A palace in Pushkin

Before and After depictions of people, places and things never fail to astonish and amaze with their vivid comparisons of what once was and is now, today. One of the most striking examples of this is in Pushkin, about a 17-mile drive south of St. Petersburg, at the gorgeous white, gold and azure Catherine's Palace (Yekaterininsky Dvorets). This stunning baroque palace with its cluster of golden cupolas was built in 1752 during the reigns of Elizabeth and Catherine II. It has almost a 1,000-foot-long exterior, floor to ceiling mirrors, white marble staircases, priceless statues and paintings, and a 1,482-acre parkland of gardens, fountains, waterfalls, grottos, pavilions, and French and English gardens.

But a visit also proves very sobering because stark black and white, post-war photographs in each room show with grim clarity the extent of wartime destruction carried out by the Nazis who used the glittering palace as an army barracks during the siege of Leningrad from 1942-44. When the Germans retreated, they stripped, pillaged, plundered, smashed and ruined. What they could not destroy, they blew up. Today, the ravaged rooms are slowly being restored, and a hint of the extravagant lifestyle of pre-revolutionary royalty can be seen in the more than 20 rooms that have been restored so far. Surprisingly, the work was initiated by Stalin who provided a staggering amount of rubles to renovate this remnant of Czarist rule to its former glory.

The breathtaking Great Hall, the largest room in the palace at 9,250 square feet, was used for receptions and balls, and has gilded cherubs and garlands, and a massive painting on the ceiling that represents The Triumph of Russia, glorifying its achievements in the arts, sciences and war. The Picture Hall that stretches across the entire width of the palace displays 17th and 18th Century Italian, French and Flemish portraits and paintings. There are many other visual joys: the fabulous silk wall coverings of the Blue Drawing Room with its blue crystal and turquoise inlays, the Chinese Blue Drawing Room, the Choir Anteroom with its gold silk swan and pheasant pattern, and more.

There's even a lingering mystery -- the mystery of the vanishing Amber Room. During his reign, Peter the Great bought numerous panels of amber from the king of Prussia. In 1755, the great Italian architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, built a room with the exquisitely engraved amber panels and further enhanced it with mirrors and agate and jasper mosaics. But the Nazis plundered this most priceless Russian art treasure from the walls in 1945. To this day, no one knows where the amber panels have vanished. Catherine's Palace, 7 UL. Komsomolskaya, Pushkin. Open: 11 a.m-6 pm summer (until 5 pm in winter). Closed Tues. and last Mon. of the month.

© 1998, Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate.