Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-07
THE PALACE OF GATSCHINA.
A Sanctuary OF Safety for the Car of
All the Russias.

All the husSia8.
From the London Daily News.
The palace of Gatschina cannot be COM
pared with such castles as Versailles Sans
souci or Schoenbrunn. 1t has nothing of
the artistic establishment of the one, the
historical memories of the other, or the
landscape beauty and comfort of the third
Situated IN the middle of a wide and des-
ert plain, 1t has no pretty surroundings
and built without luxury it's exterior does
not make an Imposing impression. Cats
china lies between Tsarskoje-Selo and
krasnoje-Selo. and the roads from each of
these places to the imperial palace, which
have private court railway stations, are
placed under particular supervision, and
may not be used except by the court. A
high wall incloses the park in the center
of which is the palace. and this wall is
protected by patrols, which never leave the
outer circle nor the park itself for one mo-
ment out of sight. Entrance is only per-
mitted by special order. Though the super
lnlendence is so strict, it is said that the
Inhabitants of the palace are not and must
not be, aware of it, Their pleasures and
comforts are not impaired by it; and all
the amusements that could be agreeable
to the emperor and his family-drives
hunts. riding and rowing, evening parties,
theatrical representations, etc.-can be par
taken of. Adjoining the well-tended park
IS an extensive wood-like the park, sur
rounded by a wall and guarded In the
park itself are two lake-like basins of
water: the palace contains splendid saloons
and two colonnaGes which afford agreeable
promenades in bad weather; all this aids
in preventing the inhabitants from feeling
anything of the anxious and never-tiring
supervision held over them and the want
of more charming surroundings.
Sometimes the royal family inhabt Pc
terhof. but always return to GatSchina
Peterhof is more magnificent, Oranienbaum
prettier, but Gatschina is considered safer
and quicter. For many years before the
accession of Alexander Ill the palace had
been unused: he caused it to be restored
and comfortably furnished. 1t has been
seldom spoken of and scarcely more was
known of it than that the imperial hounds
We're kept there. The Gatschina race was
celebrated, and dog from the imperial
pack was very valuable, but people cared
little for the castle and park
Still Gatschina has its history Peter the
Great made a gift of it TO his faVorite sis
ter. Natalie: Catherine II gave it to her
favorite Orloff, who furnished it at great
expense, and built additional editices. by
which. after the plans of the Italian archi
tect. Rinaldi. it received quite a different
form. After Orloff's death the empress
bought it from his family, and gave ii to
the Archduke Paul, who inhabited it for
some length of time. The palace forms a
long square, at each corner of which is d
stately tower. The dwelling rooms in
three stories. The Co1OnnadeS run along
the sides, and the pillars are of Finland
marble The rooms are not architecturaily
beautiful, but are adorned with valuable
pictures and sculpture from the imperial
hermitage in St. Petersburg, from the An
itschkow palace and from the winter pal
ace. The views are limited by the park
and wood. which. however. have been beau
tifully laid out by the celebrated st. Pc
tersburs landscape gardener.