Pushkin

The town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo), called so in memory of the great Russian poet, who studied there at the Lyceum (1811-17) and lived in the summer of 1831, is also famous for its magnificent palace and park complex, created in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The focal point of the ensemble is the Catherine Palace, the work of the architects Mikhail Zemtsov, Andrei Kvasov and Savva Chevakinsky. In 1752-56 Bartolommeo Rastrelli completed the project and decorated the palace exteriors. With its sumptuous facade, measuring 300 metres in length, profusion of sculpture, stucco and painted decorations, the palace ranks among the masterpieces of the Russian Baroque style. The luxurious interiors of the palace were created after the designs by Bartolommeo Rastrelli, Charles Cameron, Vasily Stasov, Ippolito Monighetti, to name but a few. The numerous architectural monuments of the town, reduced to ashes during the Second World War, have been restored to their original state by the heroic efforts of restorers, builders and museum workers, and evoke the admiration of thousands of Soviet and foreign tourists. The palace is surrounded by the magnificent Catherine and Alexander Parks with many pavilions, statues and decorative structures. In addition to all these specimens of Russian art, the book reproduces a large number of objects made of coloured stone, porcelain and crystal by Russian and Western European craftsmen, housed in the Pushkin palaces. The edition contains an extensive recounting of the history of the ensemble's formation and touches on the work of Soviet restorers. Of special interest are documentary photographs showing the palaces and parks of Pushkin reduced to ruins during the Second World War.