The Great Chinese Bridge

Ten minutes' walk along the Arsenal road brings you to the Dragon Bridge which crosses the so-called Krestovy Canal; the figures on the bridge existed during Catherine II's reign, but they were made of plaster. In 1862 they were replaced by zinc copies cast at Moran's works from' Schwarz's models. Birch Avenue crosses Arsenal Road and runs along the bank of the canal to the left it leads to the White Tower and to the Alexander Palace; turning to the right, you come to the Chapel of the Zoo. Beyond it, on the other side of the canal, the park was called the New Garden. Ten minutes' walk along the avenue brings you to the Chapel (seen at left). This is an artificial ruin, erected in 1827 by the architect Menelas. Passing through the arch, you can find the watchman, who lives in the tower with a sharp topped roof. With him you can see in the upper room of the tower (which resembles a Gothic chapel) a statue of the Saviour by Danneker. The statue was molded at Stuttgart in 1824 by the order of the Empress Marie Fyodorovna, wife of the Emperor Paul, and was presented by her to the Emperor Alexander I. On the spot occupied by the Chapel, one of the "Lusthouses" of the Empress Elizabeth's existed until 1825. Here is a description of the Saviour's statue by Piliayev :

"A legend says, that the sculptor Danneker once saw the Saviour in a dream; from that time the vision occupied his mind day and night, till he began to believe, that a supernatural power was urging him to work, and after eight years of meditation and essays, he produced the image of Jesus Christ. When the statue was still in model, Danneker took a seven-years old boy into his studio and asked him "what statue it was?" "it is the Saviour" answered the child. The sculptor was beside himself with joy and embraced the child. It was proof to him, that he grasped his idea so clearly, that even children could understand it. The first model appeared in 1816, but the statue itself was not finished until 1824."

The image of Christ is full of sadness and Divine Beauty. The Saviour stands, his body covered with clothing, which falls carelessly in long folds, one hand is pressed to his heart, and the other held out. When Danneker was working at the statue, he read the Bible unceasingly, and when ever the Holy Writings revealed to him some characteristic feature, he hurried to express it in the statue. The work of this sculptor, besides artistic beauty and soul, bears also the impression of piety.

Immediately beyond the boundary of the Alexander Park lies Lilac Avenue which commences at the Pink Guard House, and leads to the Krestovy Canal; on both sides of this avenue lie Hot Houses of the Upper Garden. One line of them, the Zvierinskaya, runs along the boundary. It was built in 1819 out of the remains of the zoo wall; the principal part of the conservatories and the houses of the chief and under gardeners stand on the other side of the road. In winter, fruit and strawberries are reared here for the Imperial table. While in the kitchen gardens, which occupy all the space behind the hothouses as far as the boundary of the Alexander Park, are grown in summer all kinds of berries, which ripen in our climate. According to historianYakovkin, the hot houses have been in the same place since 1722. In the 18th century the park from the Great Palace to the Zoo was called the Upper or New Park, to distinguish it from the Lower Garden, which lay between the Great Palace, the Hermitage and the lake. Hence the hot houses received their name.

The hot houses of the Upper Garden lie between the Chapel and the Chinese Village, and are separated from the first by Lilac Avenue, and from the second by a carriage drive and two footpaths parallel to it, the nearer of which ascends an artificial hill with an arbor on its summit. The hill unites the former Upper Garden with the English Park. Two tunnels run through the hill: the first of these forms a narrow carriage drive, while through the larger tunnel lies the Podkaprizovaya Road, which leads from the town to the Vista of Bablovo. This hill with the arbor is called the Great Caprice, to distinguish it from another artificial hill, with an arched vault, nearer to the great palace, which is called the Small Caprice. Both these hills are made of earth, taken from the ponds in the neighborhood.

The hills and the arbor in Chinese style were built between 1770 and 1773 by the architect Nilov. In 1779 the arbor was damaged by lightning and in 1786 the Great Caprice was altered by the architect Quarenghi and its arbor was rebuilt. A damaged porcelain model shows us the Caprice as it probably was at first. On the model it stands on one arch only and has six columns and a roof with corners slightly turned up; over every corner above a column is the figure of a dragon. The hill itself is much steeper than the present one; towards the English Garden it forms almost a precipice and has no paths; while on the side, facing the Upper Garden, there is a twining footpath with 58 steps, leading to the summit. According to Piliayev, these hills came to be called Caprice from the fact, that the Empress Catherine, when looking over the estimates for the garden work at Tsarskoe Selo, hesitated at first to put her signature to them; but afterwards making her decision, exclaimed; "let it be so, it is my caprice." There is also another explanation. In those times, and long afterwards, there stood near the actual Caprice a guard house, for this was the entrance into Tsarskoe Selo, which led to the palace. All the chief roads, along which the Empress used to drive, when at Tsarskoe Selo, began on this spot. And here, it seems, she used to tell the coachman which way to go, calling this place in jest "her caprice". The following anecdote is related in Countess Golovina's notes:

"The Empress never gave notice before hand of her intentions, when leaving Tsarskoe Selo, but always drove away, when it was least expected; this caused a great amount of misunderstandings among her courtiers, and gave the Empress much amusement".

