Today the city of Lomonosov was once called Oranienbaum. From St. Petersburg, this settlement is located only forty kilometers away, but it is world famous because of the famous monuments of architectural and park art of the XVIII century, preserved in its original form up to now. First in 1711, the suburban residence of Prince AD was laid. Menshikov, called Oranienbaum due to the fact that in the greenhouses of the estate grew oranges ("Oranienbaum" from the German language is translated as an orange tree). Subsequently, in 1780, the settlement was given the status of a city. Currently, Oranienbaum is considered a palace and park ensemble, which includes the entire complex of buildings of the XVIII century: the Menshikov Palace, the Chinese Palace, the Rolling Hill, the Lower Park, the Palace of Peter III and others.
Oranienbaum: Menshikov Palace
The very first in the whole ensemble was built the Great Menshikov Palace according to the project of the famous architects Shedel and Fontana. From the central two-storeyed part of the palace, two single-storey, arc-shaped galleries branch off, at the ends of which two pavilions - Church and Japanese - adjoin. In them are attached wings - the Freilinsky and the Kitchen. Thus, all this magnificent building is built in the shape of the letter P, and the length of its facade is 210 m. The palace was built in the style of the Petrine Baroque and struck Menshikov's contemporaries with its luxurious decor and interior decoration.
Lower garden in Oranienbaum
In front of the facade of the Grand Palace is the Lower Garden, which covers an area of almost 5 hectares. It is one of the first regular gardens in Russia with a layout based on French patterns. In the center of the garden is the main alley, surrounded on the sides by symmetrical bosquets of trimmed limes, maples and firs. In the 18th century the garden was decorated with three fountains and 39 sculptures. Unfortunately, during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, The lower garden was destroyed, but now it is being restored to the founders' drawings.
Upper park in Oranienbaum
In the south-west of the Grand Palace is the Upper Park, which covers an area of 160 hectares. While walking along it, the visitor will encounter a lot of alleys (Nut, Triple lime), a labyrinth of ponds, canals, bridges. The magnificent landscape of the park located in Oranienbaum strikes with its beauty at any time of the year.
Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum
In the depths of Upper Park, by the order of Catherine II, the Chinese palace was built in the Baroque architectural style. This name was given to this structure due to the fact that several rooms in it were decorated in the fashionable at the time chanoise style (Chinese style). Now in one of the most luxurious monuments of the Oranienbaum museum-reserve there are excursions to the glass cabinet with its famous glass-wall panels, the Hall of the Muses, where the walls depict nine muses, the Blue living room and the Great Hall, whose walls are decorated with marble.
Roller-slide in Oranienbaum
To the west of the Chinese Palace, the alley leads to the blue building of the unusual in Oranienbaum sights - the Pavilion Katalnaya Gorka. Previously, it was a pleasure complex, where in the summer they rode on special strollers along paved wooden slopes. Now from the roller coaster there is a smart pavilion building, slender rows of galleries and columns. Pavilion Katalnaya Gorka also has a luxurious interior: Round hall with the only marble floor in the country, Porcelain cabinet with chinaware finish, White cabinet.
Stone hall in Oranienbaum
In the Upper Park there is the Stone Hall - a building built in the middle of the 18th century with the purpose of holding ceremonial events and concerts there. Later, in 1843, the building was converted to a Lutheran church: a stone bell tower was built up. However, in 1967 the stone hall was returned to its original appearance. Now here are guided tours, concerts.
We hope that our article has charged you with the desire to see with your own eyes the beauty of this palace and park ensemble. Tangent of how to get to Oranienbaum and how to get there, then there are several options:
- By train to the station "Oranienbaum I" from the Baltic station.
- Routes 054, 404a from the Baltic station.
- Route 424a from the metro station Avtovo.
Continue travel to St. Petersburg and its suburbs by visiting the famous Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo with the amazing Alexandrovsky and Catherine's palaces .