View source for Gatchina

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2012}}
{{redirect|Trotsk|the other city formerly named Trotsk|Chapayevsk}}
{{distinguish|Gashina}}
{{Infobox Russian inhabited locality
| en_name                 = Gatchina
| ru_name                 = Гатчина
| loc_name1               = 
| loc_lang1               = 
| loc_name2               = 
| loc_lang2               = 
| loc_name3               = 
| loc_lang3               = 
| loc_name4               = 
| loc_lang4               = 
| other_name              = 
| other_lang              = 
| image_skyline           = Vadimrazumov copter - Gatchina 5.jpg
| image_caption           = Aerial view of the [[Gatchina Palace]]
| image_map               = 
| map_caption             = 
| pushpin_map             = Russia Leningrad Oblast#European Russia#Europe
| coordinates             = {{coord|59|35|N|30|08|E|display=inline,title}}
| image_flag              = Flag of Gatchina (v. 1).svg
| flag_caption            = 
| image_coa               = Coat of Arms of Gatchina (v. 1).svg
| coa_caption             = 
| anthem                  = 
| anthem_ref              = 
| holiday                 = Third Saturday in September
| holiday_ref             = <ref name="Holiday">{{cite web|url= http://www.gatchina-meria.ru/news/news.php?id=201|script-title= ru:Гатчина готовится к Дню города|publisher= Администрация МО «Город Гатчина»|language= ru|access-date= February 27, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
<!-- administrative status -->
| federal_subject         = [[Leningrad Oblast]]
| federal_subject_ref     = <ref name="LeningradO_adm" />
| adm_district_jur        = [[Gatchinsky District]]
| adm_district_jur_ref    = <ref name="LeningradO_adm" />
| adm_inhabloc_jur        = 
| adm_inhabloc_jur_ref    = 
| adm_citydistrict_jur    = 
| adm_citydistrict_type   = 
| adm_citydistrict_jur_ref = 
| adm_selsoviet_jur       = Gatchinskoye Settlement Municipal Formation
| adm_selsoviet_type      = Settlement municipal formation
| adm_selsoviet_jur_ref   = <ref name="LeningradO_adm" />
| capital_of              = 
| capital_of_ref          = 
| adm_ctr_of1             = [[Gatchinsky District]]
| adm_ctr_of1_ref         = <ref name="LeningradO_adm" />
| adm_ctr_of2             = Gatchinskoye Settlement Municipal Formation
| adm_ctr_of2_ref         = <ref name="LeningradO_adm" />
| adm_ctr_of3             = 
| adm_ctr_of3_ref         = 
| inhabloc_cat            = Town
| inhabloc_cat_ref        = <ref name="LeningradO_adm" />
| inhabloc_type           = 
| inhabloc_type_ref       = 
<!-- municipal status -->
| mun_district_jur        = Gatchinsky Municipal District
| mun_district_jur_ref    = <ref name="LeningradOGatchinskyDGatchinskoyeUS_mun" />
| urban_okrug_jur         = 
| urban_okrug_jur_ref     = 
| urban_settlement_jur    = Gatchinskoye Urban Settlement
| urban_settlement_jur_ref = <ref name="LeningradOGatchinskyDGatchinskoyeUS_mun" />
| rural_settlement_jur     = 
| rural_settlement_jur_ref  = 
| inter_settlement_territory  = 
| inter_settlement_territory_ref = 
| mun_admctr_of1           = Gatchinsky Municipal District
| mun_admctr_of1_ref       = <ref name="LeningradOGatchinskyD_mun">Law #113-oz</ref>
| mun_admctr_of2           = Gatchinskoye Urban Settlement
| mun_admctr_of2_ref       = <ref name="LeningradOGatchinskyDGatchinskoyeUS_mun" />
| leader_title             = 
| leader_title_ref         = 
| leader_name              = 
| leader_name_ref          = 
| representative_body      = 
| representative_body_ref  = 
<!-- statistics -->
| elevation_m              = 
| area_km2                 = 
| area_km2_ref             = 
| pop_2010census           = 92937
| pop_2010census_rank      = 184th
| pop_2010census_ref       = <ref name="2010Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2010Census}}</ref>
| pop_latest               = 
| pop_latest_date          = 
| pop_latest_ref           = 
| population_demonym       = 
| time_zone_ref            = 
<!-- history -->
| established_date         = 1499
| established_title        = First mentioned
| established_date_ref     = <ref name="gr" />
| current_cat_date         = 1796
| current_cat_date_ref     = <ref name="gr" />
| abolished_date           = 
| abolished_date_ref       = 
<!-- misc -->
| postal_codes             = 188300-188310, 188319, 188399
| postal_codes_ref         = 
| dialing_codes            = 81371
| dialing_codes_ref        = <ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gatchina.biz/info |script-title= ru:Гатчина и Гатчинский район Справочная информация |publisher= gatchina.biz |language= ru |access-date= February 27, 2014}}</ref>
| website                  = http://www.gatchina-meria.ru/
}}
'''Gatchina''' ({{langx|ru|Га́тчина}}, {{IPA|ru|ˈɡatːɕɪnə|IPA}}) is a [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|town]] and the [[administrative center]] of [[Gatchinsky District]] in [[Leningrad Oblast]], [[Russia]]. It lies {{convert|45|km|sp= us}} south-south-west of [[Saint Petersburg| St.&nbsp;Petersburg]], along the [[European route E95| E95]] highway which links Saint Petersburg and  [[Pskov]]. Population: {{ru-census|p2010=92,937|p2002= 88,420|p1989= 79,714}}{{Historical populations|1897|14824|1926|16600|1939|38201|1959|36725|1970|63292|1979|75153|1989|79714|2002|88420|2010|92937|2021|94377|type=|footnote=Source: Census data}}It was previously known as ''Khotchino'',<ref name="gr" /> ''Gatchina'' (until February&nbsp;14, 1923),<ref name="GatchinskyUyezdHist" /> ''Trotsk'' (until August&nbsp;2, 1929),<ref name="DistrictHist" /> and ''Krasnogvardeysk'' (until January&nbsp;28, 1944).<ref name="DistrictHist" />

