Granite Terrace (Ruska Terrace) is a monumental structure located in the landscape part of the Catherine Park, in the former Tsarskoye Selo (now the city of Pushkin in St. Petersburg).
The terrace is decorated with columns and sculptures, and in front of the terrace there is a decorative parterre with flower beds and alleys leading to the pier and a large pond.
The granite terrace was built on the site of the Katalnaya Gorka pavilion, which consists of a central hall and two small halls - a dining hall and a games hall. On the hill from the fors, you could ride in summer and winter.
In 1792-1795, the Katalnaya Mountain was dismantled, and in its place a large gallery with 32 columns was erected. The gallery was broken down in the late 1790s, and the remaining materials from it were used in the construction Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg and buildings in Pavlovsk.
In the early 1800s, a large granite terrace was built on the vacant place in the Catherine Park, designed by architect L. Ruska (hence the second name of the terrace - "Ruska").
The granite terrace is a monumental structure facing a Large pond. The walls of the terrace are decorated with powerful Doric columns made of gray granite, with pink granite capitals. The trunks of the columns are the pedestals of the terrace balustrade, on which there are electroplated copies of ancient sculptures - "Venus de Medicea", "Faun with a Kid", "Apoksiomena" and others, made at the foundry of the Imperial Academy of Arts.
The walls of the terrace are made of pink granite, made of shallow niches, framed by archivolts made of blocks of gray stone.
There are stairs on both sides of the terrace.
The upper part near the granite terrace is formed by an alley of the park, decorated with flower beds and sculptures.
At the bottom of the terrace, in the direction of the Big Pond, there is a decorative parterre with flower beds, sculptures (Venus and Cupid, Imperial Nerve) and alleys leading to the Big Pond.
The ground floor was designed by architect T. B. Dubyago, developed in the 1950s.
On the shore of a Large pond there is a granite pier, originally built at the same time as the Granite Terrace in 1810, designed by L. Rusk.
This simple architectural platform with steps, four round granite pedestals and lattices, in the 1850s was decorated with electroplated statues, two of which - " Borghese fighter "and" Discobolets", have survived to this day.
From this pier on the ferry crossing, for a fee, you can visit the island of the Big Pond, where the pavilion "Hall on the Island" and the Chesmenskaya columnare located .
Near the stalls and the pier there is an exquisite fountain "Girl with a Jug", which is part of the adjacent ensemble of the Granite terrace.
The fountain water jet is the spring water that goes down the steps of the fountain and then along the channel into a Large pond. Read more about the fountain " The Girl with the Jug»…
Practical information
The granite terrace is located in the Catherine Park, Pushkin, Saint Petersburg.
Catherine Park with pavilions, together with Catherine's Palace, belong to the State Museum-Reserve "Tsarskoe Selo".
In the summer season (somewhere from the second half of April to mid-October), the entrance to the Catherine Park is paid.
In the Catherine Palace, you can visit the restored halls.
Tickets to the park, some pavilions of the park and the halls of the palace can be purchased at the ticket offices, or online in advance on the official website.
The opening hours of the park and the palace, as well as the conditions of the visit and the cost of tickets, we recommend that you check on the website of the State Museum-Reserve "Tsarskoe Selo": tzar.
You can visit Tsarskoye Selo with one of the excursions
In Pushkin, near the Catherine Park and the palace, you can stay
The 5-star Pevcheskaya Tower Hotel features restaurants, a bar, a rooftop observation deck, free Wi-Fi and parking.
Breakfast is included in the room rate. Link to the hotel
The 5-star luxury spa hotel "Tsar Palace Luxury Hotel & SPA"is located in a historic building.
The hotelfeatures a spa area with a swimming pool, a hammam, a salt sauna, a snow fountain, steam baths and a gym; free Wi-Fi, a 24-hour front desk, 2 restaurants, a lobby bar, private parking and meeting and conference rooms.
The rooms are equipped with climate control, a minibar, a safe and a private bathroom.
A buffet breakfast is included in the room rate. Link to the hotel
3-star hotel Ekaterina, located on the territory of the Catherine Palace and Park Ensemble.
At the hotel: 24-hour front desk, cafe, free Wi-Fi and parking.
Each room here will provide you with air conditioning, a TV, a work desk and free toiletries.
Breakfast is included in the room rate. Link to the hotel
All accommodation facilities in St. Petersburg, including in the city center and in Pushkin, can be viewed and booked here
