The History of Strelna

During the Northern War which lasted more then two decades the original Slavic lands along the river Neva were returned by the Russian forces under the leadership of Peter I. Czar residences began to appear around growing St.Petersburg and one of them was an ensemble of a palace and a park at Strelna country-house. The first record of it appeared in notes of Peter the Great in 1706. On the high littoral ridge near the road to Peterhof the Putevoy (Road) Palace was built as a temporary residence of the czar. It was not luxurious and consisted of two peasant's houses, an inner porch and a washing room that were in 1720 combined into one building with an attic. The palace was built in a hurry so it was decaying quickly and later was repeatedly demolished and rebuilt in commemoration of Peter the Great. The wooden building was by a miracle spared by the fire in the World War II. This small but interesting museum was opened for visitors in 1998 after the restoration that had returned the look of the first part of the 19th century to its facades and interiors. The garden adjacent to the palace was also restored. There was a Portovy (Harbour) canal to the west of the palace. The emperor and his guests got into this canal by boats from the Gulf of Finland. Originally the canal was the part of the river Strelka which was rectified and covered with granite. There is a pictorial waterfall on the canal.

The church of Transfiguration of Lord Savior. The memorable cross on the grave.

By the order of Peter I and with his contribution the church of Transfiguration of Lord Savior was built near the Putevoy Palace. Trophies and flags had been stored in this church since the 18th century. Later Alexandre Pushkin's widow Natalia Nikolaevna and General Peter Lanskoy got married in this church. Nicholas I was in this church on christening of their first child. The church did not remain and there is a memorable cross at its place now. Another wooden church called Uspenskaya erected in 1880s also did not remain. Only the chapel of Saint Nicholas near the gulf berth was saved and is functioning now.

The Trinity Sergy hermitage. The invalid's house of Zubovs. The refectory (2002).

Approaching to Strelna from St.Petersburg one can see a long facade with the over gate church decorated in original patterned Russian style which is not typical for the northern capital. This is the ensemble of Sergy Trinity hermitage that was founded in Anna loanovna's time by the empress's confessor Varlaam. This cloister consisted of seven churches and was the most esteemed in the region. The cemetery at the cloister was interior in prestige and wealth only to Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The five-domed Holy Trinity Cathedral with the only belfry in the cloister was the compositional center of the ensemble. The cathedral was built first by the architect Paolo Trezini and later by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The golden age of the hermitage was in the archimandrite Ignatius's time (1830-1840). There was no lack of lavish donations for the hermitage. Brothers of Prince Valerian Zubov who was killed in Persian campaign had founded the church with the Invalid House for 30 beds on the place of his grave. Over the grave of Prince Kochubej 's wife the church of Protection of the Blessed Virgin was built. Another remembering edifice was Saint George the Theologian church the most elegant and romantic building in the hermitage. Andrew Stakenschneider erected it and the widow of General Gregory Kushelev gave the funds for it. This church remains in nowadays although its condition is poor.

The Christ Resurrection cathedral and the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The main contribution of Ignatuis, the next superior of the cloister, was the erection of the biggest cathedral in the cloister the church of Christ Resurrection that could house 2,5 thousands of people. The monumental building was made of the colored bricks in Byzantine style by the architect Alfred Parland. The interior of the cathedral was very elegant. But unfortunately almost everything in the Trinity Sergy hermitage was destroyed during the Soviet period. The cemetery of the cloister was covered with asphalt and later the drill square of police school was situated at this place. Only the stone cross on the grave of the architect Gornostaev and the empty crypt of General Chicherin remain by a miracle. There are memorial stones on burial places of the Stakenschneider family and the Oldenburgsky family who made an important contribution in science, education and health protection of Russia. Another monument was placed on the grave of a friend of Pushkin a great diplomat Alexander Gorchakov and his family. The first building of the cloister - the cathedral of Sergy Radonezhsky - and the corner tower also remain. They were completely restored recently.

The country-house in Strelna from its very beginning was an important trans-shipment point on the road to Peterhof. In the 1780s a post office appeared there. Twenty five years later the building of the post was rebuilt by Luidzhi Ruska and the new appearance has survived till now. Originally mail was transported on horses or in carriages, later mail-coaches were used. Before the beginning of the World War I the first in Russia and the third in Europe railway "Oranel" (the prototype of the modern tram) was built. It went from St.Petersburg to Strelna. By the way trams go to Strelna also nowadays.


Since Peter's time the vast lands near the high road to Peterhof had been given to nobility for summer residences. In 1839 the main part of estate of the former manager of Strelna country house Engelmann and summer residence of princess Gika were bought by the grandson of generalissimo Suvorov. He was a friend of Alexander II and had risen very rapidly in military career. His estate was the most remarkable and fashionable in Strelna. Now it was reconstructed but still remains.

The estate of Orlovs in Strelna. The tower of the palace (beg. of XX c.). The portrait of A. Orlov.

At the same time estate of the nephew of the two Orlov brothers (Gregory, a favorite of Ekaterina II, and Alexey, a hero of Chesma) appeared in an aristocratic part of the country-house at the shore of Zavodskoy pond. Alexey Fedorovich, the owner of the estate had also become famous for his feats of arms. The wooden two-storied villa, the decorative ruin-tower in the centre of the park, the spectacular gates and the Gothic well with special mechanism for lifting spring water as if appeared from books about knights. The grotto near the landscape pond, the small bent bridge of tuff leading to the Island of Love, the snow-white sculpture among the trees and the group of horses made by Peter Clodt completed the architectural composition. The stable building decorated with high relieves of horses in the southern part of the ensemble remains in good condition. But the wooden palace of the Orlovs and the most part of the estate were not saved.


The summer residence of Prince Alexander Lvov still remains. The former owner of the residence was Pavel Alexandrov, the adulterate son of Prince Konstantin Pavlovich. This building was also stylized in English Gothic that was popular in 1830s. Alexander Lvov played a very important role in the social life of Strelna at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. He founded one of the first fire brigades in Russia with his own funds. Also the Prince was the head of the cycling amateur community in Strelna. The nobility of the city watching the czar family took a great interest in cycling. On the intersection of Volkonsky high road and the old post road the cycle track was built. This track was the universal sport and concert complex and in the evenings dances took place on it.


One of the famous people who took a great interest in cycling was a prima ballerina of the Emperor's theatres Matilda Kshessinskaya. After the ending of her love affair with the heir of the throne Nicholas in summer 1894 she moved to Strelna and lived there in a house on the territory of Konstantinovsky ensemble. The house was a gift from the Great Prince Sergey Mikhailovich. Country life of the famous ballerina was joyous and rich with impressions. Parties for the nobility of St.Petersburg were often held in the country-house. In this country-house Kshessinskaya gave birth to her son Vladimir who was the great-grandson of the Emperor Alexander II.


Before the 20th century immigration of foreigners to Russia, mostly Germans, was conditioned by favorable life conditions for them. The German settlement in Strelna consisting of the villages of Neudorf and Neuhaus was founded in the beginning of the 19th century. Newly arrived introduced advanced agricultural technologies to peasants, leased cottages and gave the charities. Buildings of the settlement that were destroyed during the World War II has not been rebuilt and only the deserted Lutheran cemetery remains on this place now. The village Neudorf regenerated a few years ago keeps on tradition of old German settlers.