrade crowning the building.
Rastrelli decorated the space up to the Moika with floral parterres with three fountain pools of complex outlines.

Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in St. Petersburg.
thin L. F. Bonstedt. (according to the drawing by M.I. Makhaev. 1753). 1847.

As often happened with the creations of an architect, over time the logical and harmonious original plan changes to suit momentary requirements.
In 1744, for the empress to move to the 2nd Summer Garden across the Moika, he built a one-story indoor gallery, decorated with paintings hanging on the walls. Here, in 1747, near the northwestern risalit, he creates a terrace hanging garden on the mezzanine level with the Hermitage pavilion and a fountain in the center of the ground floor.
Along its contour it is fenced with a lush gilded trellis lattice, and multi-march gatherings into the garden are organized. Later, a palace church was added to the northeastern risalit, expanding it with an additional row of rooms from the Fontanka side.
Bay windows and lanterns appear on the western façade.

On the territory adjacent to the palace, a decorative park was laid out with a huge complex green labyrinth, bosquets, trellis gazebos and two trapezoidal ponds with semicircular projections (still preserved, they acquired free outlines during the reconstruction of the park for the grand ducal residence). Rastrelli reports about his work in the park in 1745:

“On the banks of the Moika in the new garden I built a large building of baths with a round salon and a fountain with several jets, with ceremonial rooms for relaxation.”

In the center of the park there were swings, slides, and carousels. The structure of the latter is unusual: rotating benches were placed around a large tree, and a gazebo was hidden in the crown, which was accessed by a spiral staircase.

Alexey Grekov. View of the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth

Another building located in close proximity to the north-eastern corner of the palace is associated with the name of the architect: the water supply system for the fountains of the Summer Garden, completed in the 1720s. no longer gave enough pressure, and did not correspond to the splendor and grandeur of the imperial residence.
In the mid-1740s. Rastrelli builds water towers with an aqueduct across the Fontanka.
Technically complex, the purely utilitarian structure made of wood was decorated with palace luxury: the wall paintings imitated lush baroque modeling.

Despite the fact that the palace was the ceremonial imperial residence, direct message there was no Nevsky Prospect: the road, which ran among unpresentable random buildings (on the banks of the Fontanka there were glaciers, greenhouses, workshops and the Elephant Yard) turned onto Italianskaya Street, and only passing the palace of I. I. Shuvalov, built by Savva Chevakinsky, carriages through Malaya Sadovaya fell on the central transport artery of the city.
Direct communication will appear only in the next century thanks to the work of C. Rossi.

Elizaveta Petrovna loved the Summer Palace very much. At the end of April - beginning of May (as the weather permitted), the empress's ceremonial move from the winter residence was celebrated with a magnificent ceremony with the participation of the court, orchestra, and guard regiments accompanied by an artillery salute from a cannon at Winter Palace and guns Peter and Paul Fortress and the Admiralty.
At the same time, the imperial yachts, stationed in the roadstead opposite Apraksin’s house, sailed to the Summer Garden. IN way back the queen departed at the end of September with the same ceremonies.

On September 20, 1754, the future Emperor Paul I was born within the walls of the palace. After the death of the queen, the palace was still used: the conclusion of peace with Prussia was celebrated here.
In the throne room, Catherine II receives congratulations from foreign ambassadors on the occasion of her accession to the throne. However, over time, the owner begins to give preference to other summer residences, especially Tsarskoe Selo, and the building deteriorates.
First, he is given residence to G. Orlov, then to G. Potemkin. A catastrophic flood in September 1777 destroyed the fountain system of the Summer Garden. The fashion for regular parks passed, and the water cannons were not restored; the unnecessary Rastrelli aqueduct was dismantled.

Mikhailovsky Castle from the embankment. Fontanka.
Benjamin Patersen.

At the end of the 1770s. the palace was dismantled by order of Paul I for the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle, the foundation stone of which took place on February 28, 1797.

There are two legends of the foundation of the Mikhailovsky Castle: according to one, Paul I said: “I want to die where I was born,” according to the other, a soldier standing guard in the Summer Palace, when he dozed off, saw the Archangel Michael and ordered him to tell the Tsar to build a church on this place .

