Unit 8 Marly Palace

Thirty kilometers from Leningrad, on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, lies Petrodvorets, a splendid monument of Russian art and architecture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Marly Palace was built on the order of Peter the Great in 1720-23 and designed by Johann Braunstein.

The building was originally planned with a single storey, but in the course of construction it was decided to add another floor, which gave the architectural proportions a harmonic completeness.

In the architecture and interior décor use was made of new devices for planning and decorating palace apartments, which became wide-spread in the first half of the eighteenth century. Although there were no state apartments at Marly Palace, the various elements of the interior decor (cornices with moulded corbels and bas-reliefs, pictorial insets, carved wooden panels, tiles and fabrics) gave the rooms great ornamental elegance.

The palace was used mainly as a temporary residence for members of the Tsar's family and distinguished guests. In the second half of the eighteenth century it was a kind of memorial museum for Peter the Great. In 1898 the palace was restored under the supervision of the architect Alexander Semyonov, the architectural decor being preserved.

After the Great October Revolution of 1917 Marly Palace became a domestic history museum. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 the most valuable exhibits, the collection of painting and the personal belongings of Peter the Great, were evacuated. In January 1944 the Nazis blew up the palace as they retreated.

The palace facade was restored in 1954 according to a design by the architect Yevgeniya Kazanskaya. In 1982 experts from the Leningrad Restavrator Scientific Production Association (architect Alexander Gessen) completed restoration work on the palace interiors. The beautiful wrought-iron balustrade of the staircase was restored by craftsmen in the teams of Vladimir Laktionov and Georgi Tsygankov. Experts under the supervision of Boris Mitskevich recreated more than two thousand two-coloured tiles with 150 different subjects. The teams of Boris Shabkhin and Nikolai Kukushkin produced panels of oak and eastern plane.

Today the palace's sixteen rooms house a History of Art Museum. As a result of painstaking research and collecting work the exhibits approximate very closely to the original decor of the interiors.

The museum contains collections of West European painting and decorative applied art of the first half of the eighteenth century, including Chinese porcelain and enamels, English pewter, Dutch (Delft) earthenware, an interesting collection of authentic copperware of the early eighteenth century, tapestries, German and Dutch furniture with exquisite inlaid ornament, typical of the furniture found in Russian palaces during the first half of the eighteenth century, and also objects and garments belonging to Peter the Great. In the Oak Study and the Library are Peter’s desk, a sun-dial, various naval measuring instruments and a valuable collection of eighteenth-century books.

The restored Marly Palace, an important section of the Lower Park museum complex, is yet another fine achievement of restores who are recreating the monuments of world-famous Petrodvorets.

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions:

1. Where is Marly Palace located?

2. How was the Palace used and what has changed in the first half of the eighteenth century?

3. Who completed restoration work on the palace interiors in 1982?

4. What collections does Marly Palace contain?

5. What can the tourists see in the Oak Study and the Library?

Ex. 2. Match the words in A with their definitions in B:

A	B
1. craftsman	a. to take care of a place or building in order to prevent it from being harmed or destroyed
2. temporary	b. a piece of clothing
3. splendid	c. someone who makes beautiful or practical objects using his hands
4. authentic	d. existing, done or used for only a limited period of time
5. garment	e. used about something that is impressive and beautiful to look at
6. preserve	f. real, not false or copied

Ex. 3. Complete the gaps with one of the words given below:

single	art
house	temporary
supervision	distinguished

1. The palace was used mainly as a ……… residence for members of the Tsar's family and ……… guests.

2. The building was originally planned with a ……… storey.

3. It is a splendid monument of Russian ……… and architecture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

4. Today the palace's sixteen rooms ……… a History of Art Museum.

5. The palace was restored under the ……… of the architect Alexander Semyonov.

Ex. 4. Put the verbs in an appropriate tense and voice:

1. The museum (contain) collections of West European painting and decorative applied art of the first half of the eighteenth century.

2. The palace facade (be restored) in 1954 according to a design by the architect Yevgeniya Kazanskaya.

3. The building originally (be planned) with a single storey, but in the course of construction it (be decided) to add another floor, which (give) the architectural proportions a harmonic completeness.

4. They (produce) panels of oak and eastern plane.

5. After the Great October Revolution of 1917 Marly Palace (become) a domestic history museum.

Ex. 5. Translate the sentences into Russian paying attention to infinitive and gerund constructions:

1. Big hotels use individual deposit boxes for the personal property such as jewellery, passports or money. A receptionist informs the hotel guest of having such opportunity for extra charge.

2. A guest complained of giving a very small room at the back of the hotel.

3. The concierge has to provide a full service, not just theatre tickets, and must not expect a gratuity.

4. Are we going to land anywhere or it will be nonstop flight?

Unit 9

How to Decide Between Guided Tours and Travelling Independently

There are two main types of travel: a guided tour group or an independent vacation. Both types of vacations can be very rewarding and cater to individual tastes.

The first step in choosing between participating in a guided tour or planning an independent vacation on your own is to research the destination. Researching the destination of your next trip is the best place to begin before any traveler leaves home in order to get an idea of costs, itinerary, and attractions that are a must-see on any holiday. Knowing what attractions and places to see permits a traveler to choose a tour group that visits places that are geared towards their interests, and allows an independent traveler to customize a specific itinerary for their trip.