Re: Town of Tsarskoye Selo

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Hello Joanna,

In the first photograph you can see the Srednaya ulitsa(same name today). The house to the left is Patkul house, built by Moniguetti in 1852(today address: Srednaya ulitsa 8 ).

The street running towards the cathedral should be Leontievskaya ulitsa.

In the second photograph you can also see Srednaya ulitsa(Middle street). The street is seen in the point in wich is crossed by Oranzherenaya ulitsa(hope you understand what i mean...). In the corner of these two streets there was the "Tivoli" cinema, but cannot tell you for sure wether it is or is not shown in this photo.

Hope this helps you.

[Belochka]

Would the regimental commander and high officers with their families have appartments within this complex?

Joanna

Hi Joanna,

The Tsarskoe Selo Konvoi regiment (which included officers) and the Rifles Regiment apparently resided in these barracks. ref. (p 412, in Scenarios of Power by R. Wortman, vol 2, 2000)

Yet Paul Grabbe in his book Window on the River Neva @ p 87, whose father was the Commander of the Konvoi from 1914, writes that the family was provided with an appartment in the barracks overlooking the Neva, which is where the St. Petersburg regiment was located.

Trust this will be helpful to you.  

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Many many thanks Antonio! This is so very helpful for me to now orient with my other notes and various maps c1900's to today!

I have another photo of the rue d'orangerie that may start at the intersection of Srednaia but I am not sure. To the left further next blocks would be the open space of the Cathedrale and I do see trees but whether it is or not I do not know. The foreground building on the left of my photo has awnings on the ground floor which would indicate stores. On the right is a two storey building with an attic cupola in an inverted v shape that may be possible the Tivoli cinema. Was the rue d'orangerie more of a commercial street c1900's? Have you ever seen this photo as I do not have a scanner?

Joanna

Hello Joanna,

I know that photograph. And you are right, it shows the intersection of Srednaya ulitsa. The left corner building is the same that appears to the right in the previous postcard of the Srednaya you posted.

[ChristineM]

Dear Joanna

Thank you very much for all these fascinating postings.     It is amazing to see the Church in the Kazan Cemetery, Tsarskoe Selo restored.   When I was there - searching for the grave of Orlov - the chapel was not much more than a ruin.   You know Alexandra Feodorovna and Anya Vyroubova visisted this cemetery regularly to lay flowers on Orlov's grave.   I even stopped to buy a bunch  of fresh, vivid blue cornflowers, but alas we could not find the grave of Orlov.  

The seige was fought on this ground.    It was explained to me as a result it is almost impossible to find graves pre-dating WWII.   The Director of the cemetery has old maps with all the burial plots numbered and marked.   Some day when I have time I'll try to examine these.  

The most remarkable thing to happen to me the day I  visited the Kazan cemetery was to be caught up in a 'mafia' funeral.   Boy was that scary.   I have never witnessed anything quite like it.   Rival gangs were there in shiny, dark Italian suits, wearing dark designer sun glasses and driving black Mercedes and four wheel monsters, all with blacked out windows.   There must have been upwards of forty vehicles, parked haphazrdly, almost blocking the narrow road.   The men fell into two groups complete with bodyguards with and their, indispensible, 'blonde' molls.   The too were dressed in black - Armani, Versace and etc. all wearing sunglasses.   In the 'procession' of wreathes, I don't think there was one measuring less than five feet by three.  

The bristling tension was palpable.   The corpse was a murder victim - both sides of the 'family' were represented.   We were really frightened as we waited for the local service bus.   We agreed, should any shooting begin, we would hit the floor and pray.   Fortunately the bus arrived.   The battle to get on board was even worse than usual - 80+ year olds, five feet tall, 12 stone heavy babushki were lashing out with their shopping bags pushing us aside to secure a place as fast as they could.

My visit to Orlov's grave could not have been more different than those of Alexandra Feodorovna and Anya Vyroubova.

tsaria

[ChristineM]

Dear Joanna

You mention a hospital in Sophia.   The only hospital I know in Sophia is a 1950s building sited between Villa Kochubey and the southern perimeter of the Catherine Park.   Today it is a tuberculosis hospital.  

In its basement you will find the 'Stork Club'.   This is where the city of Pushkin's abandoned children are taken for shelter.   It is a remarkable place, but can you imagine - housing children beneath a tuberculosis hospital?   However, they are safe there, in the loving care of Tatiana (a former Moscow journalist) who is the 'Director'.  She cares for everyone of them as though each was her own.