Beggrov K.P.
View of the Engineering Castle from the Summer Garden. 1830s

Be that as it may, in February 1796, “due to dilapidation,” the Elizabethan dwelling was demolished and construction of a new imperial stronghold began. And today, only the three-dimensional construction of the castle’s façade facing the Summer Garden (possibly at the request of the monarch) and the magnificent drawings of M. I. Makhaev remind of the disappeared building.

***

St. Petersburg and suburbs

In her youth, the daughter of Peter 1, Elizaveta, lived in Pokrovskoye. Removed from the court by Anna Ioannovna, she built a newfangled palace on the estate, indulged in carefree amusements here, organizing holidays with friends, forcing the Pokrov peasants to dance at them. Moscow historian, writer I.K. Kondratyev writes that “being of a naturally cheerful character, the princess participated here in festive round dances composed of Pokrovsky maidens and young women, dressing in their beautiful costume: a colored satin sundress and kokoshnik, or a brocade kiku with pearl beads and braid, or just like a girl, weaving their Yaroslavl ribbon into a tubular braid... Since then, one must think, they have sung the song:

In the village, the village of Pokrovskoye,
In the middle of the big street,
Played out, danced
Beautiful maiden soul."

Although after her accession to the throne, Elizaveta Petrovna did not forget Pokrovskoe, dear to her heart, she ordered the architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli to make the palace even more magnificent - but still she does not go there so often.

The village is quiet, but sometimes holidays were still held here: visitors had fun on the carousels and swings, and sleighs or strollers rolled down the huge, almost 400-meter-long sled hill. This mountain was specially made for the arrival of Catherine II in 1763, but even in her absence she allowed “the nobility and merchants and all ranks of people, except the vile ones,” to pass in summer and winter. Visitors were also treated to “a tavern and food there, tea, chek-lad, coffee, Gdansk and French vodka, grape drinks, half-beer and meads.” From about the second half of the 18th century. the village becomes an ordinary suburb of the city, and then a part of it, in which intensive construction of factories and factories begins.
Well, now, in order.

St. Gastello 44. The former Pokrovsky Palace of the “beautiful Elizabeth” has a long and largely unknown history. It is known that here on the shore of a large pond there were wooden mansions intended for the stay of the royal family. So, in 1713, Tsarevna Maria Alekseevna, later the future Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, lived there along with her relatives Skavronsky and Gendrikov. It is possible that in the mid-1730s, instead of wooden mansions, stone chambers were built, architect. M.G. Zemtsov.

During the great Moscow fire in May 1737, the palace burned down completely.
In 1742 - 1743 it was rebuilt into an elegant baroque palace designed by the architect F.B. Rastrelli.

Catherine did not like the palace and almost never visited here in the beginning. In the 19th century it fell into disrepair.
The palace survived until the 70s. XIX century
At this time, it was given to the Pokrovskaya community of nurses and the architect A.P. Popov rebuilt it into a sister’s building in the spirit of elegant architectural decoration of the 17th century.
IN Soviet era the palace was one large communal apartment, where 4 nuns lived out their lives in semi-basement cells by the grace of God.
In the 1970s, the palace was restored and given to the State Research Institute for Restoration (GOSNIIR), which still occupies it.
The palace's plan resembles the letter "W"

Its central part is richly decorated

On both sides there are porches in the old Russian style.

richly decorated windows

On the mezzanine of the central part there was a house church; today we take its head, which still stands without a cross, for a belvedere.

The palace stands on a hillock, in front of it there was a small courtyard, which went down to a pond, which was formed from the dammed Rybinka River, which flowed into the Yauza not far from the palace. A beautiful wooden bridge was built from the palace to the middle of the pond, where there was an island and the wooden Church of the Resurrection.
Now, in place of the pond and all this beauty, a residential building in the Stalinist Empire style has been built, Rybinka has been enclosed in a pipe... and the palace is shaking from the trains that pass right in front of it along the Kurskaya line railway, which was built by the industrialist P. von Derviz.

But the next post will be about him, or rather about his traces in Pokrovskaya-Rubtsov.

