Restorers

In the resurrection of Leningrad’s suburban palaces and other architectural monuments of the eighteenth – early twentieth centuries, restorers used designers’ original draughts, iconographic materials and archive documents to master and employ the styles and techniques of the past.

Each revived building, interior, picture, ceiling painting, sculpture or gilded carving represents the labour of lots and lots of skilful, devoted master-restorers. Names of the architects, sculptors and artists that became founders of the Leningrad restoration school are still renowned.

Occupying a special place among reborn monuments, a war-devastated, burnt and ruined Catherine Palace has been undergoing major restoration since 1957, which is twelve years later than the other suburban palace-and-park ensembles. Because of the delay, only slightly more than a half of its 57 halls have now reopened.

The bold project of experimental restoration — recreation — of the palace interiors and park pavilions that were fully or nearly destroyed during the war is being continued, with younger restorers following the tradition of their celebrated predecessors.