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THE EXTRAVAGANZA OF CATHERINE PALACE AND THE AMBER ROOM A part of History of the former Tsars of Russia. CATHERINE1, PETER THE GREAT AND EMPRESS ELIZABETH. The Catherine Palace is named after Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great, who ruled Russia for two years after her husband's death. Originally a modest two-storey building commissioned by Peter for Catherine in 1717, named the Catherine Palace, owes its awesome grandeur to their , Empress Elizabeth, who chose Tsarskoe Selo as her chief summer residence. Starting in 1743, the building was reconstructed by four different architects, before Bartholomeo Rastrelli, Chief Architect of the Imperial Court, was instructed to completely redesign the building on a scale to rival Versailles. The resultant palace, completed in 1756, is nearly 1 km in circumference, with elaborately decorated blue-and-white facades featuring gilded Atlantes, caryatids and pilasters designed by German sculptor Johann Franz Dunker, who also worked with Rastrelli on the palace's original interiors. In Elizabeth's reign it took over 100 kg of gold to decorate the palace exteriors, an excess that was deplored by Catherine the Great when she discovered the state and private funds that had been lavished on the building. The interiors of the Catherine Palace are no less spectacular. The so-called Golden Enfilade of state rooms is particularly renowned and forms the focus of the palace tour. Guests enter via the State Staircase which, although it blends effortlessly with the rococo grandeur, in fact dates from the 1860s. With its ornate banisters and reclining marble cupids, it gives a taste of what is to come. The Great Hall, also known as the Hall of Light, measures nearly 1,000 square meters, and occupies the full width of the palace so that there are superb views on either side. The large arched windows provide enough light to relieve the vast quantity of gilded stucco decorating the walls, and the entire ceiling is covered by a monumental fresco entitled The Triumph of Russia. Using similar techniques but on a smaller scale, the White Dining Room is equally luxurious but, like many of the rooms in the palace, its grandeur is softened by the presence of a beautiful traditional blue-and-white tiled stove in the corner. Other highlights of the Grand Enfilade include the Portrait Hall, which contains remarkably good portraits of both Catherine and Elizabeth, the Picture Gallery, in which almost every inch of wall space is covered with paneling comprising 17th and 18th century canvases and, of course, the legendary Amber Room. To create this extraordinary chamber, Rastrelli used the panels of amber mosaic originally destined for an Amber Cabinet at Konigsberg Castle and presented to Peter the Great by Friedrich-Wilhelm I of Prussia, and surrounded them with gilded carving, mirrors, more amber panels created by Florentine and Russian craftsman (comprising a total of 450 kg of amber), and further mosaics of Ural and Caucasus gemstones. The room was completed in 1770. The room was used to house a substantial collection of amber-work and Chinese porcelain. In 1941, when German troops took Tsarskoe Selo, the Amber Room was dismantled in 36 hours, and shipped to Konigsberg in a tawdry pretense at historical fidelity. As the Nazi war machine crumbled, the panels were crated up and moved out of danger, but their eventual fate is unknown. In conclusion, The Catherine Palace, The Amber room, The Blue and Green rooms,(China Rooms), The Great Hall, The White Dinning Room, The Facades, The Golden Gate and Fence, are the most noteworthy Extravaganza, be it spectacular but a lavished expenditure, just to compete with their rival, The French Versailles. The Amber Room and the Catherine Palace is one of St. Petersburg's most popular visitor attractions. The following pictures are the utmost I could post on here, to give you an insight of this lavished Palace and a bit of history, which I hope would please you. Thank you for your read and views. I wish you an enjoyable time. Lisa,               |
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Sumptuous, Yes, I would say.... but just to compete with French Versailles!!. It was really a challenge and a dauntless expenditure due to power.
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Impressive. Makes me think a little bit of president-elect Trump's home. He likes that gilded décor also. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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MrsJoe hi, and welcome. Thank you for visiting my above blog and also for your nice comments. I have posted this blog, for all its lavish deco and the amount of golden used also. even the gate and the fence are decorated with gold as well as the interior and exterior of the building are also decorated with gold. It is really impressive. Those Tsars could spent that much to show their wealth and power too. Thank you for your appreciation MrsJoe. I wish you and your family, a Happy Weekend. Enjoy your day. Kind regards, Lisa.