A large number of palace buildings, the wealth and luxury of their decoration have been transforming the architectural appearance of St. Petersburg for many years. After all, this city is famous for its unique palaces of major officials, aristocrats and other noble persons. The Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna is worthy of attention.

With the accession of the new empress to the throne, the next stage in the formation of cultural spheres began in the state. This period of prosperity also had an impact on the capital. The city has changed significantly. In the era of cultural development of St. Petersburg, preference was given to the construction architectural monuments. The Summer Palace deserves special attention.

During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna (1741 – 1761), the construction of palaces was of particular importance. Then the construction of real masterpieces was carried out by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, one of the best architects in the history of the state. His works also include the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna. It cannot but be noted as the best work of the architect.

The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna in St. Petersburg was built by B. F. Rastrelli between 1741 and 1744. According to the architect, the building included about 160 apartments, including a church and galleries. The palace was decorated with numerous sculptures, fountains and a garden. Over time, the residence experienced a number of changes related to the architect's dissatisfaction with his work. Construction activities continued here for several years.

In the first half of the 18th century, the territory on which the Mikhailovsky Castle is located belonged to the Summer Garden - the royal estate of Peter I. Empress Anna Ioannovna ordered the construction of a palace to begin on this site. The construction was entrusted to the architect Rastrelli Jr. But the architect did not have time to start work during the life of the empress. In 1740, power passed to Anna Leopoldovna, who decided to implement the project founded by her predecessor. But after some time, a palace coup occurs, as a result of which imperial power passes to the youngest daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth. The Tsesarevna gives F.B. Rastrelli the order to build the Summer Palace. The Empress liked the result of the architect's work so much that she doubled his salary. The exact date of foundation of the building is still controversial. According to some historians, this event falls on July 24, 1741. Moreover, the beginning of the laying took place in the presence of Empress Anna, her husband, as well as some courtiers and members of the guard.

The Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna belongs to the Russian Baroque style. This was the name of the set of architectural trends that formed in the territory Russian Empire and the Russian state in the XII – XIII centuries. The buildings of this period were characterized by:
the splendor and intricacy of architectural forms;
luxurious finishes;
using modeling;
the use of painting and gilding.

Among the styles of this era, the Petrine Baroque is distinguished, which arose thanks to the buildings of not only compatriots, but also architects from Western Europe. They were invited by Peter I to ennoble the new capital, St. Petersburg. The most characteristic features of Petrine Baroque were:
rejection of the Byzantine manner;
simplicity and practicality;
facades in red and white shades;
presence of symmetry of forms;
mansard roofs;
arched window openings.

Many of the engravings and drawings that have survived from that era depict almost exactly the appearance of the palace. Stone was chosen as the basis for the first floor, wood for the second. The building was painted in light pink shades, which is remarkable for the Baroque style. The ground floor was made of granite in gray-green color. The Summer Palace of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna had two facades: the main facade overlooked the Moika, towards the Summer Garden, and the other faced the Nevsky Prospect. Service buildings were located along the entire perimeter, which imitated a kind of isolation. A wide road was laid along the Fontanka, which was accompanied by greenhouses and fruit trees. Part of this territory was occupied by the Elephant Yard, the inhabitants of which swam in the Fontanka if they wished. The entrance to the palace was fenced with wide gates, on which gilded double-headed eagles shimmered. The gate was decorated with an openwork lattice. Behind the fence was a large front yard. The view of the main façade was blocked by large flower beds and trees, which formed a kind of park. The central building was occupied by the Bolshoi main hall. It was decorated with Bohemian mirrors, marble sculptures and paintings by famous artists. At the western side of the hall stood the royal throne. The living rooms, decorated with gilded carvings, led directly to the main hall. From the outside, shaped stairs approached the room.

Within a year, a covered gallery was completed, through which one could take a walk to the Summer Garden. Paintings by famous painters were hung on the walls of such a gallery. A terrace with a hanging garden was also designed here, located at the mezzanine level, where the Hermitage and fountain were located. The contour of the terrace was fenced with a gilded lattice. Later, a palace church was added to this site. After some time, a decorative park was planted near the palace. A huge labyrinth, bosquets and gazebos passed through it. Swings and carousels were placed in the center of the park. On the territory adjacent to the palace, a complex of water towers was built, since the previous water supply to the fountains did not have the necessary pressure. Similar water towers were ennobled with the help of palace painting.