Gatchina, the largest town in Leningrad Oblast, is best known as the location of the [[Gatchina Palace |Great Gatchina Palace]], one of the main residences of the [[Russian Imperial Family]] during the 18th and 19th centuries. The historic center and Gatchina Palace are part of the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]'s "[[Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments]]".<ref>
{{cite web
|url= https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/540/multiple=1&unique_number=635
|title= Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments
|author= UNESCO World Heritage Centre|work= unesco.org
|access-date= November 6, 2015
}}
</ref>
Another popular tourist attraction in Gatchina is the [[Priory Palace | Prioratsky Palace]].

Gatchina has placed highly in [[quality-of-life]] rankings in Russia.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022|reason=QOL indicator missing}}

==History==
===Early history===
Gatchina was first documented in 1499 under the name '''Khotchino''' as a village that was part of the region of [[Novgorod]].<ref name="gr">{{cite book|title=Энциклопедия Города России|year=2003|publisher=Большая Российская Энциклопедия|location=Moscow|isbn=5-7107-7399-9|pages=104}}</ref> In the 17th century it was passed to [[Livonia]] and then to [[Sweden]] in a series of wars, until the early years of the [[Great Northern War]] at the turn of the 1700s when the area was returned to [[Tsardom of Russia|Russia]].<ref name="gr" /> In 1703, Gatchina found itself in the southern vicinity of the new Russian capital, [[Saint Petersburg]], which was being constructed {{convert|45|km|sp=us}} north at the [[Mouth (river)|mouth]] of the [[Neva River]]. Despite technically still belonging to [[Swedish Ingria]], in 1708, Gatchina was given by [[Peter the Great]] to his sister, [[Tsarevna Natalya Alexeyevna of Russia|Natalya Alexeyevna]], and after her death in 1716 Peter founded an Imperial Hospital and Apothecary there.<ref>''Peter the Great: His Life and World'' (Knopf, 1980) by Robert K. Massie, {{ISBN|0-394-50032-6}} (also Wings Books, 1991, {{ISBN|0-517-06483-9}})</ref> In 1765, it became the property of [[Grigory Orlov|Count Orlov]].<ref name="gr" />

