Oranienbaum

The charming Oranienbaum Palace and Park complex is located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland 39 kilometers from Saint-Petersburg and at the same time only 12 kilometers from the ostentatious Peterhof Imperial residence. The history of Oranienbaum Palace and Park complex dates back to the very beginning of the 18th century and it is closely connected with the name of Prince Menshikov, the first governor of Saint-Petersburg. Being the closest associate of Peter the Great he was awarded this territory in 1707 and immediately the construction of the palatial complex started. Menshikov known for his whimsical behaviour set out to build a palace that would surpass even Peterhof which was conceived to be the symbol Russian military glory and its safe position on the coast of the Baltic sea. Alongside with fulfilling this desire, one of Menshikov’s fads was that on the territory of the lower park there should have been an orange garden which given the local climate was hardly imaginable, nevertheless this absurd idea found its realization in the name of the whole complex. Oranienbaum is derived from the German language and stands for “orange tree”. The architects D.Fontana and G.Shedel built in 1710—1727 the Grand (Menshikov) Palace that was connected by the channel with the Gulf of Finland, thus symbolizing Russia’s strong hold on the coast of the Baltic Sea. At the same time the regular Lower Garden decorated with fountains and sculptures and the Upper Garden were laid out.

The construction of Oranienbaum bankrupted the owner and more over two years after Peter the Great''s death, Menshikov was arrested in 1727, stripped of all his titles, honors and possessions and exiled to Siberia where he ended his days.

Thus in 1728 the whole estate passed into possession of the imperial family. Empress Elizabeth commissioned Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the creator of the world-famous Winter Palace to contribute to the grandour of the palace. In 1756 Antonio Rinaldi took over. He designed the best structures in Oranienbaum - the fortress of Peterstadt with Peter the Third''s Palace and the Gate of Honour which have been preserved until our day, the famous Chinese Palace and the grand Toboggan Hill (Katalnaya Gorka). He also set out marvelous parks on the sea-shore. All constructions on its territory are accomplished in diverse architectural styles and their interior decoration varies considerably depending on the tastes and fashion of its owners. In 1743, Oranienbaum became the residence of Karl-Peter-Ulrich, the future Emperor Peter III and the husband of Catherine the Great. Judging by her memoirs she hated life at Oranienbaum whereas her husband, Peter III, had a wonderful time here, putting his valets through military exercises or spending hours playing with lead soldiers on the dining table. In later times, it continued to be the summer residence of the Russian tsars.

It’s worth mentioning that Oranienbaum is the only suburban estate that did not suffer during the WWII as Nazis didn’t manage to capture this territory. Thus this magnificent architectural ensemble escaped the tragic fate that befell Peterhof, Pushkin and Pavlovsk. After the Second World War, both town and palace and park complex were renamed after the eminent Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov who owned a glass factory in this area.

At present with restoration still going on, one can take delight in visiting the elegant Great Palace, the modest two-story Palace of Peter III, the Chinese Place known as a private dacha of Catherine the Great or just strolling along the intricate alleys of Lower and Upper Parks where your attention is bound to be drawn to the two-storey pleasure pavilion. Popular in the 18th and 19th centuries this ice-blue and white Sliding Hill looking like an oversized slice of wedding cake is all that remains from a fantastic rollercoaster that used to be stretched almost entire length of the Upper Garden.