Messages

16

Tsarskoe Selo Town / Re: Railway Stations

« on: July 03, 2016, 12:55:56 PM »

Here is a beautiful video of Vitebsk Railway Station today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqQ6h3oQeAg&noredirect=1

Cathy

17

The Alexander Palace / Re: WWII damage and use of the palace

« on: April 27, 2016, 06:47:32 AM »

Love the picture of the storage containers!!

What a wonderful web site - it has everything needed for a trip to Tsarskoe Selo!! Too bad that the AP won't be open until 2018!!!

Cathy

18

Tsarskoe Selo Town / Re: Yusupov Dacha Tsarskoe Selo

« on: April 14, 2016, 06:55:39 AM »

Joanna

These are absolutely beautiful pictures!

Per above website this is what was to happen to the Dacha in 2015 "..New information is October 31, 2015 that the estate will pass to the Museum of AV Suvorov, who plans to open in the estate of Z. Yusupova Emigration Museum ..."

Does anyone know if this did take place and is it open as a museum or an office? Is it open to the public and to tourists?

Has anyone walked around the property? Are there gates at the front entrance? Is the dacha surrounded by a fence?

Are tourists allowed to walk around the property even if the building is closed?

Thanks so much
Cathy

19

Palaces in the Crimea / Re: Livadia, Palace of Nicholas II

« on: February 26, 2015, 03:06:39 PM »

Joanna

Thanks so much for the pictures - they are absolutely stunning. Want to go 

 Cathy

20

The Alexander Palace / Re: Video. Cellars Alexander Palace.

« on: June 16, 2014, 07:08:46 AM »

Wow That was a great video. How wonderful it must have looked originally. I wonder what it was used for in WWII shudder, shudder? And I think that it will be glorious when it is restored. What a pleasure to be able to see it completed!
Cathy

21

The Alexander Palace / Re: 1930 Film AP

« on: June 06, 2014, 07:26:21 AM »

Thank you Joanna

Incredible footage - remember that some of the well-dressed people may have been a western tour group and not Russian. At the same time, I wonder how many of the Russian people you do see made it through the purges and the second world war/ siege of Leningrad!

Yes, yes, yes - that was the AP and the people were pouring out of the main gate. How wonderful to see film from 1930 - imagine!!
Cathy

22

The Alexander Palace / Re: Why No New Alexander Palace Pictures?

« on: July 07, 2013, 02:28:46 PM »

QUOTE "Also, check out the Tsarskoe Selo Museum's website, they have an English version, where they post a lot of new pictures regularly. http://eng.tzar.ru/"

Thank you so much for the address of the TS museum website, the English version - the last time my sister and I were there in person, there was no one in the museum who could speak English and I know that they felt so bad for us (neither group could understand each other) but we were able to tour the whole museum without a fuss. We loved it.

23

The Alexander Palace / Re: Pictures of the Interiors as they were

« on: November 10, 2012, 07:26:54 AM »

Thank you Joanna for all your valuable information, comprehensive research and providing the links. The Tsarselo.ru web site is fantastic. The pictures are amazing - for me, it is the first time that I have ever seen the right (left in Russia) wing.

24

The Alexander Palace / Re: Right Wing of Alexander Palace

« on: March 05, 2011, 06:47:19 AM »

Thanks Joanna - I wonder what year this picture is from?

And in the book - it is a pity that information can be so erroneous!!

25

The Alexander Palace / Re: Children's Island

« on: March 05, 2011, 06:42:03 AM »

At least they have painted the little house since I was there in 2008 - it looks quite pretty now. The window frames may have even been repaired. I think that the inside is quite bare and the whole house is in need of extensive repairs.

26

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Books Available at Yusupov Palace

« on: May 11, 2010, 02:37:33 PM »

What is the title of the book about the life in the palace?
Thank you

Daily Life in The Yusupov Palace
(Secrets of an Ancient Manor)
by Natalia Zaitseva
ISBN 5-85474-093-1

27

Palaces in St. Petersburg / Re: Yelagin Palace

« on: May 11, 2010, 10:37:48 AM »

Thank you very much for the detailed reply. I was totally unaware of these facts. My reference book does not mention the bad damage caused by the war. I honestly thought that the Palace survived relatively unscathed, as it was so close to the city.

The whole city of Leningrad was bombed continuously during the 900-day siege and many many buildings and parks were very badly damaged by the Germans in the city itself during WWII.

28

Palaces in St. Petersburg / Re: Yelagin Palace

« on: May 11, 2010, 10:30:18 AM »

The palace looks lovely, but I seem to have missed where it is geographically. Presumably a short distance outside Petersburg like Tsarskoye-Selo and Peterhof.

Ann

No - it is actually a part of the city of St Petersburg. It is one of 3 islands that are across the Malaya Nevka north west of the Petrograd side of St. Petersburg. There is a metro stop on Krestovsky island and one walks across the Yelagin bridge at Srednyaya Nevka to get to the palace and the park - no cars allowed.

29

Palaces in St. Petersburg / Re: Yelagin Palace

« on: May 10, 2010, 06:57:07 AM »

No I dont think it was destroyed during WWII. I am almost 100% sure. Perhaps someone could correct me if I were wrong.
 I have found many mistakes on Wikipedia.

In 1918 under Soviet rule, Yelagin Palace was turned into a museum but most of its unique collections were sold abroad and in 1928 it was eventually closed.

During WWII the palace was left in ruin and the park and pavilions were badly damaged. The palace facade looked as damaged as Pavlovsk (maybe a little less so because it may not have been burned); there was no roof left. The rooms were as heavily damaged and as destroyed as other palaces you may have seen pictures of.

Reconstruction of the palace and its interiors started in 1945. Clearing of the island and restoration of the pavilions started in 1961. Final restoration of the interiors started in 1983 and Yelagin got the status of museum in 1987.

30

Tsarskoe Selo Palaces / Re: Ropsha Palace

« on: May 07, 2010, 07:30:39 AM »

I love Ropsha.
The pictures on the link ..livefeed.. are absolutely amazing.
It was very difficult to find the palace in 2006 even with the help of our Russian driver - people did not seem to know it even though the town was right beside it. It looked very run down and very unsafe. But I fell in love with the whole structure even with the wooden scaffolding surrounding the front facade. And the history of the building is lovely.
So I think that in spite of developer dreams I would like to see it restored.
I wonder how much tourist activity a hotel would generate because it is a remote palace and difficult to get to.