A View of Jordan Lake

The lofty cast-iron railing goes along the other side of the gate, as far as the Pavlovskaya dam, which separates the park lakes, from the Lake of Jordan and the Kupalnoe (bathing) Lake. All these dams and lakes were arranged between 1774 and 1778 from the plans of the Lieutenant Colonel Engineer Gerard. Gerard deepened the park-lakes, which had been dug out in the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, and by a whole system of dams and ponds let the water go down from the large lake, in the Catherine Park, to the level of the Kolonistsky lake. The Empress Elizabeth, with the help of the same Gerard and of Bauer, had converted the scanty brook Vangazia, which trickled along here, into a rushing water course. Catherine gave this brook the aspect of a series of waterfall steps.

Elizabeth was anxious, that Tsarskoe Selo should have a plentiful water-supply. She even dreamt of joining Tsarskoe Selo with St. Petersburg by water. Many attempts were made to turn the streams Vangazia, into a navigable canal so, that it might be possible to sail from the Neva to the Ijora and along the projected canal to the lake of Tsarskoe Selo. But all efforts were vain. In order to reach Tsarskoe Selo, the Empress had to take a special road that was guarded by soldiers.

If you stand on the Pavlovskaya dam, with your back to the railings, you see before you the lake of Jordan, where the ceremony of consecrating the water takes place, farther on, the Pashkovs dam and the Kupalnoe lake with its public bathing house, built in 1892 by the architect Bach in the Moorish style, there is another dam beyond with the industrial asylum on its quay. The avenue of the Naberejnaya (quay) street borders these two lakes; the Lutheran church, the Imperial Nicholaevsky gymnasium and the town hall stand on the quay.

The Lutheran church is in the Gothic style, it was built by the architect Vidov in 1865. The divine service takes place there in German and in Lettish.

In 1819 there stood a wooden church: in strict Empire style on this spot. It was erected at the cost of 20,000 rubles, given by the Emperor Alexander I in 1818, on the request of the director of the Tsarskoe Selo Lyceum, Engelhardt and of the pastor of the Lyceum, Gnichtel. The land, on which the church stood, was at the same time by Imperial order given to the Lyceum.

There is a school, attached to the church, which is kept up on church funds. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior.

All three banks of the Kupalny Lake were in 1785 allotted for the building of of stamps and banknotes.