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Tsarskoye Selo is a unique encyclopedia of Russian architecture and landscape gardening. This harmoniously synthesized ensemble  was formed by architects of different times, viewes and tastes. Tsarskoye Selo palaces, park pavilions and structures show all major art styles of the 18th - early 19th centuries: flamboyant Baroque, refined Classicism, majestic Empire, fanciful Gothic and Chinoiserie, as well as the Russian Revival and Art Nouveau styles. All wishes of the royal owners of Tsarskoye Selo were turned into reality by many Russian and foreign architects, whose creations reflected their customers’ public and personal lives.

At the residences of Russian Tsars even service buildings – greenhouses, farms, stables, carriage houses, workmen’s quarters, etc. – were created by talented architects who hid the utilitarian purpose of the structures behind original appearances. Every major architect worked in cooperation with decorative artists, joiners, carvers, blacksmiths, bronzemasters, and other craftsmen.