Alexandrovsky and Catherine Park in Pushkin

Only thirty kilometers from Moscow is the city of Pushkin. For the first time it is mentioned in the documents of 1499. True in those days it was a village that was located on the trade route to Yaroslavl, Pereyaslavl and Vologda.

This small city is famous throughout the world for its palaces and parks. Tourists from different parts of the world come to the former Tsarskoe Selo to admire architectural masterpieces and delightful parks and gardens. In this article we will talk about them.

Separate park

If you are interested in what parks in Pushkin you can see, then we recommend to begin acquaintance with the one located in the southern part of Pushkin, to the right of Sofia Boulevard, the Separate Park. It stretches as far as Pavlovsk. Today it is often called the Lower Park. In Pushkin, its territory is limited to Pavlovsk and Moscow Highways, a railway line.

Unlike other parks of the city, the former Imperial Park was divided into a separate, isolated territory. Therefore, he received his name. In 1825, the Colonist Pond was dug here to drain the territory, and a little earlier on the opposite side was built a palace in English style for Prince Boris Vladimirovich.

Babolovsky Park

This is the youngest park in Pushkin. Babolovsky Park is the largest of the imperial gardens located in Tsarskoye Selo. Its name comes from a village that was nearby and bore the Finnish name Pabol. Over time, it was transformed into "Babolov".

Basically, it was compositionally formed in the 1860s. The park is considered the most "English" in Tsarskoe Selo. It was created by several generations of owners, investing huge amounts of money into this work. This park in Pushkin (the photo you see below) was the favorite resting place of the Emperors Alexander II, as well as the great Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

Architecture

Initially, the architectural objects of the park were few in number: they are first of all the Babolovsky Palace, the Alexander and Staro-Krasnoselsky Gates (now lost), a stone bench near the palace, the Crimean column and a mile post. An important role was played by engineering facilities: the Baursky Canal, the grotto "Monk", the Silver Pond, the Babolovsky Pond with the bridge-dam, the grotto near the Babolovsky Palace, bridges.

Not far from the Verst Column you can see the Siberian Crimean column. The elegant structure is made of a single piece of Ural marble of blue color with white veins. It belonged to the architectural ensemble of monuments, which were devoted to Russia's victories over Turkey. Initially, the column was installed in the Catherine Park, and later (1817) part of it was reunited with Babolovsky.

This picturesque park in Pushkin keeps on its territory the ruins of the Babolovsky Palace, which are to the right of the Babolovskaya glade. Here before the war the school of the 100th assault aviation brigade was located, which was based on the airfield, located nearby. Therefore, from the first days of the war, the palace was bombed and destroyed.

In 2015, this park in Pushkin was taken on the balance of GMZ "Tsarskoe Selo". Today, he has a real chance of recovery.

Catherine Park in Pushkin

It consists of two parts: a landscaped English garden and a regular Old Garden. The latter was built in 1720 on two ledges in front of the palace. Over its creation worked well-known masters of garden art J. Rozen and I. Focht. Approximately at the same time in the park appeared Mirror ponds on the third ledge.

During the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, this park was expanded in Pushkin, its layout changed, and a marble sculpture appeared. It was mostly represented by the works of Venetian sculptors. Before the palace appeared lace parterres and trimmed bosquets. Under the project, Rastrelli in the garden built the pavilions "Grotto" and "The Hermitage".

In the second half of the 18th century, interest in the regular park gradually began to disappear. For this reason, in the 1770s, south-east of the Old Park, a landscape or English garden was formed. To create it, the best examples of English landscape parks were used. The garden was filled with architectural structures, sculptural compositions that testified to the greatness of Catherine II.

Park in the post-war years

During the Second World War, the Catherine Park in Pushkin was severely damaged. However, already in 1948 it was again opened for visits. Walking in this picturesque park in early spring or summer, you will enjoy the view and aroma of flowering avenues, see artificial ponds, breathe in the smell of needles, lilac and dogrose. And for sure you will enjoy meeting with cute squirrels. We are sure that you will be satisfied with the walk.

Alexander Park

This park in Pushkin adjoins the Catherine Palace and occupies a huge territory - about 200 hectares. Even at the time of Catherine I, the site behind the palace (natural forest) was fenced and organized in it a menagerie for wild animals. In it the royal hunting was conducted. In the middle of the XVIII century it was surrounded by a stone wall and built bastions at the corners. In two of them appeared entertainment pavilions. Between the menagerie and the palace they began to create a new garden with crossed alleys crossed.

The new, or Upper Alexandrovsky, park in Pushkin appeared in 1740. It included part of the Zoo. The composition of the New Garden is ideally combined with the composition of the Catherine Palace. In 1749, in the central part of the park appeared the Cross Channel. In 1778 the Upper Garden was decorated with numerous ponds of original shapes. And in the period from 1760 to 1770 years in this park was built a complex of original structures in the Chinese style. It's not only the buildings that have been called the Chinese village, but also bridges and pavilions.

Remodeling

In 1792 in the north-eastern section of the New Garden began to build the Alexander Palace. He became a gift to Alexander from his grandmother, Catherine the Great, on the occasion of his marriage. In this regard, the park complex was re-planned in a fashionable in those days English style.

During the lifetime of Peter I, the palace complex, like all the Tsarskoe Selo, was just beginning, a part of the coniferous forest growing on the site of the present Alexandrovsky Park was surrounded by a deep moat.

In 1819, the territories on which the menagerie used to be, began to be brought to a proper view, which park visitors can still see today. Pathways and landscape alleys were laid, trees of deciduous trees were planted, which transformed the park territory. At the same time, the boundaries of the Aleksandrovsky Park were significantly expanded. After a while on the border of the park were installed Alexander and Egyptian gates. Until 1823, the stone wall, which once surrounded the royal menagerie, was dismantled. Today, only one fragment of the wall is preserved, now it is part of the park greenhouse.

During the Second World War, many bridges and pavilions of the Alexander Park were damaged, as there were fighting here. Many pavilions even today are not completely restored, nevertheless they are harmoniously combined with the renewed buildings.

Amusement park in Pushkin

Pushkin residents are very proud of their historical sights. But soon a new park may appear in this city. Near the station "Tsarskoselskaya" is planned to build a theme park amusement. It is supposed that it will be executed in a historical style and will be located next to the Little October Railway. Everything in this park will be created for children so that they can not only play, but also learn.

According to the idea of the designers, it will be two huge white-stone Kremlin. In the park there will be nothing but attractions and cognitive exhibitions (permanent and temporary), telling about history, science and culture. We hope that these plans will come true, and the wonderful city of Pushkin will acquire another beautiful park.