“The Second Revival: Gatchina and Peterhof in the Age of Nicholas I”
The exhibition “The Second Revival: Gatchina and Peterhof in the Age of Nicholas I” will open on December 15 in the eight newly renovated halls of the Gatchina Palace, the ground floor. Presented in partnership with the State Museum Reserve Peterhof.
The exhibition aims to expand the visitors’ experience of the private and public life of Nicholas I and his family at Peterhof and Gatchina.
The exhibition displays portraits of the tsar’s family members, watercolours with views of the residences and palace interiors by renowned painters E.Hau, L. Premazzi, V.Sadovnikov, J-J.Charlemagne, rare drawings by A. Chernyshev and M.Zichi, showing everyday life of the imperial court. Also on view are Nicholas I’s belongings - a folding bed, an overcoat, a service cap, a military coat, and a helmet; a ceremonial dress of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, porcelain from imperial private collections and other interesting exhibits.
Peterhof and Gatchina are still associated exclusively with Peter I and Paul I, despite the fact that the reign of Nicholas I was equally a significant milestone in the development of these imperial residences. They experienced their second revival thanks to Nikolay Pavlovich.
In Peterhof, Nicholas gave up the dazzling grandeur of the Lower fountain park in favour of the peaceful silence of Alexandria, a new royal residence that was to become a cosy home for the entire family, every one of them had warm and loving memories of the house. In 1832-1852, the Kolonistsky Park was laid out on abandoned marshy lands. In it, the Olgin pond was formed, named after the Emperor’s second daughter. The dug-out earth was used to create two islands, each with a large pavilion, the Tsarina’s and Olgin Pavilion. The Rose Pavilion was created to grace the landscape Lugovoy Park. In 1853, on the Babigon Hights, at the south end of the park, the Belvedere Palace was erected that resembled a classical temple with its massive stylobate, a porch and figures of caryatides.
In Gatchina, the palace took its final shape at that time. The Central Building that accomodated the private rooms of Pavel Petrovich, Nicholas I’s father, underwent a major restoration and renovation with every detail in the apartments being carefully preserved. On August 1, 1851, a grand ceremony was held to unveil the monument to the emperor Paul I. In one of the renovated wings, the Arsenal Wing, over 200 rooms were refurbished that served for both quiet family living and ceremonial purposes. The town also transformed: it acquired more structured planning and the architectural appearance that reflected the tastes of its ruling owner.
In the age of Nicholas I, Gatchina and Peterhof were the scene of annual celebrations that astonished contemporaries with their lavishness; their grandeur was supposed to maintain the prestige of the Russian monarchy.
The exhibition “The Second Revival: Gatchina and Peterhof in the Age of Nicholas I” will open on December 15 in the eight newly renovated halls of the Gatchina Palace, the ground floor. Presented in partnership with the State Museum Reserve Peterhof.
The exhibition aims to expand the visitors’ experience of the private and public life of Nicholas I and his family at Peterhof and Gatchina.
The exhibition displays portraits of the tsar’s family members, watercolours with views of the residences and palace interiors by renowned painters E.Hau, L. Premazzi, V.Sadovnikov, J-J.Charlemagne, rare drawings by A. Chernyshev and M.Zichi, showing everyday life of the imperial court. Also on view are Nicholas I’s belongings - a folding bed, an overcoat, a service cap, a military coat, and a helmet; a ceremonial dress of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, porcelain from imperial private collections and other interesting exhibits.
Peterhof and Gatchina are still associated exclusively with Peter I and Paul I, despite the fact that the reign of Nicholas I was equally a significant milestone in the development of these imperial residences. They experienced their second revival thanks to Nikolay Pavlovich.
In Peterhof, Nicholas gave up the dazzling grandeur of the Lower fountain park in favour of the peaceful silence of Alexandria, a new royal residence that was to become a cosy home for the entire family, every one of them had warm and loving memories of the house. In 1832-1852, the Kolonistsky Park was laid out on abandoned marshy lands. In it, the Olgin pond was formed, named after the Emperor’s second daughter. The dug-out earth was used to create two islands, each with a large pavilion, the Tsarina’s and Olgin Pavilion. The Rose Pavilion was created to grace the landscape Lugovoy Park. In 1853, on the Babigon Hights, at the south end of the park, the Belvedere Palace was erected that resembled a classical temple with its massive stylobate, a porch and figures of caryatides.
In Gatchina, the palace took its final shape at that time. The Central Building that accomodated the private rooms of Pavel Petrovich, Nicholas I’s father, underwent a major restoration and renovation with every detail in the apartments being carefully preserved. On August 1, 1851, a grand ceremony was held to unveil the monument to the emperor Paul I. In one of the renovated wings, the Arsenal Wing, over 200 rooms were refurbished that served for both quiet family living and ceremonial purposes. The town also transformed: it acquired more structured planning and the architectural appearance that reflected the tastes of its ruling owner.
In the age of Nicholas I, Gatchina and Peterhof were the scene of annual celebrations that astonished contemporaries with their lavishness; their grandeur was supposed to maintain the prestige of the Russian monarchy.