Strelna: Palaces, Parks and Garden History

• The complex includes the Konstantin Palace, as well as the Lower and Upper Parks.
• Peter I's small wooden palace is the earliest building in Strelna and the only surviving building from his modest country estate.
• A guided tour of the Lower Park is offered in spring and summer.

The restored Lower Park is one of Russia's first regularly laid-out parks. Together with the Upper Park, it belongs to the complex in Strelna, which also includes the Konstantin Palace. The individual sites are thus part of a shared historical context, although their specific histories differ.

The neo-Gothic Orlov Palace belonged to the Orlov princes' estate in Strelna and was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. Some buildings from the former estate have survived and are considered Russian cultural heritage. The surviving estate buildings should therefore be distinguished from the destroyed palace.

Peter I's small wooden palace is not only the earliest building in Strelna, but also the only surviving building from his modest country estate. Its interiors were reconstructed using preserved materials and house a museum exhibition. The palace is under state protection and is among the few surviving monuments of early 18th-century Russian architecture.

The collection includes personal items belonging to Peter I, including a formal suit, a silk dressing gown and a bedroom screen painted in the chinoiserie style. These pieces give the palace's history a tangible, personal dimension. Tours of the Konstantin Palace are also available; check the current visitor arrangements before your visit.

The garden history also goes back to the time of Peter I: the garden and vegetable-growing complex was established then. In the kitchen garden laid out under Peter I, herbs and medicinal plants were grown together in a single bed. This tradition, which originated in the Netherlands, is called “Ogorod na gollandskiy vkus” in Russia. It differs from the history of the palaces and parks: here, the focus is on a specific method of cultivation, not a building or a park.

The tour of the Lower Park, offered in spring and summer, combines a walk along the avenues and canals with a visit to the grottoes of the Konstantin Palace. It also includes views of the panorama of the Gulf of Finland. The tour brings together park paths, palace details and a sweeping view in a single visit.

All excursion routes start at the excursion office in Strelna, 1 Glinki Street. If you are planning a tour, check the current arrangements before travelling. This will help you fit the seasonal park tour and other available tours into your own plans.

At the broader destination level, St. Petersburg offers a different perspective: the city rises at the mouth of the Neva, where the river meets the Gulf of Finland. St. Petersburg is described as the greatest urban-planning achievement of the 18th century. Its architectural heritage brings together Baroque and Neoclassicism, seen, for example, in the Admiralty, the Winter Palace, the Marble Palace and the Hermitage. When planning your trip, you can therefore consider Strelna's palace and garden history and St. Petersburg's architectural heritage as distinct areas of focus.

Discover more destinations: Aleksandrovskaya, Sestroretsk, Pushkin, Pontonnyy, Pargolovo, Lakhta, Kronstadt, Pesochny.

Which places are part of the complex in Strelna?

It includes the Konstantin Palace, as well as the Lower and Upper Parks.

What does the tour of the Lower Park include?

In spring and summer, it includes walks along the avenues and canals, a visit to the grottoes of the Konstantin Palace and views of the panorama of the Gulf of Finland. Check the current arrangements before your visit.

Where do the excursion routes start?

All excursion routes start at the excursion office in Strelna, 1 Glinki Street. Confirm the current tour arrangements before planning your visit.

Go to the broader travel overview: St. Petersburg.