The Great Gatchina Palace was built between 1766 and 1781 in Gatchina according to the design of the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi in the neoclassical style for Catherine II’s favorite, Count Grigory Grigorievich Orlov. Located on a hill above Silver Lake, the palace combines themes of a medieval castle and a country residence. The palace interiors are an example of Russian neoclassicism at the turn of the 18th–19th centuries. The palace was one of the favorite retreats of the royal family.

In 1765, Catherine II purchased the Gatchina estate (the future city of Gatchina) from Prince Boris Alexandrovich Kurakin and gifted it to her favorite, Count Grigory Grigorievich Orlov, in gratitude for organizing the palace coup that made her empress. On May 30, 1766, construction of the Gatchina Palace began on the estate grounds. For the palace project, Grigory Orlov, together with Catherine II, invited the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi. His design successfully combined elements of a Russian country estate and an English hunting castle. As a result, the Gatchina Palace became the only castle in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. Construction progressed slowly; by the end of 1768, the palace was brought up to the cornice, and in 1770, exterior finishing work began, continuing until 1772. Interior decoration extended until the late 1770s (in the central building of the palace, a copper plaque indicating the start and end dates of construction was preserved until the 1950s: “Laid down May 30, 1766. Completed in 1781”).

The palace building is situated on an elevation, dominating the surrounding landscape. The north facade faces the park and overlooks a slope.

The palace building is situated on an elevation, dominating the surrounding landscape. The north facade faces the park and opens onto a slope descending to Silver Lake, beyond which stretches the Palace Park with the extensive White Lake. The south facade of the palace blocks the view of the park with its mass, focusing attention on the architectural appearance of the building.

Looking at the general plan of the palace, three main parts can be distinguished. The central building is an elongated rectangle, with two five-sided, five-story towers adjoining its corners on the park side. On the south side of the central building, opposite the park, there is a recess with three arched entrance doors and a balcony, creating a play of volumes. The building is connected by two semicircular galleries to two three-story carré buildings, almost square in plan. The corners of the carré are highlighted by octagonal three-story towers, two of which, adjoining the galleries, are topped with domes. The palace layout creates a sense of plasticity and integrity both of the building as a whole and of each of its elements in particular, which is enhanced by the alternation of elongated volumes and protruding faceted towers. The compositional axis of the ensemble passes through the middle line of the parade ground, whose starting point is the monument to Paul I, from which the structure and volumetric relationships of the individual parts of the palace building are clearly visible.

The first floor of the central building and the adjoining galleries are rhythmically divided by Doric order pilasters. The wall sections between the pilasters are “lightened” by windows — rectangular in the central building and semicircular in the gallery walls. Above each window is a recessed panel, which, combined with the relief window surrounds, gives the facade a plastic fluidity. The second floor is treated more richly — paired Ionic order pilasters are used on the main building, and Ionic half-columns on the semicircular galleries. The window openings, as on the first floor, have a rectangular profile in the central building and semicircular in the galleries. The pattern of the window surrounds is also complicated, ending with a baroque-style relief arch. The third floor is decorated more simply — flat pilasters corresponding to the pilasters below, and relief window surrounds echo the framing of the first-floor window openings. The floor divisions are executed as a classical entablature surrounding the building around its entire perimeter. The central building and galleries are crowned with parapets consisting of stone pedestals and openwork railings. Attics connected with the parapet mark the main axes of the facades, where the palace entrances are located. In the central and end parts of the galleries, there are doors highlighted by two-column Doric porticos. The portico ceilings support balconies with openwork railings. Granite stairs in the shape of truncated cones lead to each portico. A gentle ramp leads to the central arches of the main building.

The overall decoration of the facade facing the parade ground represents a combination and contrast of straight (vertical pilasters and rectangular openings) and wavy (semicircular gallery openings) lines. The culminating points of the wave-like movement are the domes of the towers, which anchor the volumetric-spatial composition and create an expressive transition to the façades of the carré buildings.

