Pushkin, Russia
Before we go into the Catherine Palace, I would like to say something about the town in which it is located. The town is called Pushkin after Alexandre Pushkin whose statue (seen here) adorns one of the city parks. Pushkin was founded in 1710 and was initially called Tsarskoye Selo, which means The Royal Village. From the beginning, Tsarskoye Selo (aka Pushkin) was an Imperial Residence used by the tsars mostly in the summer. In 1811, Tsar Alexander I founded the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, an upscale learning institution located right next door to the Catherine Palace. One of its first graduates was none other than the celebrated poet Alexander Pushkin.
After the 1917 Bolsheviks Revolution, the name Tsarskoye Selo, which had an Imperial connotation, was changed to Detskoye Selo meaning Children's village. In 1937, the name was changed again to Pushkin to mark the 100th anniversary of the poet's death. The town is situated about 25 km south of the center of St. Petersburg; it has a population of just under 100,000. It is best known for the ensemble of 18th century palaces and parks, which are all part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Now, about Pushkin, the poet. He was born into a noble family in Moscow in 1799 and was fatally wounded in a duel in 1837 at the age of 37. He was defending his honor against his wife's alleged lover who happened to be also her brother-in-law. The duel left both men injured but Pushkin died of his injuries two days later. What really amazes me is the fact that, despite his early death, he managed to become one of Russia's most acclaimed and influential writers. Read about his work and his life here ; it is very interesting.
Pushkin, Russia
Before we go into the Catherine Palace, I would like to say something about the town in which it is located. The town is called Pushkin after Alexandre Pushkin whose statue (seen here) adorns one of the city parks. Pushkin was founded in 1710 and was initially called Tsarskoye Selo, which means The Royal Village. From the beginning, Tsarskoye Selo (aka Pushkin) was an Imperial Residence used by the tsars mostly in the summer. In 1811, Tsar Alexander I founded the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, an upscale learning institution located right next door to the Catherine Palace. One of its first graduates was none other than the celebrated poet Alexander Pushkin.
After the 1917 Bolsheviks Revolution, the name Tsarskoye Selo, which had an Imperial connotation, was changed to Detskoye Selo meaning Children's village. In 1937, the name was changed again to Pushkin to mark the 100th anniversary of the poet's death. The town is situated about 25 km south of the center of St. Petersburg; it has a population of just under 100,000. It is best known for the ensemble of 18th century palaces and parks, which are all part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Now, about Pushkin, the poet. He was born into a noble family in Moscow in 1799 and was fatally wounded in a duel in 1837 at the age of 37. He was defending his honor against his wife's alleged lover who happened to be also her brother-in-law. The duel left both men injured but Pushkin died of his injuries two days later. What really amazes me is the fact that, despite his early death, he managed to become one of Russia's most acclaimed and influential writers. Read about his work and his life here ; it is very interesting.