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Hey tom, hi and welcome, You are quite right about these architctures, which were done at that era but I doubt there are people nowadays who can create such beautiful work again. Imagine how much it would cost in our era now to build such a palace!!?? With all these gilded ornaments!! As you said above, maybe Mr. Trump would like to have a similar one if he would be able to afford it. To be in such a wonderful palace, one may spend the whole day watching and admiring all these decorations, I might have done so too. Thank you for your visit and your nice comments Tom. I wish you a restful weekend by your fire place during the cold weather there. Kind regards, Lisa,
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Deborah dear hi , You are warmly welcome to my blog Deborah. I have enjoyed your visit and your above nice comments posted on this blog of mine. I thank you so much for appreciating my blog and the pictures. You are so right Deborah, all the rooms of this palace, are decorated with gold. I felt pleased to post my above blog, to show my readers something extraordinary about it, where even the fence and the gate are also decorated with gold. One can ponder about it, about those powerful Tsars at that time. Thank you again Deborah, hoping to read from you again. Have a nice and peaceful weekend with all your family. Kind regards, Lisa,
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Fossil hi, You are quite right Fossil, such a palace of this size, with all these gilded decoration, would cost billions I guess !! But are there even those type of skilled builders and decorators of that time!!?? I guess not, those architects aren't anywhere to be found nowadays. Those were really special ones. If one ponders on the design of those gilded deco, how fine and precise they are, really an exceptional work. Thank you so much for appreciating this blog of mine, Fossil. Enjoy a lovely weekend with your family. My kind regards to all of you. Lisa,
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WOW, I am impressed and to think so many years ago. The desire of perfection by every person who worked on the CATHERINE PALACE AND THE AMBER ROOM; I am amazed. I thank you for another wonderful blog of education by you about a country which was founded long before my country was founded. Your through knowledge and your explanation along with beautiful pictures amazes me. I wish to thank you again. . The beginning of life, conception..
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Hi Lisa! Amazing architecture and designs...Too much luxor... I've heard St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful places to visit. Many times I've wondered where such a wealth came from?... Thanks for the interesting history lesson. Greetings from this corner of the world.   Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.(Khalil Gibran)
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Akamatt dear Lady, hi, Thank you for your visiting my above blog and for leaving your nice comments on it. Am glad that you have visited the wonderful Versailles, I did too in the past. I know how wonderful Versailles is. I hope you get the chance to visit this above palace too as I would as well. It's a marvel and a wonder in Russia. Thank you for your appreciation of the whole blog. I wish you a pleasant weekend with all of yours, Akamatt. My kind regards to you. Lisa,
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JKH, hi, It's always a pleasure, reading from you on my blogs JKH, I thank you sincerely for your visit and your expression as well. Am glad my above blog has pleased you. I wish you a peaceful weekend with all your family. My kind regards. Lisa,
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Hugh, hi and good day to you, How delighted I am for your presence and your wonderful comments, posted from you on here. You are always welcome and thank you so much for your pleasant words and for your appreciation as well, Hugh. I am so glad this short part of that history and the photos have amazed you just as it I was. I felt it right to post such a blog for my readers, to give them an insight of that palace and its wonders. Thank you again Hugh, I wish you and all your family, a very happy weekend. With my kind regards, Lisa.
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My dear friend Lucy, hello, How great reading you as usual on my blogs, it is such a keen pleasure for me. Thank you sincerely for your interest in my blogs, Lucy, I appreciate it very much. I know it would be amazing for the above readers, that's the reason for my posting it. This palace is really a spectacular tourist attraction in St. Petersburg. It is precisely the top one. Lucy dear, with all these golden decorations, in and out that palace, even on its fence and gates, as you can see on the photos, show the lavish expenditure of those Tsars in power during that era. Thanks again, my dear Lucy, I wish you and all of yours, a lovely weekend, in peace and love. With my kindest regards, Lisa,
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