The facades of both carré buildings continue the turning line started by the galleries and give the frontal composition greater scale and monumentality. The facades of the carré repeat the floor divisions of the semicircular galleries, with a slight difference — small rectangular windows of the second floor are included in the wall sections of the first floor, and the towers have round dormers. The decor uses Doric order pilasters and window surrounds of strict design, with rustication on the tower faces. All these elements give the rather elongated wall a rhythm that removes the feeling of staticness.

The combination of massive carré buildings with the elegant central building creates an organic fusion of features of a fortress citadel and a country villa. One of the characteristic features creating the impression of a fortified castle is the bastion wall with embrasures and two bastions “guarding” the bridges thrown over the moat. The wall profile in plan mirrors the configuration of the south facade, compositionally enclosing the parade ground intended for military parades and reviews.

The north facade of the palace, unlike the south, cannot be fully embraced by the eye; it opens gradually when walking around the building. The most expressive part of this facade is the central building, enclosed on both sides by the Clock and Signal towers. The center of the facade is accented by a two-column Doric portico, serving as the base for a balcony with an openwork railing. The balcony door is topped with a segmental relief sandrik. The wall mass is divided by horizontal moldings and pilasters and has no pronounced projections, which, combined with five semicircular arches on the first floor, gives it a special unity. The first floor decoration uses Doric order pilasters, the second floor Ionic order, and the third floor flat pilasters. The arches are framed by wide massive surrounds, imposts are emphasized by protruding squares, and the arches’ vaults have keystones. Wide granite stairs with eight steps lead to the arched entrance doors, with access from three sides.

The plastic and height accent is created by two towers, giving the facade a castle-like resemblance. In the uppermost tiers of the towers are dormers topped with relief semicircular sandriks.

The semicircular facades on the north side, unlike the south facade, have a three-story division. The decor of the first two floors uses giant Doric order pilasters, and on the third floor — Ionic. Their appearance creates an impression of monumentality of forms and severity of appearance.

Externally, the building was faced with Paritsa limestone, quarried near Gatchina in the village of Paritsy. The vestibule and parapet facing above the cornice were made of Pudost stone. There is almost no information about the palace’s interior decoration during these years, as the inventories of Count Orlov’s property were lost. The original decoration of the palace’s interiors was created in the 1770s–1780s according to the designs of the palace’s chief architect — Antonio Rinaldi. A distinctive feature of the palace room decorations created at that time was delicate and exquisite stucco work, as well as parquet floors made of valuable wood species. The walls were decorated with stylized flowers, fruits, and plant shoots. The stucco work was done by experienced, mostly Italian, craftsmen.

Orlov did not live long in the new palace. After his death in early 1783, Gatchina was bought back from his brothers by Catherine II (on July 4, 1783) and on August 6 of the same year was gifted to Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (the future Emperor Paul I), who moved there in September. At that time, Pavel Petrovich was busy building his residence, named after him (Pavlovsk). Due to limited personal funds, he could only begin work on Gatchina after the main works in Pavlovsk were completed, in the 1790s. Several unrealized projects for palace reconstruction existed. One of particular interest is a plan dated 1783, showing on the axis of the Gatchina Palace (at the site of the modern Baltic Station) a new monumental palace closing off a vast parade ground in front of the palace. This project was not realized in Gatchina but became the prototype for the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg. Another project envisaged building another large palace with three inner courtyards on the territory adjacent to the Arsenal carré.

