VV7X+92 Petrodvortsovy District, Saint Petersburg, Russia
On March 26 (March 14 Old Style), 1845, the Peterhof Palace Administration received an order to begin construction of the "Ozerki" pavilion in the Meadow Park. The order stated: “The Sovereign Emperor, having approved the plan, facade, and estimate for the construction of the pavilion by the lock of the Samsonievsky Canal in Peterhof, has most graciously commanded that this construction be carried out under the supervision of architect Stakenschneider.”
The pavilion was built as an elegant park castle in the Neo-Greek style. Nicholas I allocated 61 thousand silver rubles for the pavilion’s construction, providing 20 thousand rubles annually for the first two years. For landscaping around the pavilion, digging ponds and canals, the budget was set at 143,805 rubles and 95 kopecks in silver.
Granite work during the pavilion’s construction was carried out by St. Petersburg merchant of the 3rd guild Stepan Anisimov; stonework by peasant Petr Yaishnikov and state councilor Pavel Matveevich Azanchevsky; painting by Johann Drollinger; iron and cast-iron work and water supply installation by Karl Rechtenberg. Among others, plasterwork was done by master plasterers Timofey Petrovich Dylev, Ivan E. Kosolapov, and Ivan Nikiforovich Yaishnikov. Master stoneworker David Berry created mosaic floors in the pavilion’s rooms, and sculptor Agostino Triscorni executed marble finishes. All furniture for the "Ozerki" pavilion was ordered from the Gambs firm.
Emperor Nicholas I constantly intervened in the construction process and made changes to the original design. For example, in 1847 he ordered “to make a cascade, a stone bridge, and a bath in one of the pavilion’s rooms.” As a result, the first floor housed the empress’s study and bathroom, a living room, a hall, and two balconies. On the second floor, in the tower, was the emperor’s study, with the valet’s room above it. On August 2 (July 21 Old Style), 1848, the pavilion’s construction was completed and consecrated the same day. Emperor Nicholas I ordered that the pavilion in Meadow Park henceforth be called “Ozerki.”
Each facade of the Pink Pavilion differed from the others, each once distinguished by its own charm and uniqueness. The three-story tower crowning the pavilion with an open terrace further enhanced the refined asymmetry. The tower served as a kind of park landmark, and the terrace functioned as a viewing platform. To protect against lightning, a lightning rod made by mechanic Yachtman was installed on the pavilion’s tall tower.
A beautiful staircase descends on the pavilion’s northern side, with vases and two bronze centaurs placed on the steps. The bridge over the channel connecting two ponds is decorated with a gallery of stone pillars entwined with climbing plants. In front of the staircase is a lawn adorned with a marble statue of Psyche. Beyond lies a wide pond, in the middle of which a marble nymph nestles on an island.
From the diary of Nicholas I’s son about walks in Meadow Park:
“...we went to dine on the island near Ozerki. The view from there was wonderful; during dinner, by tradition, rockets with parachutes were launched by hand, illuminating the entire surroundings. We returned the same way...”
After the revolution, according to archival documents, the pavilion was recognized as an expression of the “declining autocracy’s desire to introduce an intimate note into the official atmosphere of ostentatious construction” and was proposed to be used as a summer dacha.
In 1924, the Pink Pavilion was repaired, measured, and a new attribution of several objects was made. Twenty-seven templates were taken from deteriorating architectural parts and decorations. Porcelain and bronze were returned to the pavilion, and inventories were compiled.
In April 1941, an estimate was made for new repairs, and all internal restoration work was postponed to the following year. It did not happen: the war began, and the Pink Pavilion found itself in the center of hostilities.
On July 19, 1941, the 264th Separate Machine Gun and Artillery Battalion arrived at Meadow Park to build the Peterhof fortified area. Its headquarters was located in the pavilion, and the artillery fire correction post against the Germans was in the observation tower. The Germans shelled the pavilion while advancing from the Babigonsky Heights. After capturing the pavilion, they set up their artillery fire correction post on the tower. It was then shelled by Soviet artillery—from Kronstadt...
After the war, bricks from the half-ruined pavilion were taken apart by local residents. By the late 1950s, it was recorded that the basement floor and six vaults remained intact. A restoration project appeared, a fixation survey was conducted, and a conservation project was being prepared. However, the 1984 inventory stated that the Pink Pavilion had turned into ruins. And now even those are gradually disappearing.
In 2021, the KGIOP issued an order approving a protection obligation with plans for its restoration by 2025, but nothing has happened since then.
Sources:
https://peterhoflugovoy.ru/history_01
