Peter the Great and Kolomenskoye Palace: Archives, Museums, Archaeology

This paper reviews the key deliverables of the study and reconstruction of archaeological findings on the site of the tsar's palace in Kolomenskoye village. The palace was built in the 1660s–1680s during the reign of Aleksei Mikhailovich and his son Fyodor by a group of masters, including from Central Europe (Belarus, Lithuania and other countries), with important assigned roles. In 1670–1690s, the future reformer of Russia Peter the Great, yet a child and a young man, visited this place. He knew and loved the estate. As instructed by him, the palace was fortified and renovated in the late 1710s – early 1720s. It existed for about one century, when the empress Catherine the Great had to dismantle it as it was too old. The site excavations were launched in the 1920s, and were conducted from time to time later. The most important works took place in 1935, 1970–1980s and in the 2000s. 
In order to analyze the obtained data, it was necessary to collect the reports on these excavations and finds from various repositories. The missing sections were rebuilt, and a database of finds was compiled. All information was transferred to the map system. A 3D reconstruction is underway. Simultaneously, the archival texts and images of the 17th–19th century palace were collected. As a result, we have been able to show that the palace was the most important of the Tsar's summer residences, also designed to be demonstrated to the global community. Its interiors contained ample European objects. The atmosphere of the palace inspired the young Peter the Great to enjoy and adopt the Western culture and architecture.