Magnificent St. Petersburg is famous all over the world for its historical, cultural and architectural monuments. And not all of them are located in the city. The stunning surroundings of the Northern capital are no less interesting among tourists. One of these suburbs is located 40 km from the city. This is Lomonosov. Before it was called Oranienbaum. Here is an interesting museum-reserve, which stores architectural masterpieces of the XVIII century. An excursion to Oranienbaum with a visit to the Chinese Palace will impress you.
History
The associate of Peter I and his closest assistant Alexander Danilovich Menshikov were the first to pay attention to these picturesque lands on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, who decided to build his country residence here.
This is how the famous Grand Palace appeared, which with its luxury and splendor overshadowed the palace of Peter I himself, which at the same time was being built in Peterhof. Nearby was the picturesque Lower Garden.
In 1727 Prince Menshikov fell out of favor and was sent into exile. Allhis property, including the palace in Oranienbaum, was transferred to the state treasury. In 1743, the Great Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna presented the estate to her son, who later became Russian Emperor Peter III.
The new owner built the Peterstadt ensemble, which included a powerful fortress and a palace. When Catherine II came to power, a new stage of construction began in Oranienbaum. The Empress created her summer residence here and built a beautiful palace "Own Dacha".
Menshikov Palace
As we have already mentioned, the Grand Palace in Oranienbaum was built by the first owner - Prince Menshikov (1710-1727). In terms of size and luxurious decor, it had no equal in St. Petersburg and its suburbs. The palace is called the Great Palace for a reason. The monumentality of this building is given by its location on a hill. This creates the impression that the palace seems to be floating above the shore. Terraces descend from the façade. One-story wings adjoin the main building on both sides, ending with two pavilions - East and Church. They are adjoined by the Kitchen and Freylinsky wings. Peter III changed the palace interiors. The Eastern Pavilion, due to the fact that more than two hundred items of Chinese and Japanese porcelain appeared in its interior, began to be called Japanese.
Chinese Palace (Oranienbaum)
This magnificent building was erected in 1762-1768. The architect Antonio Rinaldi, well-known in those days, became the author of the project and the construction manager. The most important period in the creation of the architectural ensemble in Oranienbaum is associated with this name. Italian byorigin, he came to Russia at the invitation of K. G. Razumovsky. Here he lived for many years, finding a second home on Russian soil.
Without exaggeration, we can say that the Chinese Palace, along with other priceless monuments of those times, belongs to the recognized masterpieces of Russian architecture. This is a unique building that deserves a detailed study. The name given to the Chinese Palace (St. Petersburg) is conditional. The external appearance of the building has nothing to do with the architecture of China. Only in some rooms were used decorative Chinese motifs, interpreted quite freely. The palace had a huge collection of Chinese art and Japanese porcelain. Part of this collection has survived to this day.
Architectural features
The Chinese Palace (Oranienbaum) is a relatively small, slightly elongated building that looks a bit like a park summer pavilion. It is surrounded by a low panel of stone slabs and a decorative iron grate. Two small parterre gardens are laid out in front of the facade. They organically fit into the overall composition of the building and, according to the architect, became an integral part of it.
The same role is played by the huge centuries-old oaks, which were specially planted when the building was laid: they seem to connect it with a large park. The middle part of the building is slightly overestimated, it is its compositional center. The facades are decorated with pilasters. Glazed doors and windows are decorated with stucco frames.
Palace Changes
The Chinese Palace was originally one-story. Only in the overestimated part of it (from the southern facade) at the top there were one or two rooms that did not have decorative finishes.
The second floor above the ledges (risalits) of the southern facade was made by A. I. Stackenschneider in the late 40s of the 19th century. A little later, he also added an extension with one room to the eastern part of the building - the Big anti-chamber, which adjoined the Hall of Music.
In 1853, L. Bonstedt made the same extension to the western wing of the building, and also reconstructed the center of the southern facade. Here he created a glazed gallery.
Palace interiors
The Chinese Palace (Lomonosov) was created in such a way that its appearance, combination of volumes, ratios and proportions of individual parts determine the location of the interior. They all had different purposes.
