Gatchina Palace & Estate Museum is a former Imperial Residence near St. Petersburg. Founded in the middle of the 18th century it used to be a beloved summer place for the Royal Family, especially during the reigns of Paul I and Alexander III. Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, a daughter of Paul I and Maria Feodorovna, visited Gatchina often from 1795 to 1801. After the death of her father Anna Pavlovna was left in care of Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna and travelled along with her from one residence to another. As a rule the august mother and daughter stayed in Gatchina in autumn. Private rooms of the Grand Duchess in the Arsenal Wing of the Gatchina Palace remained almost intact until the Palace was rebuilt in the late 1840s and after her wedding they were used as guest rooms. But naturally after the Palace reconstruction in the 1840s her rooms were not restored. It is known that Anna Pavlovna visited Gatchina several times after she moved to the Netherlands in 1816.
Opened to public in 1918, Gatchina Palace & Estate Museum went through dramatic events of the 20th century, nowadays museum offers a number of permanent and temporary exhibitions, summer festivals, activities for children and special events.
