Description of the attraction
The palace and park ensemble "Own Dacha" is located 3 km west of the Great Peterhof Palace on the left side of the highway leading to Lomonosov. This complex has a rather interesting history.
The owner of this estate was originally a member of the secret supreme council, senator, chamberlain, Alexei Grigorievich Dolgorukov (he was the tutor of Peter II). In 1727 he started the construction of a stone palace. But he failed to complete it - A. G. Dolgorukov after the death of Peter II was sent into exile, and the estate was confiscated.
In 1733, Anna Ioannovna handed over the dacha with the unfinished palace to the associate of Peter I, an outstanding preacher and public figure, Bishop Feofan Prokopovich. In 1736, after the death of Feofan Prokopovich, the dacha with a stone house, estimated at 5 thousand rubles, was transferred to the treasury, and in 1741 it was granted to Tsarevna Elizaveta Petrovna.
During the time of Elizabeth, a lot of construction began at the dacha. It was named "Own Dacha", and Own Avenue connected it with the Great Peterhof Palace. Bridges were thrown over the ravines that crossed the territory of the dacha, and a wooden court church in honor of the Holy Trinity was erected to the west of the palace. The architecture of the "Own Dacha" palace was reminiscent of the Marly palace in Peterhof.
To the east of the Rastrelli palace, a new large wooden house was erected, which was connected to the stone palace by the Gallery running through the ravine. The stone palace still remained the architectural dominant of the estate: a staircase descending to the pond emphasized its central position. On the south side of the palace there was a cross-shaped regular garden (a pond, a garden and a staircase have survived to this day).
During the reign of Catherine II, the estate continued to remain unchanged, but during the time of Paul I, the house built by the great Shot was dismantled and transported (in its place were planted young oak trees brought from Kazan), dilapidated buildings were demolished, the road from Peterhof to the "Own dacha" was repaired. Emperor Paul I presented the dacha to Maria Feodorovna and he himself quite often came here with her.
In 1843 "Own dacha" was granted by Nicholas I to the heir to the throne, Alexander Nikolaevich. At this time, serious work began on the reconstruction of the estate.
Designed by A. I. Stackenschneider in 1844-1850. the palace was rebuilt. And in 1858, on the site of the former wooden church, a new palace Trinity church was erected from stone. Dams and bridges have been rebuilt and the park has been partially redesigned. To the south of the palace, vases were installed in a regular garden, and later, statues of musicians. A flower garden and fountains were laid out in front of the lower pond. Alexander Nikolaevich spent his honeymoon here.
The garden of this estate with its age-old trees and mountainous location was a country corner of amazing beauty and comfort. On the maps of the late 18th century. in the south-west of the palace, an "irregularly planted" oak grove was noted, which still exists (it is depicted on Shishkin's canvases in 1891).
During the war of 1941-45. the palace of "Own Dacha", the church and other buildings were badly damaged by shelling. In 1955-1960. the building of the palace was restored with the restoration of the facades. The destroyed bridges were replaced with utilitarian, temporary ones. The work on the restoration of "Own Dacha" continues to this day. The restoration of the Trinity Church began only in 2007.
The restored palace and park complex "Own Dacha" will be able to take its rightful place among other monuments of Peterhof and Oranienbaum.