However, the grand plans for reconstructing the palace complex were not approved by Paul I, and a decision was made to expand the service premises of the existing palace. The main phase of work began in 1796, with architect Vincenzo Brenna, who was working in Gatchina at the time. His tasks included adding second and third floors to both carré buildings and adapting them for living, as well as converting the open galleries — colonnades on the second floor of the main building. After reconstruction, walls decorated with half-columns replaced the open galleries. Additionally, walls appeared on the first floor in the center of the main building, replacing open arcades and the passage to the park. Work on arranging rooms for Paul I’s family in the Arsenal carré (formerly the Stables) and in the main building began in 1797. Furthermore, the area in front of the palace, previously occupied by lawns, was turned into a parade ground surrounded by a bastion wall, and a small Private Garden was arranged on the park side adjacent to the palace. Brenna created new decoration for the palace halls, combining strict antique architectural forms with almost baroque splendor. The architect used classical architectural orders, stucco, gilding, complex ornamental compositions, draperies, and tapestries. Some rooms were painted by the well-known artist of the time, Scotti. In some rooms, not only the decoration but also the architectural execution and overall compositional solution were changed. Rinaldi’s decoration was only partially preserved.

In 1799, Paul I appointed Andrey Dmitrievich Zakharov as the chief architect of Gatchina. He had to finish some works in the palace because Brenna was busy building the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg. In particular, Zakharov completed the superstructure of the Kitchen carré. Also, according to his design, a new church was built in 1800 on the site of the old palace church, which had existed since Orlov’s time.

After Paul I’s death in 1801, Gatchina belonged to his wife Maria Feodorovna. At her request, from 1809 to 1811, architect Andrey Nikiforovich Voronikhin made minor alterations to the palace. These mainly concerned the interior decoration and served to adapt it “for winter residence.”

In 1835, a signal optical telegraph was installed on one of the palace towers.

The next major reconstruction phase occurred in the 1840s when the palace belonged to Emperor Nicholas I. From 1844, the works at Gatchina Palace were supervised by Roman Ivanovich Kuzmin, who since 1841 had been chief architect of the Ministry of the Imperial Court. The main works were carried out in the carré buildings, which were almost completely rebuilt. Basements were added, the heights of the first and third floors were increased, and a small second floor, considered a mezzanine, was built between them. Due to the reconstruction, the height of the carré buildings increased to the height of the semicircular galleries. Because of the change in height, the central building ceased to dominate the structure, so under Kuzmin’s supervision, another floor was added to the side towers of the central building. Besides major reconstruction, restoration works were carried out in the central building, and the main staircase was rebuilt. A canopy supported by columns was built on the balcony of the facade facing the parade ground. The architect intended the columns to be marble, but they were ultimately made of cast iron. Also, in 1850, the dilapidated bastions and retaining walls surrounding the parade ground in front of the palace were completely dismantled and rebuilt without changing Brenna’s original design. These were the last major reconstruction works; subsequent owners only carried out necessary routine repairs.

During the reign of Emperor Alexander III in the 1880s, electricity and telephone were installed in the palace, the water supply and sewage systems were replaced, and stove heating was replaced by hot-air heating.

After the February Revolution of 1917 and the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II, the Provisional Government headed by Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky came to power. The palace ceased to belong to the royal family, and by decision of the new government, on May 27, 1917, commissions began working in the suburban palace residences to accept and inventory palace property. The Gatchina commission was headed by Valentin Platonovich Zubov. At the same time, the question of further use of the palaces was discussed. It was decided that the palaces, including Gatchina, should become national museums. After the October Revolution, on October 26, 1917, Zubov became the first director of the Gatchina palace museum.

During the revolution days, Cossack units of General Krasnov clashed with Red Guard detachments in Gatchina. On October 27, 1917, the headquarters of the Third Cavalry Cossack Corps, led by the chairman of the Provisional Government Kerensky, arrived at the palace. On November 1 (14), 1917, a rally was held in the square in front of the palace, where the People’s Commissar of the Soviet government for military and naval affairs Pavel Efimovich Dybenko persuaded the Cossack units not to oppose Soviet power in Petrograd. As a result, on the night of November 1 to 2, Kerensky left the palace, which was occupied by revolutionary troops.

The period from 1918 to 1941 was a time of development of the palace as a museum. Only in 1919, during the Civil War, did the palace find itself in the combat zone when Yudenich’s troops entered Gatchina. Red Army soldiers who died during these events were buried on the parade ground in front of the palace. The grave has not survived to this day.

