When visiting Russia's Tsarskoye National Nature Reserve, visitors are not only attracted by the architecture of the magnificent Catherine Palace, but also admire the exquisite and luxurious decorations of the palace in different styles, in addition to the large number of precious paintings, furniture, costumes, bronzes and other exhibits displayed in the exhibition hall (see picture below), most of which were once personal belongings of the first royal family. After the establishment of the "Tsarskoye Village" as a museum, the exhibition halls of the Catherine Palace amazed countless visitors.
Beautifully exhibited items
The dress of Catherine II.
The Golden Hall of Palazzo Catherine is the largest room in the entire palace (see picture below) and was designed between 1752 and 1756 by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (pictured below), an Italian architect and representative of Baroque architects. Covering an area of more than 800 square meters, the Musikverein is mainly used for ceremonies, dinners, balls and official receptions. The hall uses golden sculptures and carvings to cover the walls in a continuous pattern as a whole, giving the hall a resplendent visual effect, hence the name Golden Hall.
The Golden Hall (1).
Golden Hall (II).
The Golden Hall (III).
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
Decoration of the Golden Hall (1).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (II).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (III).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (IV).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (V).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (VI).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (vii).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (viii).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (ix).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (x).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (xi).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (xii).
Decoration of the Golden Hall (xiii).
The ceiling of the hall
part of the ceiling
Three traditional realistic oil paintings are painted on the ceiling of the Musikverein, which give a strong 3D effect to the ceiling, and the paintings were made in collaboration with Russian and Italian painters. The titles of the works are: "Allegory of Peace", "Fable of Russia", "Fable of Victory".
The Allegory of Peace
"Fables of Russia".
The Allegory of Victory
The windows of the Musikverein occupy the entire width of the palace. During the day, the hall is illuminated by the sun (see image below), which makes the gilded decoration sparkle, and at night the hall is illuminated by 696 candles (see image below), making the whole hall splendour. In addition, extravagant Baroque decorative elements, which create the illusion of infinite space in the hall, such as the alternation between large windows and mirrors, visually expand the boundaries of the hall.
Under the sunThe Golden Hall
Candles in the hall (1).
Candles in the hall (2).
The Golden Hall by candlelight.
Windows on both sides of the hall
Mirrors in the hall.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Catherine Palace was hit by fire, which badly destroyed the decoration of the Musikverein. In 1957, the Soviet Union carried out large-scale restoration work on the Catherine Palace, until 1980, when the Golden Hall of the palace was restored and opened to the public, allowing visitors to re-see an important part of the palace.
Comparison of the Golden Hall before and after the restoration**(1).
Comparison of the Golden Hall before and after the restoration** (2).
To be continued