===Imperial residence===

==== 18th century ====
[[File:Gatchina Palace, Southern facade.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Gatchina Palace|Great Gatchina Palace]].]]
In 1765, [[Catherine the Great]], Empress of the [[Russian Empire]], purchased Gatchina Manor from Prince [[Boris Kurakin]], which featured the village and a small [[Manorialism|manor]]. Gatchina was gifted by Catherine to one of her favorites, Count [[Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov]], who reportedly organized the [[Peter III of Russia#Overthrow and death|assassination of Tsar Peter III]] three years earlier, resulting in her becoming empress. Between 1766 and 1788, Count Orlov built the massive [[Gatchina Palace|Great Gatchina Palace]] in place of the original manor, with 600 rooms, an extensive English landscape park over {{convert|7|km2|sp=us}}, with an adjacent [[zoo]] and a horse farm.<ref>[http://img-2005-02.photosight.ru/13/759925.jpg photo]</ref> A [[triumphal arch]] was erected to a design by the architect of Gatchina Palace, [[Antonio Rinaldi (architect)|Antonio Rinaldi]], forming a monumental entrance. Upon Orlov's death in 1783, Gatchina Palace was bought by Catherine from his heirs, and given to her son Grand Duke [[Tsar Paul I of Russia|Pavel Petrovich]], the future Tsar Paul I.<ref name="gr" /> During his ownership, Paul made alterations to the palace, but also began developing the village of Gatchina into a town using experience from his travels around [[Europe]]. After ascending to the throne, Paul granted Gatchina the status of Imperial City, an honorary designation for towns that possessed a [[royal palace]]. Gatchina Palace was expanded and altered numerous times by its subsequent imperial owners, with the addition of [[Rococo]] interiors designed by Rinaldi and [[Vincenzo Brenna]], and executed by [[Italy|Italian]] [[Stucco|stucco workers]] and Russian craftsmen.<ref>''St. Petersburg: Architecture of the Tsars''. Abbeville Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-7892-0217-4}}</ref>

==== 19th century ====
In 1854, a [[railroad]] connecting Gatchina and Saint Petersburg was opened, and the territory of Gatchina was expanded with several villages in the vicinity being [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] into the city.<ref>[http://www.unilib.neva.ru/city/suburbs/sub2.html Suburbs of St.Petersburg : Gatchina] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317190952/http://www.unilib.neva.ru/city/suburbs/sub2.html|date=17 March 2008}}</ref> The following year Gatchina Palace came under the ownership of [[Tsar Alexander II]], who used it as his second residence. Alexander built a hunting village south of Gatchina into a retreat where he and his guests could enjoy the unspoiled wilderness of northwestern Russia. Following the [[assassination of Alexander II]] in 1881, Gatchina Palace was passed to his shaken son, the new [[Tsar Alexander III]], who was advised that he and his family would be safer in Gatchina as opposed to at the [[Winter Palace]] in Saint Petersburg. Alexander spent most of his life at Gatchina Palace, which became known as "The Citadel of [[Autocracy]]" after the Tsar's reactionary policies. Here he signed decrees, held diplomatic receptions, theatrical performances, [[masquerade ball|masquerades]] and costumed balls, and other events and entertainment. Alexander III introduced some technological [[modernizations]] new to Russia at the Gatchina Palace, such as indoor [[heater]]s, [[electric light]]s, a [[telephone]] network, non-freezing water pipes and a modern [[sewage]] system. His son, the future [[Tsar Nicholas II of Russia|Tsar Nicholas II]] and the last Russian Tsar, spent his youth in the Gatchina Palace, although he and his family would make [[Tsarskoye Selo]] his home. His mother, [[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna]], widow of Alexander III, was the patron of the city of Gatchina, the palace and its parks.

===20th century===
Gatchina was honored as the best-kept city of Russia at the [[1900 World's Fair]] in [[Paris]] ([[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Exposition Universelle]]). The quality of life, education, medical services, and public safety in Gatchina were recognized as the best, and it was recommended as an example for other cities in Russia. In 1910, one of the first [[airfields]] in Russia was established in Gatchina, with the city becoming one of the first centers of aviation and engine technology in Russia.<ref name="gr" /> The pilot [[Pyotr Nesterov]] was trained at the Gatchina airfield and made his first long-distance flight from Gatchina to [[Kiev]]. Gatchina Palace remained one of the official imperial residences of Tsar Nicholas II, who was presiding over annual [[military parade]]s and celebrations of the [[Imperial Russian Army]] garrisons, stationed in Gatchina until 1917.

==== World War I ====
During [[World War I]], major medical hospitals in Gatchina were visited by the Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Maria Fyodorovna, the mother of Nicholas&nbsp;II, his wife the Empress [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Alexandra Fyodorovna]], as well as their daughters [[Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Olga]], [[Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Tatiana]], [[Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (1899–1918)|Grand Duchess Maria]], and [[Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Anastasia]].