Data on the attendance of the palace museum in the first years after its opening have been preserved. For example, in 1921, the museum was visited by the largest number of visitors — over 21 thousand people. In 1926, palace belongings such as furniture, bronze items, and carpets were taken to the State Property Fund warehouse for subsequent sale. Until the Great Patriotic War, the Great Gatchina Palace was the largest of the palace museums in the suburbs of St. Petersburg and was often called the “suburban Hermitage.”

After the announcement of the start of the war, measures began in the suburban palace museums, including Gatchina, to evacuate valuables and protect buildings from aerial bombing. On August 15, 1941, the first aerial bomb exploded under the palace windows, and by the end of the month, the city was within reach of German artillery. On August 24, the Arsenal carré was damaged by shells, and on September 3, an aerial bomb fell into the palace courtyard, causing significant damage.

It was impossible to carry out a full evacuation of the valuables in the palace. Only four trains with the most valuable exhibits were sent to the rear, and one train was sent to Leningrad. The remaining property was placed in the palace cellars; some large sculptures were buried in the park, and others were covered with sandbags. Only on September 9 did the remaining museum staff evacuate. On the same day, the Kitchen carré tower was damaged by a shell, and another shell exploded near the palace park facade.

Gatchina and the palace remained in the hands of the occupiers until January 1944. During their retreat, German troops burned and mined the Gatchina palace. Some of the remaining valuables were destroyed, some taken to Germany. On one of the palace walls, on the plaster, a graffiti inscription was preserved: “We were here. We will not come here again. If Ivan comes, everything will be empty.” This inscription with a fragment of the wall was preserved and is now displayed in the palace exhibition.

In the post-war years, restoration of the Gatchina Palace began. However, the work carried out was not restoration in the full sense of the word. Measures were taken to make the building usable. In 1944, surviving marble and plaster bas-reliefs and some decorative details were covered with temporary shields. In 1948, the inter-floor ceilings, roof, window, and door openings were restored.

Recreating the palace museum was not planned, as it was considered unprofitable. Saved items from the Gatchina palace museum collections were transferred by orders of the USSR and RSFSR Ministries of Culture to 24 museums across the country for safekeeping. The return of these items to their native walls continues to this day and with great difficulty.

From 1950 to 1959, the palace housed the Naval School of the USSR Ministry of Defense, and later the All-Union Scientific Research Institute “Electronstandard.” In 1960, the palace building was removed from the State Register of Historical and Cultural Monuments, meaning it ceased to be listed as an architectural monument. The palace’s status as an architectural monument was restored in the 1970s.

In 1961–1963, architect Mikhail Plotnikov began developing a project to revive the Gatchina Palace. Architectural surveys were conducted, archival materials searched, and drawings of the first and second floor interiors were made. The project envisaged restoring the interiors to their state in 1890, not as a museum but for the needs of the research institute, but it was never implemented.

Restoration resumed thanks to the efforts of Adelaide Yolkina, chief curator of the museum from 1968 to 1998 (the status of the museum was maintained by the Palace Park). For eight years, she lobbied officials at various levels to have “Electronstandard” vacate the building. This was achieved only in 1976. Mikhail Plotnikov developed a new project for restoring the ceremonial halls (2nd floor of the Main Building) to their state at the end of the 18th century — the period of the greatest flourishing of the Gatchina Palace. The first palace museum interiors were solemnly opened for viewing on May 8, 1985, on the 40th anniversary of the Great Victory.

For the 200th anniversary of the city of Gatchina, a group of restorers led by Yuri Platonov recreated the 18th-century tower clocks. On December 12, 1993, the clock mechanism was launched, and in February 1994, the dials were installed.

Restoration of the palace interiors continues to this day. The Great Palace is one of the unofficial symbols of Gatchina — its image is often found on souvenir products and on the covers of books dedicated to the city.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Большой_Гатчинский_дворец