RUS-2016-Aerial-SPB-Grand Menshikov Palace

Oranienbaum () is a Russian royal residence, located on the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...

west of St. Petersburg. The Palace ensemble and the city centre are

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

History

In 1707, four years after

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

founded Saint Petersburg, he gave the grounds near the seaside to his right-hand man,

Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov (; – ) was a Russian statesman, whose official titles included Generalissimo, Prince of the Russian Empire and Duke of Ingria, Izhora (Duke of Ingria), Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Cosel. A ...

. Menshikov commissioned the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Giovanni Maria Fontana Giovanni Maria Fontana (''c.'' 1670 – after 1712) was an Italian-Swiss architect, born in Lugano, who worked in Russia. Alleged to be a relative of the famous Roman architect Carlo Fontana, Giovanni Maria or Francesco Fontana arrived in the Rus ...

and Gottfried Schädel, who built his residence, the Grand Menshikov Palace from 1710 to 1727 (not to be confused with

Menshikov Palace The Menshikov Palace () is a Petrine Baroque edifice in Saint Petersburg, situated on Universitetskaya Embankment of the Bolshaya Neva on Vasilyevsky Island.It is not to be confused with the Menshikov Palace in Oranienbaum, Russia, built by th ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, built by the same architects around the same time). Menshikov was deposed shortly after Peter's death, and died in exile, and the palace passed out of his family. In 1743, Oranienbaum became the summer residence of

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...

Pyotr Fyodorovich, the heir of

Empress Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elizaveta Petrovna (; ) was Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian monarchs because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, her numerous constructio ...

(the future Emperor Peter III). From 1756 to 1762, the architect Antonio Rinaldi built the Peterstadt Fortress ensemble on the bank of the Karost River for Grand Duke Peter Fedorovitch. Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum

From the outside, the palace is a relatively simple building, single-storey except for the small central pavilion, painted in a mellow combination of ochre and yellow. The Upper Park was laid out from 1750 to 1770. The palace was the site of two opera premieres to libretti by

Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Met ...

in the middle of the eighteenth century, ''Amor prigioniero'' (one act, composed by Francesco Araia, 1755), and ''Semiramide riconosciuta'' (three acts, composed by

Vincenzo Manfredini Vincenzo Manfredini (22 October 1737 – 5 or 16 August 1799) was an Italian composer, harpsichordist and a music theorist. Biography Manfredini was born in Pistoia, in Tuscany. He studied music with his father, Francesco Onofrio Manfredini. ...

, 1760). In the 19th century, Oranienbaum became a noble manor. During World War II, Oranienbaum suffered to a much lesser extent than other suburbs of St. Petersburg, since defense was deployed here on the so-called "

Oranienbaum Bridgehead The Oranienbaum Bridgehead ( in Russian) was an isolated portion of the Leningrad Oblast in Russia, which was retained under Soviet control during the siege of Leningrad in World War II. It played a significant role in protecting the city. Histo ...

". However, the ensemble became desolate in the post-war period, and its serious restoration began only in the late 1990s. Restoration Of Oranienbaum has been a slow process. For the city which grew up around the palace see

Lomonosov, Russia Lomonosov (; before 1948: Oranienbaum, ) is a administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, municipal town in Petrodvortsovy District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, Russia, located on the southern coast of th ...

. Menshikovsky Palace in Oranienbaum 01.jpg, Grand Menshikov Palace south Sledging Hill Pavilion in Oranienbaum 01.jpg, '' Katalnaya Gorka'' pavilion, a part of the 18th-century "Russian mountains" roller coaster complex Hall of Stone in Oranienbaum Park.jpg, ''Kammenoe zalo'' pavilion Peter III Palace, Oranienbaum, St. Petersburg.jpg, Peter III Palace

Sculptures of Oranienbaum

Sculpture Air in Lower Garden of Oranienbaum.jpg, Air Sculpture Winter in Lower Garden of Oranienbaum.jpg, Winter Sculpture Spring in Lower Garden of Oranienbaum.jpg, Spring Sculpture Summer in Lower Garden of Oranienbaum.jpg, Summer Sculpture Autumn in Lower Garden of Oranienbaum.jpg, Autumn Sculpture Land in Lower Garden of Oranienbaum.jpg, Land Diana of Versailles Sculpture in Oranienbaum.jpg,

Diana of Versailles The ''Diana of Versailles'' or ''Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt'' () is a slightly over-lifesize marble statue of the Roman goddess Diana (mythology), Diana Artemis, (Greek: Artemis) with a deer. It is now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. The statu ...

Apollo Belvedere Sculpture in Oranienbaum.jpg,

Apollo Belvedere The ''Apollo Belvedere'' (also called the ''Belvedere Apollo'', ''Apollo of the Belvedere'', or ''Pythian Apollo'') is a celebrated marble sculpture from classical antiquity. The work has been dated to mid-way through the 2nd century A.D. and is ...

Triton Saving Children Sculpture in Oranienbaum 02.jpg,

Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...

Saving Children

References

External links

Oranienbaum (Lomonosov)
- History, details and visiting information * {{Authority control Houses completed in the 18th century Palaces in Saint Petersburg Gardens in Saint Petersburg Royal residences in Russia World Heritage Sites in Russia Parks and open spaces in Saint Petersburg Historic house museums in Saint Petersburg Rococo architecture in Russia Petergofsky Uyezd Petrodvortsovy District Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg

History

Sculptures of Oranienbaum

See also

References

External links