Pavlovsk

Pavlovsk (päv`ləfsk), city (1989 pop. 25,500), NW Russia, a summer resort near St. Petersburg. Founded by Catherine the Great in 1777, it was named for Czar Paul I, for whose country estate it was intended. In 1796 it became the royal summer residence, and in the 19th cent. it also served as a summer residence for the nobility of St. Petersburg. Pavlovsk contains English gardens, villas, mansions, a palace (1782–86) in the Russian classical style, several park pavilions (1780–83), the Pil tower (1795–97), and the mausoleum of Paul I (early 19th cent.). From 1838 until the Bolshevik Revolution, Pavlovsk was the scene of symphonic concerts conducted by Johann Strauss, Aleksandr Glazunov, and other famous musicians. Heavily damaged during World War II, the buildings at Pavlovsk have been largely reconstructed.