Gatchina, museum and reserve

Categories / Science. Education/Museums
GATCHINA, museum and reserve, founded in 1918 at the time Gatchina Palace and Palace Garden with the adjacent facilities were first open to visitors. Among others, V. Y. Kurbatov, N. E. Lansere, V. K. Makarov, and S. N. Balaeva were involved in organising the museum. A part of its collection was evacuated in the summer and autumn of 1941. After the Nazi occupation the Gatchina Palace was devastated and burnt down, and the parks and some of the adjacent buildings were partly demolished. In 1944 S. N. Balaeva, museum director, architect М. М. Plotnikov, architect А. А. Kedrinsky and others began the work on restoring the Palace. By 1949 some 6,000 trees were planted and a number of facilities were restored. In 1985 the Gatchina Palace opened several of its halls to visitors. Sylvia and Menagerie parks with adjacent facilities, Prioratsky Palace with the adjacent park also saw major improvements. In 2000 the museum and reserve was included in the list of objects of Preservation and Development of St. Petersburg Historical Centre Target Program. By 2003 the museum and reserve area included the Gatchina Palace (11 halls accommodating paintings, sculpture, china, and a collection of 16-20th century European and Russian arms), the Palace Park, Sylvia, Menagerie, and Prioratsky Parks. See References of Gatchina article.

Y. N. Kruzhnov. Balaeva Serafima Nikolaevna
Kedrinsky Alexander Alexandrovich
Kurbatov Vladimir Yakovlevich
Lansere Nikolay Evgenievich
Makarov V.K.
Plotnikov Mikhail Mikhailovich
Кючарианц Д. А., Раскин А. Г. Гатчина: Худож. памятники. СПб., 2001 Prioratsky Palace (Gatchina)
1985