Wandering Camera

Album 186
(Translated by Larissa Rogacheva)

 

In this and in the next album we will have a look at few edifices found along the "Podkaprisovaya" road, on the border between Catherine and Alexander parks.

 

The Big Caprice (The Big Whim).

The Big Caprice has a smaller brother- The Little Caprice, but it is in the end of the album.

Apparently the both bridges had got this name then Catherine signed the extremely extravagant financial estimates for ensembles construction. Allegedly she said: " So to be it, such is my little whim…"
On many occasions (by the witnesses accounts) Empress use to tell her coachman to drive to "my caprice" mining this place.
Architect V.Neelov and engineer I.Gerrard designed and constructed both caprices in 1770-1774.

The mane material for such mammoth-landscaping job was the ground dug out from the ponds of Catherine Park; it is very tastefully incrusted with limestone blocks.
Jus by The Big Caprice we can see an example of romanticist architecture:

"The Chapel "designed by A.Menelase in 1825- 1828.

Accordingly to architectural fashion of the time it was built as an "artificial ruin" of the "gothic" chapel. Needless to say the time did some "extra work" on it since…
Now lets go back to the Caprice and under its arch…
 on the left side we will find "The Chinese village"(in the next album)

On the right side is -"The Squeaky Gazebo"…
Its name came from very noisy weather vane on top of it.
By other name it is "The Chinese Gazebo"…
it was designed by Y. Felten in 1778.
And built in 1778-1786 under supervision of I. Neelov.
The Gazebo placed perfectly between two ponds and enjoys the never ending game of magical reflections…
A bit fever by the road to the Palace is found "The Small Caprice" it is a lot less exiting then its big brother, so lets go back to "The Chinese village"…

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