Great Gatchina Palace

Great Gatchina Palace is an imperial residence and palace complex near the town of Gatchina in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, notable for its late 18th-century architecture and landscaped park. The palace has extensive state rooms and a designed park that was expanded during imperial ownership.

Visitors explore restored interiors, formal halls and the surrounding English-style parkland with avenues and bodies of water. The ensemble includes the main palace, subsidiary buildings and landscape features laid out to complement the residence.

The palace was originally built in the late 18th century for Count Grigory Orlov, designed by architect Antonio Rinaldi, and later became an imperial residence under Paul I and his successors. It underwent periods of alteration and restoration across the 19th and 20th centuries and now functions as a museum and public site.

Great Gatchina Palace lies in the town of Gatchina within Leningrad Oblast, southwest of Saint Petersburg, and forms one of the main historic attractions outside the city.

• Origins: Originally constructed in the late 18th century by architect Antonio Rinaldi for Count Orlov and later adapted as an imperial residence under Paul I.
• Current use: The palace now houses museum displays and restored state rooms and is a major cultural attraction in the Gatchina area.

What to See #

• Palace: The principal palace building with richly decorated state rooms and restored historic interiors that reflect imperial tastes from the late 18th and 19th centuries.
• Park: Extensive English-style landscaped parkland surrounding the palace, with avenues, ponds and outbuildings that form part of the museum estate.