As one of the areas of the Museum's development, the Tsarskoe Selo Friends Society was created in summer 2006 for individuals and companies interested in supporting the Museum in its restoration and collection enrichment projects.
Tsarskoe Selo, a unique architectural monument of world-ranking historical and cultural importance, is preparing to celebrate its tercentenary in 2010. This glorious summer residence of Russian emperors is a recognized masterpiece of architecture and landscape art of the 18th - early 19th centuries.
The 308 hectares of the Catherine and Alexander parks encompass the legendary Catherine and Alexander Palaces, as well as more than 100 architectural structures including pavilions, bridges, multiple marble monuments and other exotic installations. They embrace architectural styles of various epochs from Baroque to Historicism.
During World War II, the palace-and-park ensemble of Tsarskoe Selo was ruined and plundered; a considerable part of the Museum’s collection was lost.
Incredible reconstruction works, using traditional 18th-19th-century gilding, carving, molding and other techniques, were started after 1945 and still continue. Thanks to exhaustive searches carried out in order to restore the Museum's collections, many objects similar to the plundered historic ones have been located and purchased. Much has been accomplished, while more is yet to be done.
Tsarskoe Selo will be grateful for your support in completing the rebirth of its palaces and parks. The Museum is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List and in the State Code of the most precious objects of cultural heritage of nations of the Russian Federation.