Petrovsky Way Palace in Moscow

The rulers of Russia often had to travel between St. Petersburg and Moscow. To make these journeys more comfortable, several travel palaces were located on the way – a kind of rest stations, furnished with tsarist luxury. The last such point on the way from St. Petersburg to the Moscow Kremlin was Petrovsky way palace. By the way, its second name – Podjezdnaya palace – is due to this very location.

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Video: Petrovsky Way Palace

Contents

Highlights

The order to build the wayback palace was given by Catherine the Great. She timed the start of construction to the successful completion of the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774), so the first foundation stones were laid around 1776. As a site for construction, the empress chose a vacant lot that belonged to the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery but was not used in any way. Matvey Kazakov acted as the chief architect, although at first this position was given to Vasily Bazhenov.

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Apparently, there were no significant deviations from the plan during construction. The only difference between the found drawings and the extant palace was the amount of decorations – the facade was planned to be heavily decorated, but in the end they settled for a more restrained appearance.

In 1999, the Petrovsky Way Palace was recognized as a monument of architecture and history. It has been well preserved and is available to the public.

Architectural features

From afar, the palace can be mistaken for the usual rococo building of the time – this style is hinted at by the rather colorful exterior decoration and the general shape of the palace. But take a closer look, and the palace becomes much more interesting.

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In the middle of the 18th century, the Russian Empire was already tired of classicism, rococo and lush baroque craftsmanship. For inspiration, architects turned to the European Middle Ages, finding there Gothic, which in its purest form was not in Russia. The result of such findings were buildings that merged traditional Gothic (with its spires, starry vaults, stained-glass windows) and Old Russian architecture (with its multi-headedness, carved elements and domes). This combined style is now commonly referred to as “Russian pseudo-Gothic.”

Petrovsky Way Palace became one of the most mature pseudo-Gothic buildings. A striking Gothic element was the torch columns at the main facade, and the Old Russian architecture is reminded of the limestone ornaments on the brick walls, as well as carved platbands. But the stylistic fusions did not end there.

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The general proportions of the palace are reminiscent of classicism – that’s why from afar the Wayfarer’s Palace does not give the impression of any unusual building; from afar it seems a beautiful but quite typical European palace of the middle of the XVIII century. Once you are near it, evaluate your first impressions of the overall panorama, and then go closer to any facade and reconsider your feelings. You will surely notice a huge difference between your first and second impressions.

Many architectural elements and color schemes, such as the white contrasting details of the facade, echo the Chesmenskaya Church in St. Petersburg – also, incidentally, built by order of Catherine the Great and in honor of the victory over the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Chesmensky. In fact, quite a few buildings of a similar style were built during the reign of the empress, which is why it is sometimes called “Catherine’s Neo-Gothicism.”

History of the Petrovsky Way Palace

Immediately after construction, the palace began to be used for its intended purpose – it was the last stop on the way to the Moscow Kremlin from St. Petersburg. Despite the beautiful architecture of the building and its favorable location, Catherine II herself stayed in the palace only twice – for 4 days in 1785 and for 10 days in 1787. According to legend, during one of her stays at the palace, Catherine disbanded her guards and retinue, stating that she would stay “under the protection of her people.”

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In addition to Russian rulers, invited guests from other countries stayed here. However, not only the Allies were guests of the palace-hotel. In 1812, Napoleon stayed in the palace for five days, leaving the burning Moscow. “Petrovsky Castle”, mentioned in “Eugene Onegin” in connection with the battle for Moscow with Napoleon – this is the Petrovsky Way Palace. The French Guards did not touch the building, did not destroy it; however, the interiors were still unlucky – the peasants looted all the valuable property they could find in the halls of the palace. After the war, the building was first used as a cholera quarantine, and then the interiors and facades were restored to make the palace once again the residence of the ruling family.

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Soon after the end of the war, an extensive park was laid out around the Petrovsky Palace, where one could find all kinds of entertainment: theater, circus, alley, restaurants… The famous critic Vissarion Belinsky often visited this place and recognized that it was one of the best places in Moscow. Along with the development of the park zone were conducted updates and the palace itself – it was almost every year improved, changed, restored.

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Up until the revolution in the Petrovsky Way Palace traditionally held gala dinners and balls, which were organized in honor of the ascension to the throne of the new monarch. In particular, Nicholas II was crowned there. After the coronation, the authorities organized a holiday with the distribution of gifts to all comers; because of this there was a massive crush, which led to the death of 1,379 people. A memorial service was held for the dead, but the party was not stopped. This crush on Khodynka Field significantly shook the already weak authority of the imperial power.

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After the revolution, the palace found a new use: it was used as an infirmary. It also housed the police department and the Petrovsky District Committee. During the Soviet era, the Petrovsky Way Palace was practically unaffected. The only exception was the brief placement of a machine gun crew in the left wing in 1918, which caused many partitions, restrooms, and wallpaper to be broken.

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The Soviet authorities could not decide what to place in the huge building. First, they renamed it the Palace of Red Aviation and placed a museum here, then the Air Force Academy settled here. The original name was returned by Yuri Luzhkov in 1998. After that, a large-scale restoration began, the purpose of which was to return the palace to its original appearance. The restoration was successfully completed by 2009.

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Although the palace itself was never destroyed during the war or revolution, not many of its original architectural and interior elements have survived due to its rich restoration history. Among these rare treasures are the decoration of the Round Hall and the main staircase. You can get acquainted with these sights during the tour.

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What to see

Now the Petrovsky Way Palace is not only a remarkable historical building and architectural monument, but also a leisure and cultural center. It houses a hotel, cafes and restaurants, a health center and a museum. In addition, it is the official reception house of the Moscow City Hall, so the building is also used for political purposes.

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The first floor of the Petrovsky Palace is given to a museum complex. A local hotel, with a cafe and restaurant, occupies the second and third floors. The cost of a room here, of course, is not affordable for everyone, so the hotel stays mainly high-ranking guests of the capital. Now the hotel has 43 rooms. Each of them is furnished in restrained empire, but equipped with the latest technology: high-speed Internet, cable TV, direct line to the staff.

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And if you are planning a lavish wedding celebration, you can order in the Petrovsky Way Palace paid admission for a photo shoot. Up to 6 people (plus the photographer) will be able to participate in the shooting. It will be possible to be photographed both outside (on the territory of the front yard) and inside (in the front halls of the second floor). Of course, time will be limited – 1 hour of shooting will cost 15,000 rubles, and the photographer must be found independently. Despite the price, the service is very popular among young couples. You bet – such beautiful scenery for wedding shots are expensive!

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Tickets and tours

The Museum of Moscow is responsible for guided tours of the Petrovsky Way Palace. During the hour-long tour (the exact time is 1 hour and 15 minutes) you will be told about the most interesting moments in the history of the palace, the course of its construction, architectural features and political importance both before the revolution and after.

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Tickets start at 700 rubles and must be purchased in advance online at the Museum of Moscow website. To get on the tour, you need to have your passport or birth certificate. If you purchased a discount ticket, you will be asked for a document confirming the privilege at the same time.

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How to get there

The Palace is located at 40 Leningradsky Prospekt, Moscow.

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The nearest metro stations are “Dinamo” and “Petrovsky Park”. From them to the palace is a short walk. “Petrovsky Park” will take you directly to the park at the palace. If it is more convenient for you to get to the palace by bus, you can take routes № 22, 105, 110, 384, m1, n1, n12, s356, t70 and t86.

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To get to the territory of the Petrovsky Way Palace, you will have to pass through a checkpoint. Prepare your passport in advance so that the staff can issue you a temporary pass.

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