Pyramid Hill

The hill on the east bank of the Upper Tsaritsyno pond is one of the masterpieces of the 18th century landscape design. In the 1770s, even before Tsaritsyno was established and the estate was still called Chernaya Gryaz and owned by Cantemir brothers – the foundation of the future landscape park was laid.

Gardeners shaped the steep slope of the hill like a stepped pyramid and organized semicircular terraces/walk paths. The space between terraces was planted with birches and shrubs. At the top of the pyramid hill there was a green wooden gazebo.

In the spring of 1775 Catherine II purchased the estate and renamed it Tsaritsyno. In the summer of that year she repeatedly visited the estate and held several sessions of the Supreme Council at this gazebo. Later Vasily Bazhenov built Small Palace on this spot.