Description of the attraction
The birch house is considered one of the earliest buildings in the Palace Park of the “Pavlovian” period and is an integral part of its landscapes. The birch house is an adornment of the right-bank part of the park.
The construction of the Birch House dates back to the late 80s. 18th century A. F.-G. Violier, Swiss painter and gardener.
The pavilion is a kind of symbol of conjugal love. According to legend, this funny house was presented to Pavel Petrovich by Maria Feodorovna, feeling a desire to cheer up the Grand Duke. At the beginning of the family life of Maria Feodorovna and Pavel Petrovich, trust, love and mutual understanding reigned. It was in Gatchina that Pavel felt at home, quite free and safe, being with his family and friends. The only thing that upset the spouses was the separation from their elder sons, whom Catherine II took for upbringing.
The birch house in the Palace Park differed from ordinary rural buildings by its peculiar architectural solution: from a distance, the birch house looks like an ordinary woodpile of birch firewood. Therefore, it was also called "Bonfire". In front of the house at the end of the 18th century. there was a field of golden rye and blue cornflowers.
At the present time, as well as two hundred years ago, behind the modest appearance of the Birch House, there are many surprises for visitors. Surprising is the contrast between the surprisingly simple facades and the sophistication of the interior.
The small size of the main hall of the house amazes with the variety and beauty of the decoration. Mirrors occupy a special place in its design. With their help, an additional play of light is created, and a small space visually moves apart. Mirror reflections made it possible to arrange all kinds of "trickery" in the house. So, with the help of mirrors set at right angles in the corners of the hall, the reflections of gilded bronze vases on the brackets and quarters of wooden tables are transformed into a full volume. As a rule, Maria Feodorovna put artificial flowers made by herself in bronze vases.
The walls of the hall are also decorated with garlands of bright colors, scattered in abundance by the artist's hand. In the central part of the ceiling, as in any palace interiors, there is a picturesque plafond depicting the gods of the warm west wind, Zephyrs, flying in the sky, in the corners - allegories of the countries of the world and seasons.
In the back of the main hall there is an alcove, which is a small room with a sofa. It is somewhat similar to a cozy garden gazebo. Small squares of mirrors and a trellis lattice, painted with flowers, adorn the walls of the alcove. Thanks to the successful selection of colors, flower garlands look like real interweaving of roses, which Maria Feodorovna loved very much. In the Birch House, the hostess treated her husband and guests with fresh milk, tea, cheeses from her own farm and fruits grown in the park's greenhouses. Treats were brought in through an inconspicuous door, surprising and delighting the guests of the Birch House. The kitchen was located in a separate room of the house.
In the 90s. 18th century under the direction of the architect V. Brenna, the Birch House, as if behind a screen, was hidden behind a stone portal, which was named "The Mask". Its main task was to mask the unpresentable appearance of the pavilion. The building was built from blocks of Pudost stone and is sustained in strict classical forms. The monumentality of the portal makes it look like a triumphal gate. Sixteen columns of the Ionic order look spectacular against the background of century-old trees. The height of the portal is about nine meters, the width is thirteen meters. The wide stone staircase of the portal leads to the Island of Love on the White Lake.
The birch house was completely destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. And in the post-war years, a dance floor was built in its place.
In 1975, the museum pavilion "Birch House" was recreated on the basis of preserved historical documents according to the project of the Lenin Prize winner, architect A. A. Kedrinsky. Its opening became a significant event in the post-war history of the museum. After the restoration of the second pavilion of the museum, the Palace Park acquired a new status. Now it has become not just a "Park of Culture and Leisure", but again acquired a museum category, which provided new opportunities for the restoration of the park's objects and the Gatchina Palace.
