Return visit to St Petersberg, ideas for things to do.

[Pet Nit Noy]

You must really be into Nicholas II and his family. :)

Yes, we walked the sea path in 2014 and my friend pointed out the ruins of the Lower Dacha - it is surrounded by a fence & there really is not much to see. Pretty overgrown & littered with trash & graffiti - but you can still see parts of the brick walls and other architectural elements. The ruins are located overlooking the sea east of Montplasir & just a tad west of the Cottage Palace.

 

The Peterhof museum contains some of the artifacts & furnishings (I remember a piano) from the dacha. I've seen photos of the dacha taken during the reign of Nicholas II - must have really been something to see. Pity that it was destroyed.

 

Last summer, our guide talked about the destruction of Imperial things in the period following the Russian Revolution, particularly things related to the last Czar. She said the modern Russian government has seen there's serious money to be made from tourism related to the Imperial era -- especially things associated with the last Czar -- and there are plans to restore the Dacha. She didn't offer a timeline or even know whether there was a concrete plan in place. However, she was certain the powers-that-be know there's a missed opportunity while the Dacha is in ruins.

 

Until the Dacha is restored, people might want check out a places with imperial collections in the US.

 

Hillwood House in Washington, DC has the largest collection of Russian imperial objects outside of Russia, although only two of the Faberge eggs. Marjoried Merriweather Post lived in Russia in a time when the Russian government was selling in a Imperial items. She was the wife of the US Ambassador and as a Post Cereal heiress, she had the money to indulge her passion for collecting, especially at bargain prices.

 

The Virginia Museum of Arts in Richmond owns five of the eggs. Some time ago, I was lucky enough to see a show they organized which combined their five eggs with Malcolm Forbes' nine eggs. This would have been the largest assembly of the eggs; even the Armory in Moscow only has ten eggs. Of course, now the Forbes' eggs have gone back to St Petersburg, Russia. Forbes sold his eggs to the Russian billionaire who renovated the Shuvalov Palace to create the Faberge Museum.

Edited January 31, 2016 by Pet Nit Noy

[mek]

Last summer, our guide talked about the destruction of Imperial things in the period following the Russian Revolution, particularly things related to the last Czar. She said the modern Russian government has seen there's serious money to be made from tourism related to the Imperial era -- especially things associated with the last Czar -- and there are plans to restore the Dacha. She didn't offer a timeline or even know whether there was a concrete plan in place. However, she was certain the powers-that-be know there's a missed opportunity while the Dacha is in ruins.

 

Until the Dacha is restored, people might want check out a places with imperial collections in the US.

 

Hillwood House in Washington, DC has the largest collection of Russian imperial objects outside of Russia, although only two of the Faberge eggs. Marjoried Merriweather Post lived in Russia in a time when the Russian government was selling in a Imperial items. She was the wife of the US Ambassador and as a Post Cereal heiress, she had the money to indulge her passion for collecting, especially at bargain prices.

 

The Virginia Museum of Arts in Richmond owns five of the eggs. Some time ago, I was lucky enough to see a show they organized which combined their five eggs with Malcolm Forbes' nine eggs. This would have been the largest assembly of the eggs; even the Armory in Moscow only has ten eggs. Of course, now the Forbes' eggs have gone back to St Petersburg, Russia. Forbes sold his eggs to the Russian billionaire who renovated the Shuvalov Palace to create the Faberge Museum.

 

While the Soviets sold many pieces of Faberge and other art in the 20's and 30's to raise capital, they really weren't the main culprits responsible for the destruction in and around St Petersburg. WWII and the Germans destroyed much of the Palaces in the area - Peterhof, Catherine Palace, Alexander Palace, etc. After the war, was when the Soviets really tried to erase all memories of the IF. Palaces were left in ruins and in the case of the Alexander Palace, which was occupied by the Germans and torn up, the department of the Navy took over the private wing of the family and the rest of the building was left to decay until after the fall of the Soviet government.

 

Speaking of Faberge - I was fortunate enough to see the exhibit you mentioned. It traveled the US about 20 years ago and I was able to see it in Cleveland. Also, there were several other exhibits - Catherine the Great and also Nicholas and Alexandra that have had been wonderful.

Edited January 31, 2016 by mek

[Pet Nit Noy]

While the Soviets sold many pieces of Faberge and other art in the 20's and 30's to raise capital, they really weren't the main culprits responsible for the destruction in and around St Petersburg. WWII and the Germans destroyed much of the Palaces in the area - Peterhof, Catherine Palace, Alexander Palace, etc. After the war, was when the Soviets really tried to erase all memories of the IF. Palaces were left in ruins and in the case of the Alexander Palace, which was occupied by the Germans and torn up, the department of the Navy took over the private wing of the family and the rest of the building was left to decay until after the fall of the Soviet government.[/quote}

 

Thanks for your follow up. Your post sent me to Google to reconcile what I thought I understood from our guide's comments and your information. Interestingly, the web site which seems to be the most nuanced discussion of the Lower Dacha is a UK site, The Royal Trust Collection. It states that the Lower Dacha suffered damage during WWII, but that it was totally destroyed in the 1960s. (A different source said that the total destruction was at the direct orders of Stalin which means no later than 1953.)

