Pavlovsk

Pavlovsk: Great Palace

Pavlovsk, city, Leningrad oblast (region), northwestern Russia. Founded in 1777 as Pavlovskoye, it became a city and was renamed Pavlovsk in 1796. The site, on the Slavyanka River, was a gift from Catherine II the Great to her son and heir, Paul. She commissioned the Scottish architect Charles Cameron to design the palace and park, most of which was built between 1782 and 1786. Later, other architects made changes and additions to Cameron’s original scheme. The main building is the Great Palace, a domed, rectangular structure, surrounded by 1,500 acres (600 hectares) of park.

The palace and grounds became a museum after World War I but were extensively damaged by the German occupation of 1941–44. Restoration of the palace and the park began in 1946 and was completed in 1973. Pop. (2006 est.) 25,835.