In the summer of 1999, as some of the earliest visitors
to the Wandering Camera may recall, I
visited Strelna and walked around these parts. The views were
different then. Let's take a backward glance and compare then and now.
Constantine Palace as seen from the
direction of the highway. The changes in landscape may not be as
apparent in the photos, but I repeat that the Palace was almost
invisible from the highway. Also, there was no road leading to the
Palace, like the one seen in the photo on the right.
A closer view (from the same direction
as above) of the central part of the Palace.
Let's walk through one of the arches to
the other side of the Palace. The Gulf of Finland is seen in the
distance. The new pavilion in the center partially blocks the view of
the Gulf and the less than photogenic North West Thermo-Electric
Station.
The view of the canal from the Palace towards the Gulf of Finland. Most
of the trees were obviously cut down and the area re-planted. There is
now an embankment, and the footpaths and the canal were widened and
cleared.
Prior to restoration there was a 100-130 meters deep field
along the whole of the front of the Palace. At the center of the left
half of the field there stood three large trees; at the center of the
right half - one tree. These were most likely lindens. The rest of the
area was split in to squares with grass growing in the center and young
linden trees along the edges. There were lots of small
utilitarian-looking iron bridges, often with only the side railings
still standing.
The view of the Palace from the
direction of the Gulf of Finland. Enough said… :)
The coat of arms of the RSFSR (from the
days of the Arctic College, which used to be here) has been replaced
with the tsar's emblem.
A window.
The staircase to the left of the Palace.
The staircase to the right of the
Palace. The camera views in these photos don’t match exactly, but one
can see the differences.
The forest outside the gates (in the direction of the tram station) was
clear cut.
The Grand Stables.
This is not the last album about Strelna.
In the next album we will go inside the Constantine Palace and check out
the views from its windows.
