The Lower Dacha (New Palace), at Peterhof

[Vladimir_V.]

House of Konstantin today:
http://crazy-2.narod.ru/petrodvor/P-APark/DKonstan.htm

It looks small really and Konstantin said about it in his memoirs.

[BobG]

Joanna,
I don`t agree with the author of this link. He took many good pics (big job!), but sometimes he did mistakes in the history. Private Dacha and Sergievka - two different palace-and-park complexes. I think it will be better if I try to draw a schematic of St. Petersburg suburbs.
Bob - two miles far from St. Petersburg.

Vladimir.

Vladimir,
Thanks for helping me with the direction. I guess the Private Dacha and Sergievka are closer to Oranienbaum/Lomonosov.  I agree that the Private Dacha (belonging to Alexander II) is a different estate than Sergievka (belonging to the Leuchtenberg side of the family).  My understanding from the attached link (in Russian) is that they are adjacent to one another, so it is possible for the Wandering Camera to be confused about it.  It would still be great if you could draw the map showing these palaces in relation to one another.
Thanks,
Bob

http://al-spbphoto.narod.ru/prig/sergievka.html

[Vladimir_V.]

1. Strelna. Konstantinovskij Palace and Park. Now - the museum and The "Palace of Congresses" state complex.
http://www.strelna.ru/en/
http://www.konstantinpalace.com/

2. The Strelna Travel Palace. Now - the museum - the part of Pererhof palace-and-park complex.
http://www.peterhof.org/museums/strelny/

3. Mihajlovka. Now - the rest house.  It was closed on the reconstruction in this year.

4. Znamenka. Now - the rest house.
http://znamenka.narod.ru/Rooms.htm

5. Alexandria. Now - the part of Pererhof palace-and-park complex.
http://www.peterhof.org/parks/ind10.html

6. The Alexandrijskij Park. Don`t  jumble it with Alexandria.

7. The Lower Park. Now - the part of Pererhof palace-and-park complex.
http://www.peterhof.org/parks/ind2.html

8. The Upper Gardens. Now - the part of Pererhof palace-and-park complex.
http://www.peterhof.org/parks/ind1.html

9. The Kolonistskij Park with Tzaritzyn and Olgin pavillions. Now - under the restoration for Pererhof palace-and-park complex.

10. The Lugovoj Park with Belveder Palace. Now - private golf club.
http://www.belveder.ru/index.php?lang=english

11. The English Park. Now - the park with ruins of English Palace.

12. The Park of Oldenburgskij`s Farm. Now - the summer camp.

13. The Private Dacha. Now - for sale.

14. Sergievka. Now - Biological scientific institute.

[Joanna]

This is fantastic Vladimir! To see the estates in relation to their location to each other and with the highway and railway gives a clearer understanding to me.

The Lugovoj Park with Belveder Palace is new to me and is another that I have passed by without knowing what it was. Do you know which of the Imperial family lived there?

Many many thanks
Joanna

[Vladimir_V.]

Joanna

Belveder isn`t a palace exactly. It`s a big pavilion. Belveder was built in 1853-1856 by A.I. Stakenshneider for Nicholas I (died 1855). Alexander II used Belveder for the assignations with his young love-mate (then second wife) Ekaterina Dolgorukaya (Yur`evskaya). Here she first gave herself to Alexander II on July 1, 1866.  
Belveder was restored after WWII and used as a rest house. New restoration was made in 2000-2003.

[Joanna]

To add to Antonio's incredible photographs of the Lower Palace, here also are amazing recent close-up views of the ruins:

http://zarazza.dyndns.org/viewalbum.php?a=album13

And a transliteral translation of an article by Tatyana Kolesnikov on what parts survived to aid in the restoration:

"...All fragments were not taken away. And that is good experts say. Clearing of blockages began at the end of July and already now it is visible, that scientists are seeing the big opening. Forty years on a place of the Lower Palace, the heap of bricks and fragments of old walls was visible only. But after two weeks of work - also appeared, that the base and even a ground floor below survived. Ahead for restorers still it is a lot of work and what also can be found inside ruins of the blown up building nobody knows. They do not represent the rests of a spiral staircase, door handles and loops of material value, but will help experts to recreate shape of a palace. The most part of a building should be built anew, but many elements were not badly damaged..."

http://www.spbtv.ru/?cat=news&key=2179&action=show_print

Joanna

[Sarai_Porretta]

Joanna,
Thank you very much for the links to the pictures of the ruins. They are indeed amazing, and so haunting. It is remarkable that these ruins have been just lying there in such disarray for so many years and that they haven't been cleaned up by now. Although it makes it all the more poignant and interesting to see the actual ruins rather than an empty field.

[elisa_1872]

Can anyone tell me what became of the "Peterhof Mill" that Nicholas mentions in his diary several times? Did it survive, or what became of it, or is it now known by another name? I was so curious because he writes that in its visitors book Alix had signed her name during her visit in 1884.

Thank you in advance

[Mike]

Can anyone tell me what became of the "Peterhof Mill"

Sorry to upset you - the Mill, built in 1848 by A. Stackenschneider, was destroyed during WW2.  

[helenazar]

Mike, do you know if the visitor's book, that Elisa mentioned, survived or was it destroyed too?

[amedeo]

Someone told me it was destroyed but I'm not sure at all

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Does anybody here know if the restoration work on the Lower Palace is being continued??

I know last summer they cleared and excavated the ruins, but have no information as far as its present state is concerned...

Thanks so much in advance!

Antonio.

[BobG]

This may sound awful, but I would much rather see the Alexander Palace restored and returned to its full museum state, BEFORE the New Palace gets rebuilt.  In an ideal world, both could be accomplished at the same time, but in the real world, the AP is just not getting the attention and money it deserves.  I really hope that a concerted effort that started long ago with Bob beginning this site and alerting the world of the condition of the AP can continue to bring the AP back to its former glory.
Bob G

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Hello Bob,

I certainly agree with all and each of your words on this subject. I don´t like to say this, but i can imagine the Lower Palace restored much sooner than the A.P. May be, in part, because to see the A.P. restored would be (for me, at least) more than a dream. Also, during my last visits i´ve seing a lot of restoration work being done in Peterhof(both town and palaces), not to say in Strelna(!!).

Anyway, i would love to see the Lower Palace restored as soon as possible...

[londo954]

The unfortunate thing about the Alexander Palace is its last occupants. There has been only recently a resurgence of interest in the world of Nicholas and Alexandra. And THEY are the Palaces maqin claim to fame as one might say. Peterhof generates money and tourists. A way must be found for the AP to make money.