It was previously known asKhotchino,[2]Gatchina (until February 14, 1923),[12]Trotsk (until August 2, 1929),[13] andKrasnogvardeysk (until January 28, 1944).[13]
Gatchina was first documented in 1499 under the nameKhotchino as a village in possession of theNovgorod Republic.[2] In the 17th century it was passed toLivonia and then toSweden in a series of wars, until the early years of theGreat Northern War at the turn of the 1700s when the area was returned toRussia.[2] In 1703, Gatchina found itself in the southern vicinity of the new Russian capital,Saint Petersburg, which was being constructed 45 kilometers (28 mi) north at themouth of theNeva River. Despite technically still belonging toSwedish Ingria, in 1708, Gatchina was given byPeter the Great to his sister,Natalya Alexeyevna, and after her death in 1716 Peter founded an Imperial Hospital and Apothecary there.[15] In 1765, it became the property ofCount Orlov.[2]
In 1765,Catherine the Great, Empress of theRussian Empire, purchased Gatchina Manor from PrinceBoris Kurakin, which featured the village and a smallmanor. Gatchina was gifted by Catherine to one of her favorites, CountGrigory Grigoryevich Orlov, who reportedly organized theassassination of Tsar Peter III three years earlier, resulting in her becoming empress. Between 1766 and 1788, Count Orlov built the massiveGreat Gatchina Palace in place of the original manor, with 600 rooms, an extensive English landscape park over 7 square kilometers (2.7 sq mi), with an adjacentzoo and a horse farm.[16] Atriumphal arch was erected to a design by the architect of Gatchina Palace,Antonio Rinaldi, forming a monumental entrance. Upon Orlov's death in 1783, Gatchina Palace was bought by Catherine from his heirs, and gave it to her son Grand DukePavel Petrovich, the future Tsar Paul I.[2] During his ownership, Paul made alterations to the palace, but also began developing the village of Gatchina into a town using experience from his travels aroundEurope. After ascending to the throne, Paul granted Gatchina the status of Imperial City, an honorary designation for towns that possessed aroyal palace. Gatchina Palace was expanded and altered numerous times by its subsequent imperial owners, with the addition ofRococo interiors designed by Rinaldi andVincenzo Brenna, and executed byItalianstucco workers and Russian craftsmen.[17]
In 1854, arailroad connecting Gatchina and Saint Petersburg was opened, and the territory of Gatchina was expanded with several villages in the vicinity beingincorporated into the city.[18] The following year Gatchina Palace came under the ownership ofTsar Alexander II, who used it as his second residence. Alexander built a hunting village south of Gatchina into a retreat where he and his guests could enjoy the unspoiled wilderness of northwestern Russia. Following theassassination of Alexander II in 1881, Gatchina Palace was passed to his shaken son, the newTsar Alexander III, who was advised that he and his family would be safer in Gatchina as opposed to at theWinter Palace in Saint Petersburg. Alexander spent most of his life at Gatchina Palace, which became known as "The Citadel ofAutocracy" after the Tsar's reactionary policies. Here he signed decrees, held diplomatic receptions, theatrical performances,masquerades and costumed balls, and other events and entertainment. Alexander III introduced some technologicalmodernizations new to Russia at the Gatchina Palace, such as indoorheaters,electric lights, atelephone network, non-freezing water pipes and a modernsewage system. His son, the futureTsar Nicholas II and the last Russian Tsar, spent his youth in the Gatchina Palace, although he and his family would makeTsarskoye Selo his home. His mother,Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, widow of Alexander III, was the patron of the city of Gatchina, the palace and its parks.
Gatchina was honored as the best-kept city of Russia at the1900 World's Fair inParis (Exposition Universelle). The quality of life, education, medical services, and public safety in Gatchina were recognized as the best, and it was recommended as an example for other cities in Russia. In 1910, one of the firstairfields in Russia was established in Gatchina, with the city becoming one of the first centers of aviation and engine technology in Russia.[2] The pilotPyotr Nesterov was trained at the Gatchina airfield and made his first long-distance flight from Gatchina toKiev. Gatchina Palace remained one of the official imperial residences of Tsar Nicholas II, who was presiding over annualmilitary parades and celebrations of theImperial Russian Army garrisons, stationed in Gatchina until 1917.