In March 1917, the Russian Empire collapsed upon the [[Abdication of the Russian Tsar|abdication of Nicholas II]] following the [[February Revolution]], leading to a decline in Gatchina's importance as the town and its palace became [[state property]] of the Russian [[Provisional Government]], who converted it to a [[museum]].

==== Russian Civil War ====
Shortly afterwards, the [[Bolsheviks]] seized power in the [[October Revolution]] and the outbreak of the [[Russian Civil War]] followed. It saw Gatchina loyal to the [[White Movement]], and the palace was visited by President [[Alexander Kerensky]] of the deposed [[Russian Provisional Government]] on October 27, 1917. During Kerensky's visit, fighting broke out in Gatchina between detachments of the [[Red Guards]] and [[Cossack]] units of General [[Pyotr Krasnov]]. The Reds won the battle, which had avoided the palace, and on November 1, they held a rally outside the palace in the main square, where [[Pavel Dybenko]] encouraged the Cossack units stationed in the palace to surrender and not to oppose the Red authorities. Kerensky left Gatchina Palace that night, and it was occupied by Red troops the following day.<ref>Alexander Kerensky, ''The Catastrophe'' (New York, 1927)</ref>

==== Interwar period ====
In May 1918, the museum was re-opened by the Reds "for the victorious popular masses of the Russian Revolution" in Gatchina.<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [http://www.gorod.gatchina.biz/dll_9103001 Гатчинский дворец, годы испытаний]</ref> From 1918 to 1941, the Gatchina Palace and parks were open to public as a national museum. On February 14, 1923, Gatchina was renamed '''Trotsk''' ({{langx|ru|Троцк}}) by the new Soviet authorities, after [[Leon Trotsky]].<ref name="GatchinskyUyezdHist">{{cite web|url=http://classif.spb.ru/sprav/np_lo/4_Gatch_uezd.htm|script-title=ru:Гатчинский уезд (февраль 1923 г. - август 1927 г.)|publisher=Система классификаторов исполнительных органов государственной власти Санкт-Петербурга|language=ru|access-date=February 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094855/http://classif.spb.ru/sprav/np_lo/4_Gatch_uezd.htm|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> After [[Joseph Stalin]] became General Secretary of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Russian Communist Party (b)]], Trotsky was gradually [[exile]]d (and later killed on Stalin's orders), and the town was renamed '''Krasnogvardeysk''' ({{lang|ru|Красногварде́йск}}, ''Red Guard City'') on August 2, 1929.<ref name="DistrictHist">{{cite web|url=http://classif.spb.ru/sprav/np_lo/43_Trotsky_Krasnofvardeysky_Gatchinsky_rayon.htm|script-title=ru:Троцкий район (август 1927 г. - август 1929 г.), Красногвардейский район (август 1929 г. - январь 1944 г.), Гатчинский район (январь 1944 г.)|publisher=Система классификаторов исполнительных органов государственной власти Санкт-Петербурга|language=ru|access-date=February 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001008/http://classif.spb.ru/sprav/np_lo/43_Trotsky_Krasnofvardeysky_Gatchinsky_rayon.htm|archive-date=December 3, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== World War II ====
[[File:Вид собора с востока во время немецкой оккупации 1941-44 гг.jpg|thumb|left|Damaged Saint Paul Cathedral in Gatchina during German occupation; the visible weariness is due to both heavy fighting and neglect showed by the Soviet government in the preceding decades]]
Gatchina was occupied by [[Nazi Germany]] from Saturday, September 13, 1941, following the [[German invasion of Russia]] during [[World War II]].
The Germans renamed the town '''Lindemannstadt''', in honor of the [[Wehrmacht]] general [[Georg Lindemann]], and looted much of the Gatchina Palace for its collections of art. On January 26, 1944, the Germans abandoned Lindemannstadt during their retreat, setting fire to Gatchina Palace and [[vandalizing]] much of the park. The town was quickly retaken by the [[Red Army]], and two days later it was renamed back to its original pre-Soviet name, Gatchina.<ref>Max Schafer (2011), ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dSi3ecb7qmEC&dq=Lindemann+Gattschina&pg=PA44 Jahrgang 1924]'', p.&nbsp;44 {{ISBN|3-8423-1113-3}}</ref><ref name="DistrictHist" />

==== Rebuilding ====
After the war, Gatchina was rebuilt to Soviet standards, and became home to the Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics. The extent of the Gatchina Palace's devastation was extraordinary, and initially was considered irreparable damage. Restoration works continued for over 60 years, and some pieces of the art collection were recovered from safe keeping and returned to Gatchina. Today, one section of the Gatchina Palace is partially completed and certain state rooms and the Arsenal Halls are now open to the public. Other areas of the palace, including those of Tsar Alexander&nbsp;III, remain closed and unrestored.

