В. М. Пашину

“A city of whispers.” That’s how Pushkin, previously Tsarskoye Selo, felt to young Valentin Pashin. He, a budding artist, saw the shadows of emperors in the grand Catherine Palace, heard the echoes of Pushkin’s verses in the lyceum gardens. Today, standing before Pashin’s memorial, we whisper our own stories into the fabric of Pushkin. This town, just south of Saint Petersburg, began not as a canvas for imperial dreams, but as Sarskaya Manor, a small estate amidst the Finnish landscape. It was Peter the Great who, in 1710, gifted this land to his future Empress, Catherine I. That marked the birth of Tsarskoye Selo, the “Tsar’s Village”. The transformation from modest manor to opulent imperial residence began with Catherine and blossomed under Empress Elizabeth. The Catherine Palace, with its iconic gilded facade designed by Rastrelli, became a symbol of imperial power. Within its walls, the famed Amber Room shimmered, a masterpiece of artistry and intrigue. Pushkin also carries the torch of intellectual brilliance. The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, once housed within a wing of the Catherine Palace, nurtured the young mind of Aleksandr Pushkin, shaping the future of Russian literature. Imagine the weight of history these walls have witnessed, the whispers of revolution, the echoes of war. Renamed Detskoye Selo, “Children’s Village”, after the October Revolution, and finally Pushkin in 1937, this town has worn many names, each reflecting a pivotal moment in Russian history. The scars of World War II are etched into Pushkin’s history. Occupied by German forces, the town witnessed destruction and looting. The Amber Room vanished, its fate a mystery that continues to captivate. Post-war, Pushkin rose from the ashes, its palaces painstakingly restored, its gardens renewed. The town’s spirit, much like Pashin’s enduring art, refused to be extinguished. So, as we stand here, before the memorial to Valentin Pashin, let us remember not only the man, but the town he loved, a town of whispers, a town named Pushkin.