"One day they came to say, that the Empress was going out for a drive; the uneasiness of the courtiers was immense; all who had the honour of returning to town from Tsarskoe Selo in her carriage, were excited. Count Stakelberg was especially interested in this news and ordered his valet to pack up his things. "Her Majesty took her seat in a carriage with places for six and ordered me, Miss Protasov, Miss Zubov, General-Adjutant Passek, and Count Stakelberg to come with her. The Empress ordered the coachman to drive on, and he, after taking us round the park as usual, turned into the road leading to town. Count Stakelberg made a sign to Passek to show, that they were returning to St. Petersburg, but at that moment the carriage left the main road and drove into the forest. The avenues and turns quite confused the Count Stakelberg, who did not know, what to think. My presence aught to have proved to him the contrary, since I never returned to St. Petersburg with Her Majesty. We came quietly back to the palace, where the count found, that his valet had left for the capital with all his luggage. A messenger had-to be sent after him, which caused the count much confusion, and amused the Empress and all the company."

At the Great Caprice, where the road enters the Catherine Park, close to the Field of Roses, a Swiss Chalet for the accommodation of a park ranger was, built by the architect Monighetti on the spot, formerly occupied by the guard house. Immediately beyond the Caprice lies the Chinese Village. It was built by the architect Cameron, who was given the task to build 18 houses in the Chinese style, surrounded with galleries, supported by fantastic eastern pillars and beyond the village a high eight storied pagoda. According to Yakovkin the building commenced in 1782, but there is no doubt that the project existed in 1779, for a plan of the village with a round temple, houses, and pagoda was published in an album of that year. The galleries, the entrance gate, and the pagoda were never built. The death of the Empress Catherine put a stop to the work; the elegant facades and roofs were not decorated as Cameron wished. On the contrary, in 1798, the Emperor Paul gave an order for them to be pulled down, and the materials used for the Michaelovsky Palace in St. Petersburg. Why this order was not carried out, is unknown.

 

Side view of the Chinese Village

In 1818 the 8 houses, which formed the sides of the Chinese Village street, were joined so, as to form two long low buildings, each of which was divided into two dwellings. The fifth house on either side was joined with the house of the corner thus forming two houses more. Finally the rest of the buildings, surrounding the temple, were also converted into servants lodgings. In one of these houses (probably where the Palace Pharmacy is) lived the celebrated historian Karamzin during the summer of 1825. The round temple in the center has also lost the character, which Cameron wished to give it; it seems to have adapted to the style of the 19th century. The plans of Cameron were not carried out, and instead of original and elegant buildings in the Chinese style, several long white one-storied houses with motley roofs turned up at the sides and stand there now.

Opposite the Chinese Village, on the bank of a pond, which stretches from the Great to the Small Caprice in the Catherine Park stands the "Squeaking" Chinese Arbor. It is a small building with a tower and a belvedere over its central part. On the roof of the belvedere is a weather cock, which squeaks piteously, whenever the wind strikes it.

Opposite the principal gate of the palace on the Krestovy Canal and the vista, near to the Krestovy Chinese bridge, are arranged rich flower-gardens, which are hidden by rows of clipped trees.

Opposite the chief gate of the palace on the Krestovy Canal, is the Chinese Bridge, which was built at the same time, as the above described Dragon bridge, by the same architect. Two other bridges in the Chinese style, are thrown over the Krestovy Canal on the avenues, which border the vista near the Chinese theatre. In the first of the squares of the New Garden, to, the left of the Chinese bridge, are a few plantations of fir trees. Round the beds is a perfect maze of paths and small squares, planted with tall old acacias; this is the "Gribok" (mushroom).

In the second square, to the right of the Chinese Bridge, lie artificial ponds with bridges, and roads, winding between their mirror-like surfaces, in which old willows are reflected.

This square is called the "Ostrovki" (little islands) and is closed to the public.