 

At any rate, my guide's original comment that Nicholas II properties were treated in a different manner seems borne out by this UK write up. Restoration of the Peterhof palace began immediately after WWII, but Nicholas' small residence was destroyed some years after other restoration work was under way.

 

A fellow name Paul Gilbert keeps a blog titled "Royal Russia." His blog includes an article from mid-December 2014 (with an update in March 2015) about plans to rebuild the Dacha. If the article is still accurate, construction work would get underway in 2016. The project won't be completed until 2025. Perhaps cruisers heading to Peterhof next season will be able to report back to this board. (Gilbert's article below)

 

Speaking of Faberge - I was fortunate enough to see the exhibit you mentioned. It traveled the US about 20 years ago and I was able to see it in Cleveland. Also, there were several other exhibits - Catherine the Great and also Nicholas and Alexandra that have had been wonderful.

 

20 years ago!! Was it really that long ago?!

 

 

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Monday, 15 December 2014

Peterhof Announces Reconstruction of Lower Dacha of Nicholas II

Topic: Peterhof

 

The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation has approved a plan for the reconstruction of the Lower Dacha of Emperor Nicholas II at Peterhof. The announcement was made during a press conference held on December 12th, by the General Director of the Peterhof State Museum Preserve, Elena Kalnitskaya.

 

In 2013, a local research team were hired by the museum, whose task was to conduct a comprehensive research and development study of the architectural concept of reconstruction and rebuilding of the architectural and surrounding landscape complex. Earlier this year the Peterhof State Museum Preserve presented three options for the restoration of the building - the first of these involved the complete reconstruction of the dacha, the second - the conservation of the surviving fragments of the ruins, and the third option combined the preservation of the surviving fragments of the ruins to become incorporated into the partial reconstruction of the dacha.

 

The head of the Ministry of Culture, Vladimir Medina has approved the third version of restoration. The Minister announced that 70% of the funds (730 million Rubles) for the reconstruction will be provided from the federal budget. The remaining funds will be provided by private investors.

 

Situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland in the Alexandria Park, the Lower Dacha was built on the orders of Emperor Alexander III. The architect Antonio Tomishko created a four-story building resembling an Italian villa in the neo-Renaissance style, complete with a high tower and observation deck. It was here that Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna spent the first year of their marriage. "The main beauty of the whole house is it’s proximity of the sea" - the Emperor wrote in his diary. It was here that the Tsesarevich Alexei was born in 1904, and in 1914, Nicholas II signed the Manifesto of Russia's entry into the First World War.

 

Artist's concept of the newly constructed Lower Dacha to be completed by 2025

 

During the Soviet years, the Lower Dacha served as a museum, and then as a Holiday House for members of the NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs). The furniture was later distributed to various museums around the country. In the 1960s the building was blown up, leaving nothing but ruins. All that survived were the guardhouse gates, part of the fence, the Swiss house, and fragments of the breakwaters. Every year on August 12th, the birthday of Tsesarevich Alexei, local Orthodox Christians and monarchists conduct a liturgy at the ruins of the Lower Dacha.

 

"The reconstruction of the Lower Dacha, will serve as a multifunctional museum and cultural center that will host exhibitions, concerts and lectures,” says Elena Kalnitskaya, “the reconstruction will allow visitors to imagine how this place looked in the early 20th century. A permanent exhibition devoted to the family of Nicholas II during their residency at the Lower Dacha will also be created.”

 

According to Kalnitskaya, the reconstruction project of the Lower Dacha is expected to take up to 10 years to complete. Design work is expected to be completed next year, while the construction would begin as early as 2016. Kalnitskaya notes that construction will be implemented in stages, with full completion of the historical complex by 2025.

Edited January 31, 2016 by Pet Nit Noy

[mek]

Thanks for the very informative article on reconstruction of the Lower Dacha/New Palace. In some ways I'm surprised that it is being reconstructed as it is not as well know as some of the other Imperial residences, although the last family spent most of the summers there and it is where several children were born.

 

I was aware that the Soviets finally destroyed the house in the 60's but not that it was used for anything after the war as I thought it was in pretty bad condition.

 

The only point I was making is that prior to WWII, that government wasn't hell bent on destroying all things connected with the IF. For years, the Alexander Palace was open to the public as a museum with many personal items belonging to the family on display. It was the government of the Cold War era that wanted to eradicate any memories of the last IF.

 

IMO, the places the Soviets started to restore after the war were those that were a reflection of the past glories of Russia - Peter and Catherine the Great. Anything associated with the IF at the time of the revolution was ignored/destroyed, with the only notable exception being Lavadia.

 

It's always great to pick up new information to try to squeeze into my brain. LOL

Edited January 31, 2016 by mek

[kevinyork]

You must really be into Nicholas II and his family. :)

 

Yes, we walked the sea path in 2014 and my friend pointed out the ruins of the Lower Dacha - it is surrounded by a fence & there really is not much to see. Pretty overgrown & littered with trash & graffiti - but you can still see parts of the brick walls and other architectural elements. The ruins are located overlooking the sea east of Montplasir & just a tad west of the Cottage Palace.

 

The Peterhof museum contains some of the artifacts & furnishings (I remember a piano) from the dacha. I've seen photos of the dacha taken during the reign of Nicholas II - must have really been something to see. Pity that it was destroyed.

 

 

We would have way too much concern about enjoying Russia given their stance on Gay rights and abuse of gay people.

 

 

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