The Zubov's Estate «Otrada» and The Blocade Ring

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. The Zubov's Estate «Otrada»

   Oranienbaum is the old name of Lomonosov, and the story of the town begins with a man who liked to build on a grand scale. Alexander Menshikov, one of Peter the Great's closest friends, laid out a palace here on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland in the early eighteenth century, and the place became a favourite residence of the imperial family. Today its park and palaces are part of the Saint Petersburg ensemble that UNESCO listed in 1990.

   Read the complete The Zubov's Estate «Otrada» write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The Zubov's Estate «Otrada» is where the day begins. Next is Prioratsky Park.

2. 2. Prioratsky Park

   Gatchina has a palace that most visitors head for first, but the building that makes riders and architects alike stop and stare is the little Priory Palace standing on the shore of Black Lake in Prioratsky Park. It looks like a small Gothic castle with a tower and a chapel, pale and slightly unreal against the water, and it is built of rammed earth. Nikolai Lvov, the architect and polymath, put it up around 1799 for Emperor Paul I, who had made himself Grand Master of the Knights of Malta and wanted a residence to offer the Order. The earth walls, compacted in layers and then plastered, have now survived more than two centuries of Russian winters, which is a better record than plenty of brick.

   Read the complete Prioratsky Park write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Prioratsky Park comes up 65 km in. Next is The Blocade Ring.

3. 3. The Blocade Ring

   The Blockade Ring stands on the south bank of the Neva, east of Saint Petersburg, close to where the Road of Life began its journey toward Lake Ladoga. It commemorates the siege of Leningrad, which lasted from September 1941 to January 1944, roughly 872 days, and the corridor that kept the city alive. When Shlisselburg fell in September 1941, the city was cut off by land, and the only lifeline ran across Ladoga, by boat in summer and over the ice in winter.

   Read the complete The Blocade Ring write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   130 km in you reach The Blocade Ring. Next is back through Prioratsky Park.

4. 4. back through Prioratsky Park

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Prioratsky Park write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Prioratsky Park, late in the day. Next is The Zubov's Estate «Otrada».

5. 5. The Zubov's Estate «Otrada»

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete The Zubov's Estate «Otrada» write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at The Zubov's Estate «Otrada». That is the ride.