Museum Tsarskoe SeloPhoto:ShutterstockThe ceremonial events to mark the 300th anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo are taking place in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. On June 24, the Spare Palace was reopened there after restoration, and now houses a wedding palace. "We have regained one of the most spiritual corners of Tsarskoye Selo. Even the lion sculptures that left the palace during the years of desolation have returned to their native walls," said St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko. In 1817, the land in Tsarskoye Selo, where the Spare Palace is now located, was given as a gift by Emperor Alexander I to Prince Kochubey. It was for him that the architect Adam Menelas built the palace in 1817-1824. Later, in 1835, the building was purchased by Nicholas I for his son Nikolai Nikolaevich. Since 1859, the palace has been called Tsarskoye Selo Reserve. During the war, the palace was badly damaged, then for a long time it was in federal ownership, and in 2009 it was transferred to the ownership of St. Petersburg. Recently, St. Petersburg residents celebrated City Day in style: they organized public festivities and fireworks.
