Strelna, one of the oldest suburbs of Saint Petersburg, is situated 19 km from the town, on the south shore of the Finnish Gulf. Under Peter the Great the former Sweden mansion of the so-called Strelina Myza was used as the royal resting palace. Inspired by the picturesque surroundings of Strelna, Peter the Great conceived the creation of an estate that was to surpass in its beauty and splendor the best residences of European monarchs. The tsar planned it to be the main naval residence and wanted to erect a magnificent palace, arrange beautiful cascades and grottos, and lay out a wonderful park. After Peter’s death Strelna was neglected and gradually went into a decline.
In the duration of the 18th century it was used not as a royal residence but as utilities. The gardens and hothouses of Strelna supplied Russian emperors with best fruits and vegetables and the giant vaults of the palace were used as wine-cellars. In 1847 Strelna became a summer residence of another Grand Prince Konstantin, the son of Nicholas I, and since then the palace and the park were officially called Konstantinovsky. After the October Revolution palaces and parks of Strelna were nationalized and the personal possessions of the august persons, books, documents, luxurious collection of paintings and pottery were dispersed to different museums of Petrograd. For a certain period palaces housed children labor school.
During World War II the palace and park ensemble of Strelna was terrifically damaged. As a result of massive bombardment and fire, the buildings were almost razed to the ground. The reconstruction of the palace began in November 2001, and by the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg foundation the ensemble was totally restored and appeared before the public in all its glory. The former tsar’s residence obtained the status of the State Complex “Palace of Congresses” that is used as a State residence, museum and business center at the same time.
The detailed information look on the site: http://www.konstantinpalace.ru
