Guard at Catherine Palace, Russia Postcard

A soldier in a 19th century uniform stands guard at an entrance to the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), in the Russian Federation, near St. Petersburg. The Catherine Palace (Russian: Екатерининский дворец) is a Rococo palace located in the town of Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), 25 km southeast of St. Petersburg, Russia. It was the summer residence of the Russian tsars. The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I of Russia hired German architect Johann-Friedrich Braunstein to construct a summer palace. In 1733, Empress Elizabeth expanded the Catherine Palace, but then demolished the old structure and replaced it with a much grander edifice in a flamboyant Rococo style. Construction lasted for four years, and in July 1756 the architect presented the brand-new 325-meter-long palace to the Empress. When the German forces retreated after the siege of Leningrad, they intentionally destroyed the residence. The Palace is now undergoing reconstruction, with many of its beautiful rooms restored, including the Amber Room.