Admiralty

The Admiralty pavilions were built by Neelov in 1773 to commemorate the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to Russia, on the site of an old wooden boat shed. Imitating Dutch buildings, the pavilions were constructed from red brick, and the facades were left unplastered. The towers feature spires and battlemented parapets. There are also elements of early classicism: white framing around windows and doors, white volumetric depictions of draperies passing through rings. All the buildings served utilitarian purposes. They were built in the summer of 1773, with interior finishing carried out in 1774–1775. The pavilions got their name because they housed the Tsarskoye Selo "flotilla": the imperial collection of sailing and rowing vessels from various countries. By the 19th century, this collection included rowing boats from different countries around the world, including the three-cutter of Empress Catherine II and the Turkish kaiki of Nicholas I (a gift from the Sultan). This tradition came to Tsarskoye Selo from Peter the Great’s toy fleet, which once existed on the ponds of the Moscow Kremlin. Sailing on richly decorated and lantern-lit boats was an integral part of festive evenings accompanied by orchestra music played on the second floor of the Admiralty, which was called the Dutch Hall. Unfortunately, this unique collection, connected with the history of the Russian navy, was lost during the Great Patriotic War.

The central two-story building is called the Boat Shed. Boats were stored on its lower floor. English engravings depicting parks hung on the walls, and many flags were kept there, which were mounted on the vessels during rides. The two side wings are called the Birdhouses; they used to house waterfowl (ducks and swans), as well as pheasants and peacocks. The birds served to decorate and enliven the water surface of the pond. The Admiralty complex also included the Sailors' House, built nearby in 1780. Sailor-rowers lived there; they transported visitors to the island and gave rides on the pond. At the Admiralty pavilions, "amid the calls of swans near waters shining in silence," according to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, his muse appeared to him for the first time.

Staircases leading to a large bright hall on the second floor are located in the towers of the central building. English engravings depicting landscape parks, acquired in England in the 1770s, were displayed on the hall’s walls. In 1901, the famous Gottorp Globe was installed in the hall. It got its name from the place of manufacture: it was built in the Duchy of Gottorp over 10 years starting in 1654 and was presented as a gift to Emperor Peter I in 1713. Taken to Germany during the last war, the Gottorp Globe was returned and is now part of the Kunstkamera collection.

On either side of the central pavilion are two wings, long called the Birdhouses or Aviaries, which previously housed various waterfowl (ducks, swans), as well as pheasants and peacocks. Between the main building and the wings, connected by a fence made at the Mint in Saint Petersburg, there were gardens and two round ponds in the 18th century.

The architectural complex of the Admiralty also included the Sailors' House, built in the 1780s. Sailor-rowers lived there; in the 18th century, they gave rides on the pond and transported park visitors to the island of the Large Pond.

Currently, the central building of the complex is used for temporary exhibitions, and one of the Birdhouses operates as the "Admiralty" restaurant.

Sources:

https://pushkin.spb.ru/encycl/parks/ermitazhnaya-kuhnya.html

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiralty_(Tsarskoye_Selo)

https://www.tzar.ru/objects/ekaterininskypark/landscape/admiralry