Gatchina

Gatchina ( , ) is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-southwest of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which links Saint Petersburg and Pskov. Population: It was previously known as Khotchino, Gatchina (until February 14, 1923), Trotsk (until August 2, 1929), and Krasnogvardeysk (until January 28, 1944). Gatchina, the largest town in Leningrad Oblast, is best known as the location of the Great Gatchina Palace, one of the main residences of the Russian Imperial Family during the 18th and 19th centuries. The historic center and Gatchina Palace are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site's "Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments". Another popular tourist attraction in Gatchina is the Prioratsky Palace. Gatchina has placed highly in quality-of-life rankings in Russia.

Gatchina ( , ) is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-southwest of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which links Saint Petersburg and Pskov. Population: It was previously known as Khotchino, Gatchina (until February 14, 1923), Trotsk (until August 2, 1929), and Krasnogvardeysk (until January 28, 1944). Gatchina, the largest town in Leningrad Oblast, is best known as the location of the Great Gatchina Palace, one of the main residences of the Russian Imperial Family during the 18th and 19th centuries. The historic center and Gatchina Palace are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site's "Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments". Another popular tourist attraction in Gatchina is the Prioratsky Palace. Gatchina has placed highly in quality-of-life rankings in Russia. ==History== ===Early history=== Gatchina was first documented in 1499 under the name Khotchino as a village that was part of the region of Novgorod. In the 17th century it was passed to Livonia and then to Sweden in a series of wars, until the early years of the Great Northern War at the turn of the 1700s when the area was returned to Russia. In 1703, Gatchina found itself in the southern vicinity of the new Russian capital, Saint Petersburg, which was being constructed north at the mouth of the Neva River. Despite technically still belonging to Swedish Ingria, in 1708, Gatchina was given by Peter the Great to his sister, Natalya Alexeyevna, and after her death in 1716 Peter founded an Imperial Hospital and Apothecary there. In 1765, it became the property of Count Orlov. ===Imperial residence=== ===20th century=== Gatchina was honored as the best-kept city of Russia at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris (Exposition Universelle). The quality of life, education, medical services, and public safety in Gatchina were recognized as the best, and it was recommended as an example for other cities in Russia. In 1910, one of the first airfields in Russia was established in Gatchina, with the city becoming one of the first centers of aviation and engine technology in Russia. The pilot Pyotr Nesterov was trained at the Gatchina airfield and made his first long-distance flight from Gatchina to Kiev. Gatchina Palace remained one of the official imperial residences of Tsar Nicholas II, who was presiding over annual military parades and celebrations of the Imperial Russian Army garrisons, stationed in Gatchina until 1917. ==Name== The town has notably been known under various names during its history. As common with larger urban areas under the Soviet Union, Gatchina was renamed to reflect the changed ideals of the government. This first came in honouring Leon Trotsky. However, with the feud between Trotsky and Stalin at a high this name was to become problematic. Thus, the city was renamed again in honour of the Soviet troops. Unlike other regions that underwent this process, Gatchina has a more complex history leading to multiple variations. ==Administrative and municipal divisions== Within the framework of administrative divisions, Gatchina serves as the administrative center of Gatchinsky District. As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Gatchinsky District as Gatchinskoye Settlement Municipal Formation. As a municipal division, Gatchinskoye Settlement Municipal Formation is incorporated within Gatchinsky Municipal District as Gatchinskoye Urban Settlement. ==Economy== ===Industry=== In Gatchina, there are several enterprises related to timber industry, including a paper mill, and to food industry. ===Transportation=== Gatchina is an important railway node. One railway, running north to south, connects the Baltiysky railway station in St. Petersburg with Dno and Nevel. Within the town limits, suburban trains in this direction stop at the platform of Tatyanino and the station of Gatchina-Varshavskaya. Another railway, also from the Baltiysky railway station, arrives to Gatchina from the northwest and has two stops, Mariyenburg and Gatchina-Passazhirskaya-Baltiyskaya. Yet another railway runs south of the town center from east to west and connects Mga via Ulyanovka with Volosovo. The railway station on this line in Gatchina is Gatchina-Tovarnaya-Baltiyskaya. The M20 Highway connecting St. Petersburg and Pskov, crosses Gatchina from north to south. South of Gatchina, it crosses the , which encircles St. Petersburg. A paved road connects Gatchina with Kingisepp via Volosovo. There are also local roads. on a Gatchina route]] ===Science=== Gatchina is the site of the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute. ==Twin towns – sister cities== Gatchina is twinned with: Eskilstuna, Sweden Ettlingen, Germany Coatbridge, United Kingdom Chișinău, Moldova ==References== ===Notes=== ===Sources=== ==Further reading== St. Petersburg: Architecture of the Tsars. Abbeville Press, 1996. Knopf Guide: St. Petersburg. New York: Knopf, 1995. Glantz, David M. The Battle for Leningrad, 1941–1944. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2002. Radzinsky, Edvard. Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar. New York: The Free Press, 2005. ==External links== Official website of Gatchina Gatchina Business Directory Art monuments & History of former residence of the Russian Emperors Gatchina over the Centuries Views of Gatchina Park

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