Gatchina, Province of Leningrad

User Review:

• The Gatchina Palace was initially built for Catherine the Great's favorite Orloff. After his death - what a twist of destiny - Catherine gave this estate as a present to her son Paul. The story of this disfunctional royal family can take hours to tell.. However, Gatchina Palace turned out to be the favorite one of Paul I, and he did a lot for the Gatchina town as well. The palace is absolutely different from all others in Saint Petersburg! It looks and feels like a medieval castle, and, yes, there is a ghost living there in the basement :) The park around is lovely and romantic, the town gives you the unique glimpse of provincial Russian life. The great place off the beaten path.
• The description was provided by Tatiana Yastrebinskaya