The Lower Dacha (New Palace), at Peterhof

[BobAtchison]

Antonio:

It's intereresting you mention the Winter Palace since they have some furniture from the Lower Palace.  They have the corner cozy-corner from Olga's room that is seen in pictures of the family and a number of other things.  When they closed the Lower Palace down and dispersed everything the Winter Palace received a few things...  Why I don't know since the historical rooms of the family were closed down there in the 20's and most everything sold off.

Kuchumov told me some things from the AP could be found there that were in Art Nouveau style that one would have expected to have gone to Pavlovsk after the AP was shut down.

Bob

[BobAtchison]

BTW, Victoria of Milford haven had a lot of pictures of her family at the Lower Palace, including some pictures of Lord Mountbatton as a boy in front of it.

Bob

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Well, here is at last the photo. It´s very sad but still not as destroyed as have been reported to be...

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Antonio:

It's intereresting you mention the Winter Palace since they have some furniture from the Lower Palace.  They have the corner cozy-corner from Olga's room that is seen in pictures of the family and a number of other things.  

The three times i was in the Winter palace apartaments i saw some things from the Lower dacha baut not that cozy corner. I think it was in some exhibition in the EEUU. I saw that cozy-corner for the first time this last summer in Pavlovsk, it was at an exibition there in the second floor gallery that surrounds the Italian Hall.
Antonio.

[BobAtchison]

I just checked for some details on the cosy corner.

It was made for Olga's room and came from the furniture workshops of F.Meltzer.  It was designed by Roman Meltzer.  In 1933 it was transferred from the Lower Palace to the Hermitage.

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

I wonder why this essential piece of that room´s furniture was taken from the Lower dacha before wwii. Was the Lower dacha closed as a museum in that year?

[Joanna]

Antonio your photo is fascinating !!!! The distinction of the walls is just like the original photos with that !  Did you get closer to it or walk around inside?

Joanna

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Hello Joanna,
I would wish this palace were in the state shown in the photograph...Sadly it´s not. The palace was in fact finally destroyed in soviet times and just imagine why...I have a lot of photographs from the last summer and yes, i got very close, even doing what my friend calls "stupid photographs" (close up images of stones and so on). There were flowers left in memory of the family from Alexey´s birthday, and (this i try as far as i can to hid from the camera) worse things like debris, bottles,etc,etc...
What amazed me of this place was the following: surely you´ve seen some photographs showing the family in the seashore and have noticed the big stones that used to be bordering this seashore. There´s particularly one in which Nicholas is seated in one of them(Romanovs:love, power and tragedy;page 314).
Well, these stones are still right there, hidden behind vegetation(?).
An insignificant detail, i know, but i love this kind of details...

[elisa_1872]

Is it true that at the Peterhof Museum Complex are now several artifacts that were once on Nicky's train? I'd be so grateful for any information!!!:)

Antonio - thanks so much for posting the photo!

Best wishes,
Elisa

[BobAtchison]

Yes, they saved many things from the train - a Faberge ashtray from the train frequently travels about.

Bob

[David_Newell]

Antonio these details make it all worth while

David Newell, london

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Hello Elisa!
It´s true, Peherhof museum has as far as i know a lot of things that were saved from the lower palace and the imperial train. They have the photographs and designs for the lower palace,furniture, fabrics from the rooms, Alix´s dresses...Other thins like the furniture from Olga´s drawing room are in the Hermitage.
Antonio.

[BobAtchison]

Antonio - just to add to what you said - a few years ago when I was there at Peterhof they showed me the Grand Piano of the Lower Palace that they had just recently found in Petersburg and purchased - it still had its palace tags on it.  They had also just found and purchased a marble carving from the Maple Room at the AP of Tatiana as a baby.

Bob

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Antonio these details make it all worth while

David Newell, london

David,
When i first went to the lower palace i followed the footpath bordering the sea. From this place the ruins are hidden behind some trees and bushes. I only had seen the old photographs and had no idea of how would i found it. Then,jumping over some little irrigation channel(?) i saw a fragment of glimmering red and yellow bricks amidst the greenery...I realized i was there. No matter what remains because i could close the eyes and see it all as it was, or climb up the place were formerly the tower was and watch to the sea. This sea,as well as the grey-blue sky, is the same it was 90 years ago, some things will never change.
It´s definitely worth while...

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Antonio - just to add to what you said - a few years ago when I was there at Peterhof they showed me the Grand Piano of the Lower Palace that they had just recently found in Petersburg and purchased - it still had its palace tags on it.  They had also just found and purchased a marble carving from the Maple Room at the AP of Tatiana as a baby.

Bob

This is just great!!!!
Cannot believe that all thse things were simply put on sale in Petersburg...it cannot be only money what they looked for selling these things, i think it was also done to erase the imperial family from the people mind.