Murmansk Winter Expedition: Day #6 – Tsarskoye Selo

How did the Tsars live?

25 km south of St. Petersburg, in the village of Pushkin, there is a summer residence of the Tsars – the Tsar’s Selo.

Tickets can be purchased online and at the ticket office. More information (tour times, permanent and temporary exhibitions, etc.) can be found here.

The Tsar’s Selo was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War and while the Catherine Palace was rebuilt, only a part of the rooms were restored.

In Catherine Palace there is a copy of the lost Amber Chamber. Work on its reconstruction lasted from 1979 to 2003, with the use of documentation and pre-war photographs. It was a very difficult and expensive project.

The Catherine Palace is very impressive with its luxurious atmosphere. Gold, gold, gold, gold. No wonder that the Russians finally got pissed off on their rulers.

And we saw only a small part of the original.

As we arrived at the last minute, we did not manage to visit the other buildings, churches and palaces. But it was worth it anyway!

There is one conclusion: Tsarskoye Siolo must be seen.