In 1990, shortly before the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Gatchina Palace and surviving buildings in Gatchina's historic center became [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s, as part of the wider [[Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments|Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/540/multiple=1&unique_number=635|title=Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments|author=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|work=unesco.org|access-date=November 6, 2015}}</ref>  In 1999, Gatchina was awarded in the Most Comfortable City of Russia, a [[quality of life]] competition for Russian towns and cities, being ranked first in Category III, the category for cities with a population of under 100,000. In 2010, Gatchina's status as an [[Historical city of Russia]] was revoked.

{{Panorama
|image   = File:Gatchina. Panorama from the Terrace-pier.jpg
|height  =160
|alt     = 
|caption = Panorama of the view from the piers at Gatchina Palace Park.
}}

==Name==
The town has notably been known under various names during its history. As common with larger urban areas under the [[Soviet Union]], Gatchina was renamed to reflect the changed ideals of the government. This first came in honouring Leon Trotsky. However, with the feud between Trotsky and Stalin at a high this name was to become problematic. Thus, the city was renamed again in honour of the Soviet troops. Unlike other regions that underwent this process, Gatchina has a more complex history leading to multiple variations.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Caption
|-
! Name
! Period
! Named For
! Governing Power
|-
|rowspan="4"|Khotchino
| 1499–1700s
|rowspan="4"|Lust for authority or noble status
| [[Novgorod Republic]]<br/>[[Livonia]]<br/>{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Swedish Empire]]
|-
| 1700s–1917
| {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Tsardom of Russia]]<br/>{{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[Russian Empire]]
|-
| 1917
| Provisional Government<br/>Whites<br/>{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Soviet Union]]
|-
| 1917–1923
|rowspan="3"|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Soviet Union]]
|-
| Trotsk
| 1923–1929
| [[Leon Trotsky]]
|-
| Krasnogvardeysk
| 1929–1941
| "[[Red Guards (Russia)|Red Guard]]" City
|-
| Lindemannstadt
| 1941–1944
| [[Georg Lindemann]]
| {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Nazi Germany]]
|-
| Gatchina
| 1944–
| Variant spelling of historic "Khotchino"
| {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Soviet Union]]<br/>{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Russian Federation]]
|}

==Administrative and municipal divisions==
Within the [[subdivisions of Russia#Administrative divisions|framework of administrative divisions]], Gatchina serves as the [[administrative center]] of [[Gatchinsky District]].<ref name="LeningradO_adm">Oblast Law #32-oz</ref> As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Gatchinsky District as '''Gatchinskoye [[Town of district significance|Settlement Municipal Formation]]'''.<ref name="LeningradO_adm" /> As a [[subdivisions of Russia#Municipal divisions|municipal division]], Gatchinskoye Settlement Municipal Formation is incorporated within Gatchinsky Municipal District as '''Gatchinskoye Urban Settlement'''.<ref name="LeningradOGatchinskyDGatchinskoyeUS_mun">Law #115-oz</ref>

==Economy==

===Industry===
In Gatchina, there are several enterprises related to timber industry, including a paper mill, and to food industry.<ref name="econ">{{cite web|url=http://radm.gtn.ru/portal_gatchina/general/economy.htm|script-title=ru:Комитет экономики и инвестиций|publisher=Гатчинский муниципальный район|language=ru|access-date=February 7, 2013}}</ref>

===Transportation===
[[File:Map Gatchina railway 2024.svg|thumb|Map of two railway lines to Gatchina]]
Gatchina is an important railway node. One railway, running north to south, connects the [[Baltiysky railway station]] in St.&nbsp;Petersburg with [[Dno]] and [[Nevel (town)|Nevel]]. Within the town limits, suburban trains in this direction stop at the platform of [[Tatyanino railway platform|Tatyanino]] and the station of [[Gatchina-Varshavskaya railway station|Gatchina-Varshavskaya]]. Another railway, also from the Baltiysky railway station, arrives to Gatchina from the northwest and has two stops, [[Mariyenburg railway platform|Mariyenburg]] and [[Gatchina-Passazhirskaya-Baltiyskaya railway station|Gatchina-Passazhirskaya-Baltiyskaya]]. Yet another railway runs south of the town center from east to west and connects [[Mga]] via [[Ulyanovka, Leningrad Oblast|Ulyanovka]] with [[Volosovo, Leningrad Oblast|Volosovo]]. The railway station on this line in Gatchina is [[Gatchina-Tovarnaya-Baltiyskaya railway station|Gatchina-Tovarnaya-Baltiyskaya]].

