Now Online - Pavlovsk Palace and Park by Kuchumov

[BobAtchison]

Whew - am I tired - I just put up Kuchumov's book - I still have to put the park in and that's another huge job.  All the rooms are in with lots of pictures - scroll down for the images.  Kuchumov wrote this in 1973 and he told me how much he wished this book could get out to more people, and now I have done this for him.  I hope he knows somehow.

It's an old Soviet publication - the images are glorious. Kuchumov's text is really, really good.

I will tell you a story.  I have had my Russian language version for decades.  I hate to say it, but I bought mine new in 1975 in the Leningrad Hotel on the opposite side of the Neva (man, I am sure dating myself).  Well, anyway, I have wanted to put this book up since 1995 but I didn't have the English version and English copies were $300.00 - $750.00.  About two months ago I stumbled upon an English version for $8.00 - yes - eight dollars.  I bought it.  So, I now am ready to put up the palace rooms and the history.  If you enjoy the book be sure to thank Kuchumov in spirit for the book.  It's at:

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/pavlovsk

Palace plans will come later - there were none in the book.

Bob

[BobG]

Bob,
What a great addition to this wonderful site!  Thank you for taking the time and effort to prepare it and share it with us!

Just a few "shakedown" items:

The link to the "Hall of War"  takes us to the "Grand Hall" page.

The "Third Anteroom"  and "Rossi Room"  gets the message "text goes here"

Thought you would want to know.

Clearly I've gone through the whole site and love it!

BobG

[BobAtchison]

Thanks Bob - I made those corrections - I really appreciate you taking the time to check all the links - I think thyere are like 35 rooms -

Bob

[Vladimir_V.]

It is the book:
Pavlovsk. Palace and Park. ‘Avrora’ Publisher. Leningrad. 1976
© 1976
Authors: A.M. Kuchumov, M. A. Velichko.
Text by A.M. Kuchumov. Photographs by M. A. Velichko.

[BobAtchison]

Vladimir:

This one dates from 1972 - maybe they republished it later.

Bob

[ChristineM]

Bob, what a tour de force.   I have the book in Russian.   Thanks so much for the English version.   It is so beautiful.   Isn't the State Bedroom good enough to eat!!!

tsaria

[BobAtchison]

Once I was left in the State Bedroom all by myself for a few hours when the palace was closed.  The snow was falling outside and all you could hear was clocks chiming.  It was an amazing experience.  Pavlovsk is wonderful...  Tsaria - do you have any experiences to relate from there?

Bob

[Vladimir_V.]

Yes, it is possible  in the winter only, when you are along.

This wonderful book was made by famous photographer Velichko (he started in Gatchina in 1930th). As far as I know it was his idea to write a book together with Anna Zelenova. But she decided to give this work to Kuchumov.

[BobAtchison]

Vladimir:

I know Kuchumov had some rocky times at Pavlovsk.  Not everyone got a long with him I am told.  He could be stubborn and difficult. I don't know what it would have been like for him to have gone from the AP where he had a very high position to Pavlovsk.  He told me that at Pavlovsk he felt he was the guardian of the things they saved from the AP that ended up there.  He managed to get all of the personal tyhings trhere.  He was also behind the creation of the furniture rooms at Pavlovsk which he old me he created to save the AP things by putting them on display.  We talked about that, he was proud of that.

The items from the AP that survived the war went through some very dangerous experiences afterwards.  We are very lucky they survived the Soviet period at all.

You know, no one wanted Kuchumov's albums of the interiors of the AP, he told me he saved many of the pictures from being destroyed and took them from trash bins after the war.  It's hard to believe.  He was a very great man, I wish his last years could have been better and he could have lived to see the AP fully restored.

We will never see the AP restored if we don't mobilize and fight for it.

Bob