Catherine Palace, formerly a country residence for three empresses, Catherine I, Elizabeth Petrovna, and Catherine II, is today one of the most popular attractions in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. It is located in the city of Pushkin, in the Tsarskoye Selo museum-reserve, 26 km from the Northern capital.

The history of the construction of Catherine Palace begins in the early 17th century when the territory of present-day Pushkin belonged to Novgorod and was later captured by the Swedes. Russia regained these lands in 1702 during the Great Northern War. On the site of the current palace was the Finnish Saar village with a wooden house and agricultural buildings. In 1710, Peter I gifted this village to his wife Catherine Alexeyevna, and soon the construction of a stone palace and park began.

The first palace was built in 1724 and was characterized by modesty but coziness. Catherine Alexeyevna actively participated in the arrangement of the estate, where they bred pedigree cows and produced dairy products that were distributed to the peasants.

After the death of Catherine I, the palace was inherited by her daughter Elizabeth Petrovna, who spent a significant part of her childhood here. She ordered the estate to be rebuilt into the grand palace we see today. The expansion work began under the guidance of Mikhail Zemtsov and was later continued by his assistant Andrey Kvasov and architect Savva Chevakinsky.

In 1752, architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli joined the project, giving the palace the style of Russian Baroque. He united parts of the complex into a whole, and over a hundred kilograms of gold were used for gilding.

After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, the palace passed to Catherine II, who made changes to the decor and layout, preferring more modest solutions. Architect Charles Cameron oversaw these changes.

After 1917, the palace was used for rare receptions, and by this time it needed reconstruction. The Arts Commission conducted an inventory, and many valuables were evacuated to Moscow due to the approaching German troops.

In the 1920s, the Bolsheviks sold valuable items from the imperial collections, and Catherine Palace was no exception. In 1918, the palace opened as a museum, and on its first day, it was visited by 294 people.

During the war, the city of Pushkin was destroyed, and the palace was used by the Germans as barracks and housing. Many valuables were destroyed or taken away, including the Amber Room, which disappeared without a trace.

Today, Catherine Palace is open as a museum, where 32 of the 58 destroyed halls have been restored. Visitors can explore the exhibitions independently or as part of a guided tour.