The plan of the palace is symmetrical and compositionally balanced. It is characterized by an enfilade system - interconnected interiors are on the same axis. The center of symmetry is the Great Hall. It has a height of 8.5 meters. Usually such ceremonial halls, which are sometimes called Italian, play an important role as an organizing link in the planning of the palace.
On two sides of the hall there are Lilac and Blue living rooms, as well as offices (Small Chinese and Bugle). The enfilade is completed by the Hall of Muses and the Great Chinese Cabinet.
Architectural style
Chinese Palace(Lomonosov) was built when Russian architecture was in transition. Decorative techniques, actively used in the 50s of the 18th century, ceased to satisfy artistic requirements, and the emerging classicism was not yet fully formed in architecture.
In the appearance of the palace facades, the features of this transitional period are very bright. The decorativeness and excessive splendor characteristic of the previous buildings gave way here to the simplicity and conciseness of the artistic decoration. This is more characteristic of developing classicism.
The Chinese Palace was built and decorated by talented craftsmen of that time - sculptors, mosaicists, marble makers, parquet makers, gilders, wood carvers and others.
Parquet
Photos of the Chinese Palace can often be seen in glossy publications not only in Russia but also abroad. Its luxurious decoration is of interest to many generations of researchers of Russian art.
I would like to tell you about the museum's unique parquet floors. 772 square meters of parquet are assembled from many domestic and foreign tree species. Among them are pink, red, lemon and ebony, amaranth, rosewood and boxwood, oak and Persian walnut and many others. In some rooms, there are up to fifteen types.
Wooden planks were glued in the form of different patterns on separate boards. Then small patterns were burned or cut out. Each room had its owna special pattern of parquet, which was tied to the rest of the interior. Parquets are very valuable. In their design and manner of execution, they have no equal in our country.
Painting
The Chinese Palace is organically decorated with the most valuable examples of decorative painting. Numerous panels, wall paintings, plafonds occupy an important place in its interiors. Their importance is difficult to overestimate. The collection of plafonds stored here is distinguished by high craftsmanship. There is no such collection in any of the surviving Russian palaces.
For the decoration of halls and rooms, first-class works of applied and fine art were purchased. Most of the plafonds that were painted on canvas were made in Venice by a group of famous painters of the Academy of Arts.
Palace after the revolution
After 1917, the Chinese Palace became a museum. Everyone could visit it. Scientifically based restoration became possible, as well as competent storage of its artistic values. In the period from 1925 to 1933, serious work was carried out to restore decorative painting.
Chinese Palace Bugle Cabinet
This room is rightfully considered the most famous rest of the palace. The glass cabinet has retained its original decoration of the 60s of the 18th century. Its walls are decorated with priceless panels. These are canvases on which exquisite embroidery with glass beads is made.
This material was produced at a mosaic factory in the vicinity of Oranienbaum, which he foundedgreat scientist M. V. Lomonosov. Against the background of glass beads, fleecy silk (chenille) is embroidered with compositions depicting fantastic birds against the backdrop of a picturesque landscape. For a long time, researchers believed that the panels were made in France. However, now there is evidence that they were made by nine Russian women embroiderers. The panels are framed with gilded carvings. They imitate tree trunks entwined with flowers, leaves and bunches of grapes.
Gilded frames are 3 meters 63 centimeters long and about one and a half meters wide. Some frames are complemented by dragon figurines. The game of gilding is very expressive due to the depth of the relief, which reaches 18 centimeters.
Lower Garden
This is an outstanding piece of landscape art. It is part of the Grand Palace complex. In the center of the garden parterres with numerous and rather rare flowers were laid out. They are surrounded by rows of maples, lindens and firs. In addition, fruit trees were planted here - cherries, apple trees, etc. The garden is decorated with fountains and sculptures.
Upper Park
This park is conditionally divided into two parts. In its eastern part, there is the Petershtadt complex, and in the western part, the Own Dacha complex. The current appearance of the Upper Park was created at the beginning of the 19th century. The bridges that organically fit into its landscape, as well as architectural structures, give it a special attraction.
When can I visitpalace?
This information is essential for anyone who is going to visit the Chinese Palace. Opening hours: from 10.30 to 19.00. On Monday, museum staff rest.
