The Twelve Walks

(EN) "The focal point of the Old Sylvia is a round clearing, like a great open-air hall among the greenery, a rond point from which twelve straight walks radiate (hence the other name for the area—The Twelve Walks). At the end of each one stands either a building or a sculpture.

The geometrical layout of this stretch of woodland is emphasized by the trimmed acacia hedges which line the paths. The effect is further heightened by the regular arrangement of the bronze statues, which were erected in 1798. In the centre of the round point stands Apollo Belvedere, a beautifully-made bronze copy of the famous Vatican original. It is surrounded by twelve other statues which stand between the walks—The Nine Muses, Aphrodite Kallipygos, Flora and Mercury, also cast after antique originals. Placed along the walk which runs around the perimeter of the Old Sylvia, are four bronze statues of Niobe and her children. The perfect classical forms of the statues, and the dark colour of the bronze touched lightly with a noble patina, blend harmoniously with the setting of evergreens. The woodland provides an excellent background for the statuary, and the sculptures in their turn became an essential part of the scenery. Brenna made the whole area astonishingly beautiful and poetic"—wrote Anatoli Michailovich Kuchumov in his book [i]Pavlovsk Palace and Park[/i].

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(RU) Район Старой Сильвии на Двенадцати дорожках спроектирован в начале 1790-х годов архитектором Винченцо Бренной. Центром композиции является площадка со статуей Аполлона Бельведерского. От неё расходится двенадцать дорожек, между которыми находятся двенадцать скульптур: Венера Каллипиги (или Прекраснобедрая, богиня любви и красоты), Флора (богиня цветов), Меркурий (вестник богов) и девять муз. Каждая из Двенадцати дорожек заканчивается павильоном или скульптурой, связанной со статуей центральной площадки.

Europe / Russia-Urals West

Lat: 59° 41' 27.06" N
Long: 30° 27' 41.4" E

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