Palace Power Station

WQ63+82 Petrodvortsovy District, Saint Petersburg, Russia

In our age, when industrial sites are transformed into exhibition halls, and monuments of industrial architecture hold no less interest for the inquisitive traveler than royal residences and museums, the Oranienbaum palace power station complex could have found a second life. But, alas, at present it is in a rather deplorable condition.

Imperial Parks of Oranienbaum and Surroundings

Russia: Industrial Heritage

In our age, when industrial sites are transformed into exhibition halls, and monuments of industrial architecture are of no less interest to the curious traveler than royal residences and museums, the Oranienbaum Palace Power Station complex could have found a second life. But, alas, it is currently in quite a deplorable condition.

Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the power station perfectly fit into the overall architectural ensemble of the palace and park complex. The main machine building was designed in the Art Nouveau style by architect Oskar Paulson. The two adjoining residential wings were styled after traditional European village houses. This complex of buildings was finally completed by 1913, and from that moment Oranienbaum received electric lighting, with the first electric lamps appearing.

Located near the Petrovsky Bridge, almost on the shore of the Karpiev Pond, the power station serves as a kind of connecting link between the three main ensembles of the complex – the Grand Palace, the Peterstadt Fortress, and Catherine the Great’s Private Dacha. It is worth noting that this is the only Art Nouveau structure in all of Oranienbaum.

The power station is a unique architectural composition, and there is no equivalent object like it in Russia. Despite its unpresentable appearance, the Oranienbaum power station is regarded as an architectural monument with a high degree of preservation, subject to restoration almost in its original form. Currently, restoration work is underway here.

Sources:

https://peterburg.center/maps/oranienbaumkompleks-dvorcovoy-elektrostancii.html

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