The architect Rastrelli was not satisfied with his work. For this reason, a decade later, he brought the wooden Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna to a real masterpiece. Rastrelli regularly remodeled some parts of the building. So, later the walls were transformed with the help of figured window frames and atlases. Lion masks and mascarons also served as their decoration.

The summer residence is Elizabeth’s first own home. Before the empress, no one lived in this building. The Tsesarevna occupied the eastern wing of the residence. The West Wing was reserved for courtiers. Queen Elizabeth admired the luxury of the Summer Palace. Every year in April, the Empress left the Winter Palace to temporarily live in the Summer Palace. The whole yard moved with her. This event turned into a real ceremony, accompanied by an orchestra and artillery fire. In September, Elizabeth moved back.

In 1754, the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna in St. Petersburg became the birthplace of Paul I, who soon came to power. In 1762, feasts were held here on the occasion of the peace agreement with Prussia. As soon as the new Emperor Paul I came to power, he immediately gave the order to demolish the structure. In its place a castle was erected, known today as Mikhailovsky. It was in this residence that the life of Paul I ended. According to one of the legends, Mikhailovsky Castle was not built by chance on the site of the Summer Palace. The emperor wished to spend the rest of his life in the place where he was born. Another legend says that the Archangel Michael appeared to the guard and ordered the construction of a temple on the territory where the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna was located. After this incident, the emperor ordered the construction of a new palace and church in the name of Archangel Michael to begin. Thus, St. Michael's Castle got its name by analogy with the Temple of the Archangel Michael.

Author of the project B.F. Rastrelli Construction - years State destroyed

Coordinates: 59°56′26.5″ n. w. 30°20′15.5″ E. d. /  59.940694° s. w. 30.337639° E. d.(G) (O) (I)59.940694 , 30.337639

Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna- an unpreserved imperial residence in St. Petersburg, built by B. F. Rastrelli in 1741-1744 on the site where the Mikhailovsky (Engineers) Castle is now located. Demolished in 1796.

History of construction

Even then, the idea arose to close the alley of the Summer Garden opposite the Carpiev Pond with a palace building. This is evidenced by the project - gg., preserved in the archives. Its possible author is J.B. Leblon. It depicts a small nine-axle palace, the elevated center of which is topped with a tetrahedral dome. Wide one-story galleries cover the cour d'honneur with a lush figured parterre facing the Moika. Behind there is a garden with numerous bosquets of various shapes. Fruit plantings have been preserved on the territory of the current Mikhailovsky Garden. However, things did not go further than plans.

However, while construction was underway, a coup took place, and Elizaveta Petrovna became the owner of the building. By the time the palace, made of wood on stone cellars, was roughly finished. The architect, in describing the buildings he created, spoke about him like this:

“This building had more than 160 apartments, including a church, a hall and galleries. Everything was decorated with mirrors and rich sculpture, as was the new garden, decorated with beautiful fountains, with the Hermitage built on the ground floor level, surrounded by rich trellises, all the decorations of which were gilded."

Despite its location within the city limits, the building is designed according to an estate plan. The plan was created under the obvious influence of Versailles, which is especially noticeable from the side of the cour d'honneur: the successively narrowing spaces enhanced the effect of the baroque perspective of the courtyard, fenced off from the access road by a latticework of a magnificent design with state emblems. One-story service buildings along the perimeter of the cour d'honneur emphasize the traditional Baroque isolation of the ensemble. The rather flat decor of the light pink facades (mezzanine pilasters with Corinthian capitals and corresponding rusticated stone plinth blades, figured window frames) was offset by a rich play of volumes. Complex in plan, highly developed side wings included courtyards with small flower parterres. Lush entrance porticoes led to staircase volumes, as always with Rastrelli, offset from the central axis. From the main staircase, a series of living rooms decorated with gilded carvings led to the most representative hall of the palace - the Throne. Its two-light volume accentuated the center of the building. From the outside, curly stairs led to it, complemented by ramps on the garden side. The appearance of the palace was completed, giving it baroque splendor, by numerous statues and vases on the pediments and balustrade crowning the building. Rastrelli decorated the space up to the Moika with floral parterres with three fountain pools of complex outlines.

