The suburbs of St. Petersburg have been famous for their palace and park ensembles for almost three centuries. This publication talks about only two pearls from the necklace surrounding the Northern capital of Russia - Tsarskoye Selo and Pavlovsk. At the center of the narrative are fascinating stories of the creation and restoration of the most significant monuments of Russian architecture that decorate these palace and park ensembles, as well as ancient legends and secrets of palace coups, historical portraits of the rulers of Russia who owned these country residences.