Tsaritsyn Pavilion
A Pompeian villa for the empress who dreamed of Italy.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I, had long dreamed of visiting Italy. And in 1842–1844, Italy was built for her right in Peterhof. The Tsaritsyn Pavilion on an island in the middle of Olgin Pond reproduces the appearance of ancient Roman houses found during the excavations of Pompeii: an atrium, an exedra with three niches, a drawing room, a dining room, and the empress's study. The architect Stackenschneider and the garden master Erler tried to create a model of paradise — an ideal world of romantic dream, with fountains, statues, and marble benches amid the garden.
Walks in Peterhof / Day trips
🏝️ Island villas and the five-domed cathedral
The Upper Garden with the German "Neptune", the quiet Colonist Park, the Pompeian villa and the Neapolitan tower on the islands, and the cathedral reflected in the pond.