This once magnificent theatre is a shattered peice of history that now lyes in ruins at Tsarskoye Selo's beautiful Alexander Park.
Having survived the russian revolution this building was to be victim to a nazi bomb in World War 2 causing the destruction of the theatre leaving only a fragmented shell which is there to this day.
Short History
In 1770 the architect Antonio Rinaldi was asked to present plans for a chinese area at the alexander park, including a village, theatre and various pavillions. It was not until 1780 that work actually began on the chinese village, which was now being created and developed by the scottish architect Charles Cameron though the Chinese Theatre was to be entrusted to the father and son Vasily and Peter Neyelov.
After the death of Catherine the Great, the 500 seat theatre fell into decline until the beginning of the 20th Century when Tsar Nicholas II in 1902 had electricity installed and by 1909 had major alterations commisioned including a marble staircase and a few green rooms.
Unfortunately a short time later all performances were stopped with the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914 and by 1917-18 all romanov associations with tsarskoye selo ended.
The exclamation on this beautiful building was the nazi bomb which enveloped it's being on 15th September 1941.
