Today we'll visit Sergievka or rather - "Sergievka" estate of the Biological institute of SPb State University.
I can't say for sure but it's "Private dacha" by implication. In different times its owners were the following future tsars: Elizaveta Petrovna and Alexander Nikolaevich (Alexander the I), then Nikolay the I, Maria Nikolaevna (his daughter)
Hereditary court cat :-)
Lion feels unwell
Need to mention that formerly there were many different sculptures in Sergievka park. They did not remain till our times. You can read about it
here.
Park was vastly destroyed during the war. Main restoration works took place in the beginning of 1980s. Palaces were being restored in 1965th.
Summer palace of the Leichtenbergs. Built in 1842 according to A.I. Shtakenshnaider project on the occasion of Nikolay the I daughter marriage (she was getting married to Maximilian of Leichtenberg)
According to different sources of information there is a quite interesting monument - cut in stone head(1799-1800, project of F. Brouer), not far away from this palace. Head is called "Rusich", "Old man". There is a legend that being impressed by this monument A.S. Pushkin wrote his poem "Ruslan and Ludmila".
Unfortunately this time I failed to find the boulder.
Park was not available for the trespassers until 1917th. Biological institute and Biological station were established here in 1920 (at that time it was called "Peterhof natural-scientific institute").
Let's move to another part of the park. Where there are no so many constructions.
Reflection in the water..
According to the behavior of the couple of birds which constantly flew occasionally diving - there is fish here.
Park is very large, partly it looks like forest where you meet bridges, ponds. Comparing quantity of historical buildings here and in famous Saint-Petersburg suburbs
- Pushkin, Pavlovsk, Peterhof, - it loses, indeed. However it is alright as a
park :)
