Pavlovsk

Pavlovsk ( _ru. Павловск) is a town situated in Russia, 30 km from and under jurisdiction of Saint Petersburg, just to the south of Tsarskoye Selo. It is located at coord|59|41|N|30|27|E|region:RU_type:city(14,960), with a population of 14,960 (2002 census). The town developed around the Pavlovsk Palace, one of the most splendid residences of the Russian imperial family. It is [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/540/multiple=1&unique_number=635 part] of the World Heritage Site "Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments".

The palace of Pavel I

The town's history started in 1777 when Catherine II granted some 362 desyatinas of land along the Slavyanka River to her son Paul upon the birth of his first child. The name Pavlovsk derives from Paul's name in Russian, "Pavel".

In 1780, the fashionable Scottish architect Charles Cameron was made responsible for construction activities in Pavlovsk. His Neoclassical design for the Grand Palace was approved by Paul two years later. Around the palace a huge English park was laid out, with numerous temples, colonnades, bridges, and statues.

When Paul ascended the throne as Paul I in 1796, the settlement near the palace was large enough to be incorporated as a city. After Paul's death the palace was proclaimed a residence of his widow, Maria Feodorovna. Then it passed to the Konstantinovichi branch of the Romanov dynasty.

Later history

Prior to the revolution, Pavlovsk was a favourite summer retreat for well-to-do inhabitants of the Russian capital. The life of Pavlovsk's "dachniki" was described by Dostoyevsky in his novel The Idiot.

To facilitate transportation, the first railway in Russia was opened between St Petersburg and Pavlovsk on October 10, 1837. The railway station was used as a sort of concert hall, with Johann Strauss II, Franz Liszt, and Robert Schumann among many celebrities that performed there. The impressive 'Vauxhall Pavilion' is also used to attract customers to the railway line. Strauss' finer pieces resulted around the time he held his concerts there. The pavilion's fame eventually caused the word "Vokzal" to enter the Russian language with the meaning "substantial railway station building".

The Pavlovsk palace is probably the best preserved of Russian imperial residences outside the capital. The sumptuous neoclassical interior of the palace was faithfully restored after the great fire in 1803. The damage sustained by the palace during the German occupation in 1941–1943, though considerable, was not so devastating as in the case of Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo.

Birthplace of Russian Scouting

On April 30, 1909 a young officer, Colonel Oleg Pantyukhov, organized the first Russian Scout troop "Beaver" ( _ru. Бобр, "Bobr") in Pavlovsk. In 1910, General Baden-Powell visited Nicholas II in Tsarskoye Selo and they had a very pleasant conversation, as the Tsar remembered it. In 1914, Pantyukhov established a society called "Russian Scout" ( _ru. Русский Скаут, "Russkiy Skaut"). The first Russian Scout campfire was lit in the woods of Pavlovsk Park in Tsarskoye Selo. A Russian Scout song exists to remember this event.

External links

* [http://www.pavlovskmuseum.ru/ Official website about the Pavlovsk palace]
* [http://www.alexanderpalace.org/pavlovsk/ Pavlovsk Palace and Park - by Kuchumov]
* [http://www.gardenvisit.com/ge/pavlosk.htm Pavlovsk - information on garden history and design]
* [http://enlight.ru/camera/221/index_e.html Autumnal views of Pavlovsk]
* [http://www.spb-guide.com/city/photos/sub/29/ The Pavlovsk Park views]
* [http://www.otdihinfo.ru/photo/270.html Photo (1024x768). The Pavlovsk Palace.]
* [http://www.otdihinfo.ru/photo/269.html Photo (1024x768). The Pavlovsk Park.]
*cite news |first=Olivier |last=Bernier |title=Russia's Reborn Splendor |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=950DE2DE1730F932A35753C1A96F948260 |work=New York Times |date=1 October 1989 |accessdate=2006-12-15