Curious to discover a place that once served as a summer escape for St. Petersburg’s elite? Today, we find ourselves in Pargolovo. Pargolovo is a municipal settlement in the Vyborgsky District of Saint Petersburg. It was once the city’s northern suburb.
Pargolovo’s name comes from “Parkola”. Parkola is a Karelian place name. In 2010, Pargolovo had a population of 15,852.
Let’s step back in time. Imagine Empress Elizabeth bestowing the Pargolovo manor upon Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov in 1746. This marked Pargolovo as a family seat of the Counts Shuvalov junior line.
The Shuvalov family significantly shaped Pargolovo. Peter Ivanovich’s Baroque palace saw a transformation. Stepan Krichinsky rebuilt it into a Neoclassical villa. This was for the estate’s last owner, Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov. Harald Julius von Bosse designed a smaller palace. It dates back to the mid-19th century.
The Shuvalov Park holds many points of interest. It features a network of old ponds and the Yellow Dacha. Maximilian Messmacher designed the Yellow Dacha. It was a wooden lodge for his family. The Parnassus hill offered views of the capital’s downtown.
Another highlight is the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul. Alexander Brullov designed it in the 1840s with a Gothic Revival design. In 1872, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov married Nadezhda Purgold at this church.
Just west of Pargolovo lies the Northern Cemetery. It was established in 1874. It is the second largest cemetery in Saint Petersburg. Georgy Gapon, Vasily Vereshchagin and Vladimir Propp are buried here. Also, Mikhail Artamonov, Alexander Belov and Sergey Filippov rest here.
Pargolovo offers more than just historical buildings. It’s a place where you can connect with nature. Stroll through Shuvalov Park. Reflect on the lives of those who shaped this unique place. Pargolovo provides a glimpse into Russia’s past. It allows us to appreciate its architectural and cultural heritage.