Description of the attraction
The ensemble of the Own dacha consists of the Chinese Palace and the Katalnaya Gorka pavilion. The Chinese palace was built by A. Rinaldi in 1762-1769. It was the center of the summer entertainment residence of Empress Catherine II. In 1840, the architect A. Stackenschneider built on the second floor, and 10 years later, anti-chambers and a glazed gallery appeared. The palace is a brick, plastered building with facades decorated with moldings and a sculpture on the roof. Terraces and lawns are surrounded by a wrought-iron fence.
The interiors of the Chinese Palace are distinguished by an amazing variety in the use of artistic means and materials: painting, modeling, gilding, mosaics, inlaid wood, artificial marble, painting on fabrics, bugles. Most of the plafonds are painted by the best Italian decorators. The parquets of the palace are unmatched in the richness and variety of wood species, in the complexity of the pattern and in the skill of execution.
The roller coaster is the most important architectural monument of Oranienbaum in terms of its artistic significance, also built according to the project of Rinaldi in 1762 - 1774. At the level of the second floor, wooden slopes were attached to the building. Small carriages in the form of a chariot, gondola, lion, etc. were used for riding. Iron wheels were guided along special grooves. Unfortunately, the slopes and galleries have not survived to this day.
