War Damage of Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof

[Akira Takiguchi]

Thank you very much Katya, the Chinese room it must be!

[lilianna]

Really want to see photos of the palace during the Nazi occupation of the city. I want to see what the Germans did during the war and rejoice as we have restored their palaces!

[IvanVII]

Great photos Akira. I would say that one matches the water color of the Chinese room to a T.

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

A small summary of the chinese room's history : :-)

Drafts of the chinese room by Charles Cameron , architect of the empress Catherine II :





The chinese room in 1855 :



The chinese room in 1878 :



The chinese room during the WWII ( 1941 ? ) , before the fire of the palace... ( Thank you for this picture Akira Takiguchi !! )



And the chinese room today ( 2004 ) , sorry for this bad picture ... :-(



I hope we will see sometime  the revival of this fantastic room ...

[Akira Takiguchi]

Thank you Alexandre for the historical presentation of the Chinese room, I appreciate it!

I scanned a few more from my collection - the first two shows "outside" pictures of other buildings.

I noticed that I misread the name of the owner of the album in earlier picture, it should read Werner instead of Walter.


Chapel

Link to the original: http://www.history.jp/images/CatherineChapel.jpg

The Cameron Gallery

Link to the original: http://www.history.jp/images/CameronGallery.jpg

[Akira Takiguchi]

Another interior picture.  Where is this?



Link to the original: http://www.history.jp/images/Inside1.jpg

[Katya_C]

Another interior picture.  Where is this?



Link to the original: http://www.history.jp/images/Inside1.jpg

I believe it is The First Antechamber, Catherine Palace

"Passing the staircase, begins the Fourth Suite series of apartments, which consist of the Silver Dining Room, the Great Hall and three Antechambers."

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/2006tsarskoe/fourth_suite.html

Katya

[Akira Takiguchi]

Thank you again, Katya!

Next comes two pictures of the great hall.


Link to the orignal: http://www.history.jp/images/CatherinePalaceGreatHall1.jpg

There's no snow, so it must be a pre-winter period ( SS Polizei Division reached this region in September ).


Link to the orignal: http://www.history.jp/images/CatherinePalaceGreatHall2.jpg

[Akira Takiguchi]

This map from period publication of the army group north of german army shows the SS-Polizei-Division ( http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/PanzergrenadierdivisonenSS/4SSPGD.htm ) entering directly into Tsarskoe Selo area in September.


Link to the original: http://www.history.jp/images/MapSep1941.jpg

[Forum Admin]

Our dear old friend Antonio sent me these photos of Tsarskoye Selo during World War 2.  They were taken by his grandfather who served in the Spanish "Blue Brigade" in Tsarskoye Selo during the war!  Many thanks Antonio!!

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

Chapel

Link to the original: http://www.history.jp/images/CatherineChapel.jpg

Dear Akira Takiguchi , it's not a chapel but the " Grotto pavilion " , built by the italian architect of the empress Elisabeth 1st : Bartolomeo Rastrelli .
It was a dining room and concert pavilion .

Destroyed by the Wermacht between 1941 and 1944 , it has been rebuilt and restored after the WWII except the exterior design of the roof and the dormers windows , more simple today :

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

Thank you Admin for these incredibles and sad photos !!

I'm sad to see that ... German and spanish soldiers were barbarians !

Where is the third photo ?

And which is this train wagon ?

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

Dear Akira Takiguchi , here is the chapel of the Catherine palace of Tsarskoïe Selo , rather called " The palace church " .

Built by Bartolomeo Rastrelli betweem 1752 and 1756 , the church suffered a lot during the WWII .
Today the palace church ( or chapel ) has not been restored .

The palace church of Tsarskoïe Selo in 1850-1860 , by the painters K.A.Ukhtomsky or E.Hau ( iconostasis wall ):



The palace church of Tsarskoïe Selo in 1890 ( entrance wall with the antechapel on the back of the room ) :



The palace church of Tsarskoïe Selo during the WWII , probably 1941 : ( we see german soldiers )



And the palace church of Tsarskoïe Selo today , not restored yet : iconostasis wall and entrance wall with antechapel for the small photo :

   

An icon of this iconostasis church ( today in the reserve of the museum ) :



The stairs of the Tsarskoïe Selo palace's church  , restored :



The entrance hall of the Tsarskoïe Selo palace church , restored too :

 

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

I hope there is a project to restore this fabulous church ...!

[Forum Admin]

That train car was the one in which Nicholas abdicated, and then used to return to the Alexander Palace.