As often happened with the creations of an architect, over time the logical and harmonious original plan changes to suit momentary requirements. In 1744, for the Empress to go to the 2nd Summer Garden across the Moika, he built a one-story covered gallery, decorated with paintings hanging on the walls. Here, near the northwestern risalit, he creates a terrace of a hanging garden at the mezzanine level with the Hermitage pavilion and a fountain in the center of the ground floor. Along its contour it is fenced with a lush gilded trellis lattice, and multi-march gatherings in the garden are organized. Subsequently, a palace church was added to the northeastern risalit, expanding it with an additional row of rooms from the Fontanka side. Bay windows and lanterns appear on the western façade.

On the territory adjacent to the palace, a decorative park was laid out with a huge complex green labyrinth, bosquets, trellis gazebos and two trapezoidal ponds with semicircular projections (still preserved, they acquired free outlines during the reconstruction of the park for the grand ducal residence). Rastrelli reports about his work in the park in 1745:

“On the banks of the Moika in the new garden, I built a large building of baths with a round salon and a fountain with several jets, with ceremonial rooms for relaxation.”

In the center of the park there were swings, slides, and carousels. The structure of the latter is unusual: rotating benches were placed around a large tree, and a gazebo was hidden in the crown, into which one climbed up a spiral staircase.

Another building located in close proximity to the north-eastern corner of the palace is associated with the name of the architect: the water supply system for the fountains of the Summer Garden, completed in the 1720s. no longer gave enough pressure, and did not correspond to the splendor and grandeur of the imperial residence. In the mid-1740s. Rastrelli builds water towers with an aqueduct across the Fontanka. Technically complex, the purely utilitarian structure made of wood was decorated with palace luxury: the wall paintings imitated lush baroque modeling.

Despite the fact that the palace was the ceremonial imperial residence, there was no direct connection with the Nevsky Prospect: the road, which ran among unpresentable random buildings (on the banks of the Fontanka there were glaciers, greenhouses, workshops and the Elephant Yard) turned onto Italianskaya Street, and only bypassing the palace I I. Shuvalov, built by Savva Chevakinsky, the crews reached the central transport artery of the city through Malaya Sadovaya. Direct communication will appear only in the next century thanks to the work of C. Rossi.

Elizaveta Petrovna loved the Summer Palace very much. At the end of April - beginning of May (as the weather permitted), the empress's ceremonial move from the winter residence was formalized by a magnificent ceremony with the participation of the court, orchestra, and guard regiments accompanied by an artillery salute from the cannon at the Winter Palace and the guns of the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Admiralty. At the same time, the imperial yachts, stationed in the roadstead opposite the Apraksin House, sailed to the Summer Garden. The queen set off on her return journey at the end of September with the same ceremonies.

On September 20, the future Emperor Paul I was born within the walls of the palace. After the death of the queen, the palace is still in use: the conclusion of peace with Prussia is celebrated here. In the throne room, Catherine II receives congratulations from foreign ambassadors on the occasion of her accession to the throne. However, over time, the owner begins to give preference to other summer residences, especially Tsarskoye Selo, and the building deteriorates. First, he is given residence to G. Orlov, then to G. Potemkin. A catastrophic flood in September destroyed the fountain system of the Summer Garden. The fashion for regular parks passed, and the water cannons were not restored; the unnecessary Rastrelli aqueduct was dismantled. There are two legends of the foundation of the Mikhailovsky Castle: according to one, Paul I said: “I want to die where I was born,” according to the other, a soldier standing guard in the Summer Palace, when he dozed off, saw the Archangel Michael and ordered him to tell the Tsar to build a church on this place . Be that as it may, in February, “due to dilapidation,” the Elizabethan dwelling was demolished and construction of a new imperial stronghold began. And today, only the three-dimensional construction of the castle’s façade facing the Summer Garden (possibly at the request of the monarch) and the magnificent drawings of M. I. Makhaev remind of the disappeared building.

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