Standing Stables (Pushkin)

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Standing Stables, Pushkin

The Standing Stables in Pushkin, near Saint Petersburg, were built in the early 1820s as the royal stables for Emperor Alexander I. Architect Vasily Stasov designed the building, and S. L. Shustov led the construction, expanding the original plan. The stables were completed and handed over to the palace in 1827. Today they house a permanent exhibition of court carriages called “The Court Crew in Tsarskoe Selo.”

Architecture and design: The stables are in a classicist style with a distinctive semi-circular shape and trapezoidal doorways. The walls widen downward, creating a unique look. A Doric frieze with triglyphs, metopes and a cornice runs along the top, and the original decorative stucco horse heads and wreaths were lost during World War II. The roof is gabled with triangular end pediments, and the lower facade features rustic wood finishes. Two-thirds up the walls are notable semicircular windows. The buildings were meant to connect with other structures via passages.

History: In 1939 the stables were turned into a bus garage. They were damaged during World War II but later restored. In 1990, they became part of the Tsarskoye Selo museum-reserve. The stables sit in the last block of the complex, behind the cavalry residences.