The [[M20 highway (Russia)|M20 Highway]] connecting St.&nbsp;Petersburg and [[Pskov]], crosses Gatchina from north to south. South of Gatchina, it crosses the A120 Highway, which encircles St.&nbsp;Petersburg. A paved road connects Gatchina with [[Kingisepp]] via Volosovo. There are also local roads.
[[File:Автобус ЛиАЗ-5256.26 маршрута №431 в Гатчине.jpg|thumb|[[LiAZ (Russia)|LiAZ-5256]] on a Gatchina route]]

===Science===
Gatchina is the site of the [[Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pnpi.spb.ru/en/|title=Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute. National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute"|work=pnpi.spb.ru|access-date=November 6, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104214118/http://www.pnpi.spb.ru/index.html.en|archive-date=November 4, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia}}

Gatchina is [[sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Побратимы Гатчины и Гатчинского района|url=http://radm.gtn.ru/activity/partnership/pobratim/|website=radm.gtn.ru|publisher=Gatchinsky District|language=ru|access-date=2020-02-03|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203143635/http://radm.gtn.ru/activity/partnership/pobratim/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Verkostot|url=https://www.espoo.fi/fi-FI/Espoon_kaupunki/Tietoa_Espoosta/Kansainvalinen_Espoo/Verkostot|website=espoo.fi|publisher=Espoo|language=fi|access-date=2020-02-03|archive-date=December 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217202325/https://www.espoo.fi/fi-FI/Espoon_kaupunki/Tietoa_Espoosta/Kansainvalinen_Espoo/Verkostot|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=NLC2>{{cite web|url=http://mars.northlan.gov.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/report/042280.pdf|title=MINUTE OF MEETING OF COATBRIDGE AREA COMMITTEE|publisher=North Lanarkshire Council|access-date=8 January 2009|date=23 June 1998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305055359/http://mars.northlan.gov.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/report/042280.pdf|archive-date=5 March 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://radm.gtn.ru/activity/partnership/partnership_news/?art=122|publisher=Gatchina Council|language=ru|title=Гатчина и Кишинев установили побратимские связи|access-date=December 31, 2023|archive-date=December 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231154309/http://radm.gtn.ru/activity/partnership/partnership_news/?art=122|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Eskilstuna Municipality|Eskilstuna]], Sweden
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Ettlingen]], Germany
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Coatbridge]], United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|MLD}} [[Chișinău]], Moldova

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|2}}

===Sources===
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|len|adm|list}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|len|mun|list|gatchinsky}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|len|mun|list|gatchina}}

==Further reading==
*''St. Petersburg: Architecture of the Tsars.'' Abbeville Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0789202174}}
*''Knopf Guide: St. Petersburg''. New York: Knopf, 1995. {{ISBN|0-679-76202-7}}
*Glantz, David M. ''The Battle for Leningrad, 1941–1944.'' Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2002. {{ISBN|0-7006-1208-4}}
*[[Edvard Radzinsky|Radzinsky, Edvard]]. ''Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar.'' New York: The Free Press, 2005. {{ISBN|0-7432-7332-X}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gatchina}}
*[http://radm.gtn.ru/ Official website of Gatchina] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211121224/http://radm.gtn.ru/ |date=December 11, 2005 }} {{in lang|ru}}
*[https://gatchina.jsprav.ru/ Gatchina Business Directory] {{in lang|ru}}
*[http://gatchina3000.ru/ Art monuments & History of former residence of the Russian Emperors]
*[http://history-gatchina.ru/ Gatchina over the Centuries] {{in lang|ru}}
*[http://enlight.ru/camera/30/index_e.html Views of Gatchina Park]

{{Leningrad Oblast}}
{{List of European capitals by region}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gatchina| ]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Russia]]
[[Category:Tsarskoselsky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Gatchinsky District]]