Now, to the Tivoli Cinema.   I wonder if this cinema had a balcony on the corner of the building?   If it had, I am pretty certain this was yet another balcony frequented by Mr Ulyanov.   Our late friend Rene Beerman - whose father was Pastor of the Lutheran Church in Tsarskoe Selo - told us how he and his brother 'dared' to go to listen to Lenin berate the crowd from this balcony.

Quite a town, Tsarskoe Selo.   It is steeped in history - very old, old, not so old and it is still making history.

tsaria

[DanielB]

I assume you are discussing Major-General A. A. Orlov, Commanding Officer of Her Majesty’s Guards Lancer Regiment who died of tuberculosis in Egypt in 1908, and was later buried in Tsarskoe-Selo? He was an old friend and comrade of the Emperor (they had served in His Majesty’s Guards Hussars together). His close friendship with the Imperial couple gave rise to malicious gossip about him and the Empress, which, according to General Spiridovich, were absolutely groundless but saddened Orlov a lot and hastened his death.

There is a photo in Marvin Lyons’ book about Nicholas II showing Orlov, the Emperor, the Empress and the officers from her regiment taken in Peterhof in May 1907 on the occasion of Her Majesty’s Lancers’ regimental holiday.

[ChristineM]

Dear Joanne

I see Daniel Briere has answered your questions on Orlov.   I think there was some tension between Alexandra Feodorovna and Anya Vyroubova in respect of this gentleman.   Both of them wanted to attract his attention - in quite innocent ways.   I think Anya really wanted to marry him, but Alexandra was opposed to the match.

There are scurilous tales in Russia about Orlov and the Empress.   I do not for a moment believe them, but it is interesting, how even through the decades there is still, in some quarters, a desire to sully the Empress' reputation.

The 'Sanitorium' in the website is not a hospital.   It is a Russian health retreat.   I think I am correct in saying it is sited quite far back off the road between Pushkin and Pavlovsk, on the right side travelling towards Pavlovsk.   It is possible for foreigners to use it as a 'hotel'.   I do not know the rates and I have never set foot inside, but I believe it is basic and inexpensive.

The tuberculosis hospital to which I referred on an earlier posting, faces the southern perimeter of the Catherine Park.   I cannot remember its name, but it is the road which leads to Alexandrovka.

tsaria

[Belochka]

OH WOW Nikolai has posted photographs from "Album of Tsarskoe Selo 1905". I am in awe!
Joanna

Thanks Joanna, they are lovely photographs!

[hikaru]

I have found that after the revolution the name of Tsarskoe selo was Soldatskoe selo ( on Kerensky's times)
Did somebody hear about ?

[Forum Admin]

I believe it was called "Detskoie Selo". We have a 1920s guidebook with that name.

[hikaru]

There is a parcel adressed to the Nicholas when he was arrested in the Palace.
The address of the parcel: Soldatskoe selo ( former Tsarskoe Selo) , Palace , Attn: N. Romanov

Maybe this name was not in use for a long time.
Anyway, I was intrested in it.

[helenazar]

Here is a link to the travelogue of my visit to the town of Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo) this summer:

http://www.geocities.com/mushkah/TsarskoeSelo.html

[bell_the_cat]

Wonderful travelogue Helen_A! I don't know how you find the time in between identifying Tudors!

I'm looking forward to your piece on Brighton Beach as I was there a few weeks ago!

I'm interested in the memorial to the jewish population of Puschkin - is it true that some of them were shot in the Alexander Park?

[helenazar]

Wonderful travelogue Helen_A! I don't know how you find the time in between identifying Tudors!

Thanks!  

I'm looking forward to your piece on Brighton Beach as I was there a few weeks ago!
 

I'd like to hear your own impressions after you read the travelogue.  

I'm interested in the memorial to the jewish population of Puschkin - is it true that some of them were shot in the Alexander Park?

From what I understand, yes there were many Pushkin Jews who were executed by the Germans in both Catherine and Alexander parks, and evidently before that they were kept imprisoned in the cellars of the Catherine Palace. For some reason it is difficult to get information about this over there, I just happened to overhear a tour guide at CP talking about this, but couldn't locate anything written in order to confirm...  I am sure it exists somewhere, I just couldn't find it. It's almost like they don't want this known for some reason. I believe that the memorial was built with private funds of the relatives of the people who were killed, but again, I couldn't really get any more information about it.

[ChristineM]

The same artist who captured the image of grave digging in the front of the Alexander Palace, also painted a gruesome picture of Jews hanging from the lamp-posts in Sadovaya and Orangerie Streets.  

There are photographs of these gruesome scenes to be found in the remarkable, virtually unvisited by Westerners, City of Pushkin museum.

tsaria