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The Catherine palace is the summer palace of the Russia's Tsarina Catherine the Great, located in the town Tsarskoye Selo 25 kilometers east of St. Petersburg, Russia. During World War II all buildings were intentionally destroyed by German military forces upon retirement from their failed siege of Leningrad. Prior to the siege Russian archivists had removed most of the contents. During the last half of the 20th century it was gradually rebuilt, with completion in time for the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg in 2003.
The palace is noted for its grand ballroom, the "Hall of Lights" with a spectacular painted ceiling and its numerous distinctively decorated smaller rooms, including the reproduced Amber Room.
The palace was designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli in a flamboyant Rococo form, which Catherine disliked and called it "whipped cream" style. For her personal residence on the palace grounds she had constructed a modest (for her status) Greek Revival structure. In the park lies the smaller Alexander Palace.
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