Shortly afterwards, theBolsheviks seized power in theOctober Revolution and the outbreak of theRussian Civil War followed. It saw Gatchina loyal to theWhite Movement, and the palace was visited by PresidentAlexander Kerensky of the deposedRussian Provisional Government on October 27, 1917. During Kerensky's visit, fighting broke out in Gatchina between detachments of theRed Guards andCossack units of GeneralPyotr Krasnov. The Reds won the battle, which had avoided the palace, and on November 1, they held a rally outside the palace in the main square, wherePavel Dybenko encouraged the Cossack units stationed in the palace to surrender and not to oppose the Red authorities. Kerensky left Gatchina Palace that night, and it was occupied by Red troops the following day.[19]
In May 1918, the museum was re-opened by the Reds "for the victorious popular masses of the Russian Revolution" in Gatchina.[20] From 1918 to 1941, the Gatchina Palace and parks were open to public as a national museum. On February 14, 1923, Gatchina was renamedTrotsk (Russian:Троцк) by the new Soviet authorities, afterLeon Trotsky.[12] AfterJoseph Stalin became General Secretary of theRussian Communist Party (b), Trotsky was graduallyexiled (and later killed on Stalin's orders), and the town was renamedKrasnogvardeysk (Красногварде́йск,Red Guard City) on August 2, 1929.[13]
Damaged Saint Paul Cathedral in Gatchina during German occupation; the visible weariness is due to both heavy fighting and neglect showed by the Soviet government in the preceding decades
Gatchina was occupied byNazi Germany from Saturday, September 13, 1941, following theGerman invasion of Russia duringWorld War II.The Germans renamed the townLindemannstadt, in honor of theWehrmacht generalGeorg Lindemann, and looted much of the Gatchina Palace for its collections of art. On January 26, 1944, the Germans abandoned Lindemannstadt during their retreat, setting fire to Gatchina Palace andvandalizing much of the park. The town was quickly retaken by theRed Army, and two days later it was renamed back to its original pre-Soviet name, Gatchina.[21][13]
After the war, Gatchina was rebuilt to Soviet standards, and became home to the Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics. The extent of the Gatchina Palace's devastation was extraordinary, and initially was considered irreparable damage. Restoration works continued for over 60 years, and some pieces of the art collection were recovered from safe keeping and returned to Gatchina. Today, one section of the Gatchina Palace is partially completed and certain state rooms and the Arsenal Halls are now open to the public. Other areas of the palace, including those of Tsar Alexander III, remain closed and unrestored.
The town has notably been known under various names during its history. As common with larger urban areas under theSoviet Union, Gatchina was renamed to reflect the changed ideals of the government. This first came in honouring Leon Trotsky. However, with the feud between Trotsky and Stalin at a high this name was to become problematic. Thus, the city was renamed again in honour of the Soviet troops. Unlike other regions that underwent this process, Gatchina has a more complex history leading to multiple variations.
Gatchina is an important railway node. One railway, running north to south, connects theBaltiysky railway station in St. Petersburg withDno andNevel. Within the town limits, suburban trains in this direction stop at the platform ofTatyanino and the station ofGatchina-Varshavskaya. Another railway, also from the Baltiysky railway station, arrives to Gatchina from the northwest and has two stops,Mariyenburg andGatchina-Passazhirskaya-Baltiyskaya. Yet another railway runs south of the town center from east to west and connectsMga viaUlyanovka withVolosovo. The railway station on this line in Gatchina isGatchina-Tovarnaya-Baltiyskaya.
TheM20 Highway connecting St. Petersburg andPskov, crosses Gatchina from north to south. South of Gatchina, it crosses the A120 Highway, which encircles St. Petersburg. A paved road connects Gatchina withKingisepp via Volosovo. There are also local roads.
Законодательное собрание Ленинградской области. Областной закон №32-оз от 15 июня 2010 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Ленинградской области и порядке его изменения», в ред. Областного закона №23-оз от 8 мая 2014 г. «Об объединении муниципальных образований "Приморское городское поселение" Выборгского района Ленинградской области и "Глебычевское сельское поселение" Выборгского района Ленинградской области и о внесении изменений в отдельные Областные законы». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Вести", №112, 23 июня 2010 г. (Legislative Assembly of Leningrad Oblast. Oblast Law #32-oz of June 15, 2010On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Leningrad Oblast and on the Procedures for Its Change, as amended by the Oblast Law #23-oz of May 8, 2014On Merging the Municipal Formations of "Primorskoye Urban Settlement" in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast and "Glebychevskoye Rural Settlement" in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast and on Amending Various Oblast Laws. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
Законодательное собрание Ленинградской области. Областной закон №113-оз от 16 декабря 2004 г. «Об установлении границ и наделении соответствующим статусом муниципального образования Гатчинский муниципальный район и муниципальных образований в его составе», в ред. Областного закона №17-оз от 6 мая 2010 г «О внесении изменений в некоторые областные законы в связи с принятием федерального закона "О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Российской Федерации в связи с совершенствованием организации местного самоуправления"». Вступил в силу через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования (27 декабря 2004 г.). Опубликован: "Вести", №147, 17 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Leningrad Oblast. Oblast Law #113-oz of December 16, 2004On Establishing the Borders of and Granting an Appropriate Status to the Municipal Formation of Gatchinsky Municipal District and to the Municipal Formations It Comprises, as amended by the Oblast Law #17-oz of May 6, 2010On Amending Various Oblast Laws Due to the Adoption of the Federal Law "On Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Due to the Improvement of the Organization of the Local Self-Government". Effective as of after 10 days from the day of the official publication (December 27, 2004).).
Законодательное собрание Ленинградской области. Областной закон №115-оз от 22 декабря 2004 г. «Об установлении границ и наделении статусом городского поселения муниципального образования город Гатчина в Гатчинском муниципальном районе», в ред. Областного закона №43-оз от 27 июня 2013 г. «О присоединении деревни Большая Загвоздка к городу Гатчина и о внесении изменений в некоторые Областные законы в сфере административно-территориального устройства Ленинградской области». Вступил в силу через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования (2 января 2005 г.). Опубликован: "Вести", №149, 23 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Leningrad Oblast. Oblast Law #115-oz of December 22, 2004On Establishing the Borders of and Granting Urban Settlement Status to the Municipal Formation of the Town of Gatchina in Gatchinsky Municipal District, as amended by the Oblast Law #43-oz of June 27, 2013On Merging the Village of Bolshaya Zagvozdka into the Town of Gatchina and on Amending Various Oblast Laws on the Subject of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Leningrad Oblast. Effective as of after 10 days from the day of the official publication (January 2, 2005).).
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