The morning of Day 6 (17.09.2025) in Russia was spent in touring one of Russia's most splendid residences - the Catherine Palace, located in the town of Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin), about 25 km south of St. Petersburg.
Originally built in 1717 for Empress Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great, the palace was later completely redesigned and expanded by their daughter, Empress Elizabeth I, in the mid-18th century. Elizabeth commissioned the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who also designed the Winter Palace, to transform it into a grand Baroque residence worthy of imperial status.
The result was a dazzling 300-m-long façade painted in shades of sky blue and white, adorned with gilded stucco, sculptures, and columns. The lavish exterior is matched by equally extravagant interiors, highlighted by the Grand Hall (or Hall of Light) - an enormous ballroom with gilded mirrors, chandeliers, and elaborate frescoes covering the ceiling.
During the Second World War, the palace suffered immense damage when German forces occupied it, but extensive restoration work began soon after the war and continues to this day. Today, the Catherine Palace is part of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve, and it stands as one of the most visited cultural and historical sites in Russia.
Surrounded by lush formal gardens, ornamental ponds, and classical pavilions, the palace complex represents the height of imperial luxury and artistic achievement in 18th-century Russia - a vivid symbol of the opulence and grandeur of the Romanov era.
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The Grand Hall, or Hall of Light, is the most splendid interior of the Catherine Palace. Spanning about 1,000 sq. m. across the palace’s width, the hall was the setting for royal receptions, banquets, and glittering balls of the Russian court.
The room’s brilliance lies in its interplay of light and reflection. Rows of tall arched windows alternate with gilded mirrors, filling the hall with shimmering radiance. Elaborate gold carvings, crystal chandeliers, and a polished parquet floor add to its opulence. Above, the painted ceiling The Triumph of Russia by Giuseppe Valeriani glorifies the nation’s power through allegorical scenes.
Every detail of the Grand Hall was designed to awe guests and reflect the wealth and ambition of imperial Russia. Today, it remains one of the most breathtaking ceremonial spaces in Europe, admired for its harmony of architecture, light, and art - a timeless symbol of the splendor and sophistication that once defined the Russian Empire.
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Perhaps the most famous room in the palace is the Amber Room, often called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” This chamber was decorated with panels of genuine amber, gold leaf, and mirrors. It was looted by the Nazis during World War II and disappeared, but a meticulous reconstruction was completed in 2003, restoring its breathtaking splendor.
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The magnificent ceiling paintings and exquisitely decorated walls left me in awe as I wandered through the countless halls and rooms of the palace. Every corner seemed to shimmer with artistry and grandeur, a breathtaking testament to the opulence of a bygone era.
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Equally impressive were the many dining halls designed for the royals and their distinguished guests. Each room reflected a different mood of grandeur and refinement, from the glittering elegance of the White State Dining Room to the stately charm of the Chevaliers’ Dining Room, and yet another lavish hall whose splendor lingered in memory. Together, they revealed the sheer opulence with which the Russian court celebrated even the simplest act of dining.
Chevaliers' (Cavalier) Dining Room.
White State (Formal) Dining Room. Used for more formal dinners (“evening meals”) by the Empress and her court.
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As we stepped out of the palace, we paused for a few photo shoots to capture its majestic exterior - one last memory before continuing our journey to the next adventure.



As I wandered through the grandeur of this palace, surrounded by gilded halls and glittering chandeliers, I couldn’t help but reflect on the fate of empires that once seemed eternal. The Russian Empire, like many great civilizations before it, stood in magnificence for nearly two centuries before collapsing in 1917. Though its downfall is often blamed on the extravagance and opulence of the imperial court, some claimed that the truth was far more complex. The immense wealth and privilege of the tsars and nobility stood in sharp contrast to the hardship and poverty endured by the peasants and working class. This deep divide bred resentment and unrest that simmered beneath the surface.
At the same time, mounting political repression, economic inequality, and crushing military defeats - especially during World War I - further eroded the empire’s foundations. Public faith in the monarchy faltered, and revolutionary fervor swept across the nation. By 1917, social upheaval, economic collapse, and disillusionment with Tsar Nicholas II brought the Romanov dynasty to its end.
Standing in these opulent rooms today, it’s easy to see how such grandeur, once a symbol of imperial power, also revealed a growing distance between the rulers and the ruled. In the end, it was not only luxury that doomed the empire, but the widening gulf of inequality, war, and political paralysis that sealed its fate.