Pavlovsk was the Summer residence of Paul I, the son of Catherine the Great.

It is an exquisite Classical style palace, which is situated in the vast and picturesque English landscape park.

The Palace used to be home for Paul I and his wife, Maria Fyodorovna and their children. The palace is decorated with great taste and though it does not look so bright and glistening as baroque constructions of the early 18^th century, it is considered to be the most harmonious palace of the Russian Tsars. And the palace has an outstanding collection of furniture, tapestries, porcelain and clocks on display.

Pavlovsk still bears traces of personality of its owners. Some of the items on display were personal belongings of Paul and Maria Fiodorovna, or were even made by her or some of their children.

Paul was one of the tragic figures in Russian history. Being the son of Catherine the Great, the most successful and popular Empress of Russia, he could not take any active part in Russian politics. Relations between him and his royal mother were complicated. He ascended the throne at the age of 42 and unlike his mother quite soon became rather unpopular. He was a Russian Tsar 4 years, 4 months and 4 days,  after which he was assassinated in his own bedroom.

His wife, Empress Maria Fyodorovna, is considered to be the most educated woman in the Royal family. She could read books in several languages; she was a talented artist and a poetess. Mainly due to her taste Pavlovsk became one of the most pleasant palaces in St.Petersburg. Paul and Maria Fyodorovna had 10 children, and she was in charge of their education. Two of her sons — Alexander and Nicholas — later became Russian Emperors.

After visiting the palace you can have a little walk in the park. However, the park is very big, so if you would like to see more we can organize a horse-carriage ride around the grounds.

Usually, the tour to Pavlovsk takes about 4 hours. If you are eager to spend more time in the country we can also offer to visit:

• Catherine Palace – the former Summer residence of the Russian Tsars. The beautiful baroque palace with the famous Amber Room, located about 10 minutes drive from Pavlovsk.
• Alexander Palace – the palace which was constructed for the Grand Son of Catherine the Great, Alexander I. Later it was redesigned for the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II and now it displays wonderful interiors in Modern Style. It was in this palace that Nicholas II and his family were kept under house arrest after he signed the abdication in 1917.
• The Monument to the Defenders of Leningrad – a memorial that was built to commemorate the heroism of the citizens of Leningrad during the siege of 1941-1944. Apart from the memorial itself it also has a museum of the Siege of Leningrad in the basement.