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 Interactive map of Historical Centre of the Town of Lomonosov (Oranienbaum), including the Palace and Park Ensemble of the Upper Park and Lower Garden | |
| Location | Lomonosov,Saint Petersburg,Russia |
| Part of | Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv), (vi) |
| Reference | 540bis-020a |
| Inscription | 1990 (14thSession) |
| Extensions | 2013 |
| Area | 757 ha (2.92 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 59°54′54″N29°45′14″E / 59.9149027878°N 29.7539555656°E /59.9149027878; 29.7539555656 |
  Oranienbaum, Russia Location of Oranienbaum, Russia in Europe  Oranienbaum, Russia Oranienbaum, Russia (Russia) Show map of Russia | |
Oranienbaum (Russian:Ораниенба́ум) is a Russian royal residence, located on theGulf of Finland west ofSt. Petersburg. The Palace ensemble and the city centre areUNESCO World Heritage Sites.
In 1707, four years afterPeter the Great founded Saint Petersburg, he gave the grounds near the seaside to his right-hand man,Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov.
Menshikov commissioned thearchitectsGiovanni Maria Fontana andGottfried Schädel, who built his residence, the Grand Menshikov Palace from 1710 to 1727 (not to be confused withMenshikov Palace inSaint Petersburg, built by the same architects around the same time). Menshikov was deposed shortly after Peter's death, and died in exile, and the palace passed out of his family. In 1743, Oranienbaum became thesummer residence ofGrand Duke Pyotr Fyodorovich, the heir ofEmpress Elizabeth (the futureEmperor Peter III). From 1756 to 1762, the architectAntonio Rinaldi built thePeterstadt Fortress ensemble on the bank of theKarost River for Grand Duke Peter Fedorovitch.
From the outside, the palace is a relatively simple building, single-storey except for the small central pavilion, painted in a mellow combination of ochre and yellow. The Upper Park was laid out from 1750 to 1770.
The palace was the site of two opera premieres to libretti byMetastasio in the middle of the eighteenth century,Amor prigioniero (one act, composed byFrancesco Araia, 1755), andSemiramide riconosciuta (three acts, composed byVincenzo Manfredini, 1760).[1]
In the 19th century, Oranienbaum became a noble manor. During World War II, Oranienbaum suffered to a much lesser extent than other suburbs of St. Petersburg, since defense was deployed here on the so-called "Oranienbaum Bridgehead". However, the ensemble became desolate in the post-war period, and its serious restoration began only in the late 1990s. Restoration Of Oranienbaum has been a slow process. For the city which grew up around the palace seeLomonosov, Russia.
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