Zone: The suburbs

Author: Ekaterina Selyutina

The Russian name of this park and palace complex conceals its Imperial origins. It was built on the orders of the eldest son of Empress Catherine II ('the Great') whose Russian name was Pavel – in English, we often call him 'Paul'. So the name 'Pavlovsk Palace' means 'Paul's Palace in Russian – as every visitor would have known. During our excursion we'll call him 'Paul', as most history books and guidebooks do. As the most wealthy woman in Russia, Catherine could afford to lavish vast sums of time and money on this gift for her son and heir. The park covers a huge area of landscaped grounds, carefully organised to delight the eye at any time of year – there is always some new view or delight in store around the next corner.