Its history began in 1777, when Empress Catherine II granted a small piece of land not far from Tsarskoye Selo (Tzar village) to her son Pavel. This new place was called Pavlovskoye Village. In 1779 two small wooden palaces were built there: Paullust ("Pavel's joy") and Mariental ("Maria's Valley").
In 1780 the construction of Pavlovsk palace and park was started. The architectural center of the Pavlovsk ensemble is the Grand Pavlovsk Palace designed in the style of the Russian Classicism. The main building of the palace has got galleries and auxiliary wings, which are decorated with a colonnade and busts of the great Russian people. The palace and park complex was finished at the beginning of the XIX century. There is a huge park covering the area of 600 hectares around the palace.
One of the remarkable architectural sights of Pavlovsk is the Temple of Friendship, its flat dome rests on 16 columns. Bridges of different shapes can be seen in the park of Pavlovsk: decorated with beautiful railings, decorative vases and sculptures. The sections of the park adjoining to the palace are decorated with marble and bronze statues of the ancient gods.
After the revolution of 1917 the palace and the park of Pavlovsk became the museum. During the Second World War the palace and the park suffered much less than other countryside residences of Russian emperors. But still the ensemble was greatly damaged. Thanks to the hard work of talented architects and restorers the palace and the park ensemble was revived. Nowadays there is a permanent exhibition in the palace, representing a magnificent collection of Russian portraits and pictures devoted to picturesque landscapes of Pavlovsk.
Transport:
By car/bus: Pavlovsk is accessible by road, the distance from Saint Petersburg is about 26 km.
Opening hours:
daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed: on Friday.
Within 15.11 - 30.04 the museum is closed on the first Monday of each month.
The museum closes at 4.00 p.m. on days, preceding a holiday.
Timetable is subject to change without prior notice.
